Sleeper Truck

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Yea I don't know guys, like I said it was just a idea, so I might just carry on with my project.

[67 cst swb]

I like the idea of a bad ass small block, then paint it a factory color. Steel wheels and hub caps and don't touch the body work... not quite as extreme as "farm truck" but along the same lines.

https://www.google.com/search?q=farm...06683&tbm=isch

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Yea I think the factory color is real ugly green solid

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

I would be more comfortable if I do paint it, that it would be painted black. I think I won't feel as bad if I do it a lwb. Plus the Farmtruck is a huge inspiration of mine, that's even were the idea of my user name came from Sleepy (sleeper) Cheyenne.

[nicks diner]

Well I'm close to finishing my sleeper. 68 shorty ,Built 406 around 500 hp, built rear end with posi traction, 3.73 gears, 3/5 drop and complete factory custom trim including rally wheels with those little spinners.Completely restored and painted hot rod black. Maybe not a 100 percent sleeper but it will surprise a few people, That I guarantee.

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

The thing is I also believe people under estimate a lwb just another reason. That and my swb is very sentimental so I think I will make my original vision of her. And I will look for a lwb in a while.

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by special-K

Some prefer to "build" their motors as it's been with hot rodders from day-1. Some prefer to look under the hood and see a motor that says "hot rod" and not one that says "I belong in a modern car". To each their own,but for me an LS/computer/electronic O/D trans belongs in a daily driver. If I lived where I could drive my old truck year round it would be my daily driver. For fun and cool factor the older motors will never be "out"

Agreed. I have had to work on the LS motors in our daily drivers (tahoes and now a suburban). I do NOT want one in my old truck. They aren't much fun to work on. I'm building my own power with an old school gen 1 small block instead of dealing with check engine lights in my toy.

[88lsiroc]

Originally Posted by special-K

Some prefer to "build" their motors as it's been with hot rodders from day-1. Some prefer to look under the hood and see a motor that says "hot rod" and not one that says "I belong in a modern car". To each their own,but for me an LS/computer/electronic O/D trans belongs in a daily driver. If I lived where I could drive my old truck year round it would be my daily driver. For fun and cool factor the older motors will never be "out"

Thank goodness nobody ever swapped a gen 1 sbc bbc into a different car.
Warren Johnson seems like a semi educated man as well. It was just an opinion.
Maybe just do some reading on the web. Check out the ls shoot out. There is some ls powered vehicles that are pretty quick. I did not say its for everybody. Just that you can make some crazy cheap horsepower.

[Andy4639]

Well I'm going to join in on the fun here and say my 6.0 Lsx install has the old 71 running stronger than ever. Yes the swap may not be for everyone but let me assure you if you do you want regret it. The power of the engine and the smoothness is awsume. I'm putting out right at 350 HP in stock mode nothing done Yet internally to it. Just a good tune. I'm running AC also. Does it look out of place, not to a Hot Rodder if you say it does then you don't know the true meaning of a Hot Rodder. That's what Hot Rodding was founded on putting motors out of other vehicles into whatever you had.
If you want old school look then you are on the right track with your goal. But a 6.0 carb LSx motor would look right at home in that sleeper.

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Well the other thing is the power option, I'm leaning towards nitrous. But can anyone tell me if a supercharger or turbocharger are quieter.

[GASoline71]

Superchargers whine. Turbos whine. Nitrous melts pistons...

Do your homework if you're planning on any kind of power adder.

Gary

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by 67 cst swb

I like the idea of a bad ass small block, then paint it a factory color. Steel wheels and hub caps and don't touch the body work... not quite as extreme as "farm truck" but along the same lines.

https://www.google.com/search?q=farm...06683&tbm=isch

You peeking in my garage? I even powdercoated my new edelbrock intake to hide it! My "new" vintage 67-68 poverty caps just came in this week too.

[Frkypunk70]

Have any pictures of the truck or the engine?

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Originally Posted by Frkypunk70

Have any pictures of the truck or the engine?

No I'm gonna start looking for a lwb and just another brainstorm Cummins 5.9 turbo diesel

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by GASoline71

Superchargers whine. Turbos whine. Nitrous melts pistons...

Do your homework if you're planning on any kind of power adder.

Gary

My buddy with the '66 over here has a naturally aspirated smallblock turning the back wheels with a solid 450 hp. If it wasn't for the rambunctious exhaust (2.5", flowmaster 40's and pipes dumped just after cab- sounds like a Winston cup car!) it'd be a great sleeper (original paint, hubcaps). He's also running a getrag 6-spd and even with high gearing (I think 3.08's he said) it goes like hell! He's going to change his rear-end so he can use 6th gear before 80 mph.

Mine's built for 300-350 hp, a solid but conservative build that ought to sound nice and be real fun to drive. The next step up though- from conservative to the kind of power my buddy has in exponential. That additional 100 hp would probably cost me double what my build is costing, easy, as it would required upgrading about everything to make the jump in power.

I grew up with the gen I small blocks, understand them inside and out and they are SO easy and fun to build, repair and troubleshoot.... and I like the old school aspect. The LS's work great and look cool under the hood but I just didn't (and right now don't) want the additional complexity on the truck. I can see building an LS powered truck later but I am digging my old-school small block big-time right now.

[Lattimer]

If I was building a truck to be a daily driver, I'd go LS and never look back. The power and economy you can get are worth it.

However, for my weekend street cruising toy----I don't want or need the added complexity. Just couldn't make myself add a computer to a truck where the most complicated thing was a relay.

Cool thing is its my truck-----so I can do what I want regardless of anyone's opinion.

[GASoline71]

Originally Posted by NC_John

I grew up with the gen I small blocks, understand them inside and out and they are SO easy and fun to build, repair and troubleshoot.... and I like the old school aspect. The LS's work great and look cool under the hood but I just didn't (and right now don't) want the additional complexity on the truck. I can see building an LS powered truck later but I am digging my old-school small block big-time right now.

Me too... there is NOTHING like the sound of a gen 1 smallie at 8,000 RPM's!

My truck has a very snotty 355 in it. Loose converter, wicked flat tappet cam, 3" exhaust with 40's that dump out in front of the rear tires, full on MSD ignition and a blueprinted Holley 3310. It goes well north of 6,500 RPM's and pulls hard. That big ol' 72 GMC will suprise a lot of the "new muscle" on the road. Nothing like the look of fear on the face of a new Mustang owner when a 4,000 pound truck is screaming at over 6,000 RPM's and staying fender to fender. Might not beat them in the long run, but it will keep up with them!.. Not much of a sleeper either.

I love the siplicity of the SBC and a carb. However, I have a line on a '70 GMC 2500, and am seriously thinking about setting that up with a 6.0 LS and 4L80E so it can tow and haul. It would be a big chunk of change to run that type of tranny, but am saving for it.

Gary

[Wootdog]

Mine is not quite old school, but a LT1 and 4L60E. Around 480 hp.

[special-K]

This thread is about a member wanting to build a sleeper truck with his chosen path of building a SBC,not a debate on what the best motor is. Modern motor lovers need not feel so threatened/insecure. With an open mind you'd see we all choose a direction on a truck and that doesn't always land us with the latest technological advancements. I understand hot rodding and I understand evolution. "Hot rod" is probably one of the most interpreted terms out there. There are as many arguments as there are definitions and about as many sub-categories*. I don't consider ANY of these trucks as hot rods (noun),but I do see many as hot rodded (verb),using any number of approaches. When I referred to it I was using it as a verb...to hot rod. When you take a SBC,tear it down,change compression,combustion chambers,cam,valve train,etc. you are "hot rodding" an engine. When you put a more powerful motor from something else in you are "hot rodding" the truck. No one ever said a modern motor doesn't belong in our trucks.

There is no comparison to the OHV engines taking over on the Flathead Ford. The Flathead Ford never died. The Stovebolt 6 never died. And,the SBC will never die. You can actually run quite dependably a mid-300s HP SBC,without spending a huge chunk of money or giving up reliability. A truck can be a sleeper on the outside and one can be a sleeper through and through. That picture of an LS/LX motor doesn't look out of place in that car,and would look fine in one of these trucks,too. But,it wouldn't say "sleeper",it would say,"Look at the late model engine I slipped in for more power". That's my point,which is related to the topic of this thread. I would use that motor,in factory computer controlled configuration in one of these trucks as my daily driver if I lived where year 'round driving wouldn't rot it away.

I still like these trucks the same as always and have,and for the most part,staying true to the era. I have no problem with carbs or even points. I've pretty much done it all,but don't fault any design these trucks came with originally. I helped people build trucks covering the full spectrum,including an LSX powered '67 Stepside using all over the counter GM parts,available in Anytown,USA...a pretty cool approach. My '72 K2500 is getting a 383 built from a numbers matching 350 block that will appear stock,except for the full element air cleaner. But,for show I could always pop the original on there and not many would be aware it's not stock. That is a sleeper engine.

Trends will keep on coming. Some stick,some pass. But,the old ways keep coming back and that's where,for the most part,I chose to stay. I've chased a trend or two in life,but by now I know what I like,it doesn't matter what everyone else is doing,and I don't need everyone else to agree or do it my way. I'm not alone. To each their own.

*Street rod,muscle car,street machine,pro-stock,pro-touring,cruising,ground pounder,street freak,sleeper...

[slow-1]

Originally Posted by special-K

This thread is about a member wanting to build a sleeper truck with his chosen path of building a SBC

Originally Posted by Sleepy Cheyenne

I'm gonna start looking for a lwb and just another brainstorm Cummins 5.9 turbo diesel

...

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

I'm just throwing out all possible options I even thought about a big block.
It really just depends which one I think works best for the application.

[GASoline71]

You really can't go wrong with any engine. If you want a sleeper... you can do whatever you want under the hood. it's all how you hide it on the outside.

If my truck wasn't as loud as it is, and didn't have 15" slots on it with bigs and littles... it would be a total sleeper. Still has the original paint.

Gary

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Originally Posted by GASoline71

You really can't go wrong with any engine. If you want a sleeper... you can do whatever you want under the hood. it's all how you hide it on the outside.

If my truck wasn't as loud as it is, and didn't have 15" slots on it with bigs and littles... it would be a total sleeper. Still has the original paint.

Gary

That's very true I'm just trying to see what engine and added power option will work best

[GASoline71]

There are so many good options out there... it's hard to pick!

Gary

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by Heavymetl

I'm gonna disagree. the engines which bred so much enthusiasm for previous generations just seem slow, heavy, and clunky compared to our modern powerplants.

Yeah, those old outdated motors from previous generations just don't do the same as the new LS motors. But they are BIG, LOUD and FAST. Pull up beside my truck and when the light turns green the noise from this beast will break all of your windows, the exhaust from the dumps will burn the paint off the side of your truck and my tires leave you in a cloud of smoke so big you'll be looking for your fire extinguisher for a week. And to add insult to injury, I'll do it with my AC on.