Which Vehicle?

[Brauap]

Hi! After having some extra money from selling my quad and going to a local truck night (Yankee Lake Truck Night) I relized I want to go muddin with my cousins! I have been looking and I can not make up my mind! I was wondering which of the following YOU would choose. Please, no bias comment! When you post your answer, please post why so I can understand.

Here are the options:

1979 Chevy Blazer (http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/1322180640.html) I am usually a Ford guy, but if someone could talk me into the Blazer.... I'm open minded. Are there any known problems?

Suzuki Samurai (http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/1274022121.html) If I where to get the Samurai, I would put a lift kit on it, throw some 35's under her, and drop a 302 or a 305 in it with the extra money I have.

With the pick-up, I can throw my bike in the back and go riding, where as with the Samurai, I do not have that option. BUT I can, however, put a bike hauler in the reciever and off I go. I have a MAXIMUM of $1,500 to spend. For those who do not know, when I say BIKE I mean DIRT BIKE not quad.

[hypersnyper6947]

Fore sure #1, you have to have money left over for maintenance. Also if i were you i would limit the whole mud thing on your daily driver. It eats parts up. But awesome price on that first one.

[bonds0033]

You don't want to spend your whole budget on buying the truck because then you don't have anything left over for all the other stuff, insurance, gas, repairs, and performance upgrades. I would say buy the cheaper one, you can still drive it and slowly as you get the money build it into exactly the truck you want. And while your at it you could send me the other '78. I can't find one anywhere down here.

[Gray33]

Hey how far you willing to travel in ohio? I could keep a eye out, i have seen alot by me that are for muddin.

[Ruby Soho]

didnt you get like 2,500 for the 400?

thats not going to last very long. trucks are expensive.

[fastredrider44]

Boy, if only I knew what I know now when I was 16. If I were you, I would look for a 3/4 ton 81-87 Chevrolet. They are straight up tough trucks. But, DO NOT sink all you money into the truck. I been there done that. To go mudding often is hard on brakes, bearings, and basically anything that moves. You will get tired of wrenching at some point and then you will be needing some money for the next vehicle.

[Brauap]

Sold quad for $2,500
Bought bike for $700
Bought parts for bike $650
That leaves me with about $1,150
I am fixing a friends quad for $100
I am selling my paintball stuff for $125+ (eBay)
That then leaves me with about $1,375

Gray, how far do you live from the Youngstown region?

These are kinda my idea of the vehicles over another winters rebuild...

Awesome Suzuki Samurai
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/satc1.jpg

Awesome Suzuki Sidekick/Geo Tracker
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/Leroys4wd_OH_97GeoTracker_RR.jpg

Suzuki Samurai
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/7830290003_large888.jpg

Suzuki Samurai modded with roll cage and nets (crappy job I know) I'd be able to do this, my dad is an excelent welder, my friends have pipe benders, and my dads friends make them all the time for their samurai's! Also, my dad is an excelent painter!
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/7830290003_large.jpg

Awesome Chevy Pickup (Make/Model??)
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/braaup/5781670040_large.jpg

[shane071489]

man no lie i have seen a samurai with bald street tires go farther than any of them im not a big fan of them but they go any and everywhere you can not get them stuck and if you do somethings wrong you can just go forward and back and it just keeps going farther and farther

[Brauap]

Originally posted by shane071489
man no lie i have seen a samurai with bald street tires go farther than any of them im not a big fan of them but they go any and everywhere you can not get them stuck and if you do somethings wrong you can just go forward and back and it just keeps going farther and farther

I know! My buddy takes em out for hill climbs! There crazy lil buggies! Now, imagine that with a V8 :eek2: haha

I'm really lost on what to do! I want BOTH 50/50

There is a beat up, running chevy blazer on Craigs right now for $350 OBO.. I may pick that up for muddin But that still leaves me with my everyday driver? The Sammy, I can take that to school.. then after school wheel down in the back yard and trail blaze. With the pick up, I can drive that to school, and I can also take that out back.. but it isn't nearly as nimble as the Sammy.. Also, I know I am going to me made fun of what ever I drive to HS but I don't want that for 4 years.. how much do you think I will get picked on and laughed at for driving a V8 Samurai to HS? ha

[Phugg]

I voted the Sami .. reason is weight, it has none. I have seen stock motor Sami's outclimb fully modded Jeeps. (I'm a crawler fan , hate mud). From my understanding you can drop a small v6 from a sidekick in and do Toyota axles and the thing will be bombproof.

[416exfreak]

That first truck COULD be a 78, but only the 79 model came with the square lights. It's easy enough to swap the bezel and glass though..

Sami.. ehh, they're not much bigger than a quad, but they will go anywhere you point them, even with 33's all the way around..

I'll post a pic of ours when I get home. School computers wont let me get to photobucket.:mad:

[416exfreak]

Originally posted by Phugg
I voted the Sami .. reason is weight, it has none. I have seen stock motor Sami's outclimb fully modded Jeeps. (I'm a crawler fan , hate mud). From my understanding you can drop a small v6 from a sidekick in and do Toyota axles and the thing will be bombproof.

You can actually use the 1.6L bottom end from the tracker and the head from the sami (it bumps the compression up a little) but the V6 swap you speak of is the 4.3L vortech V6 from a chevy truck.

The Yota axles are a GREAT improvement, but most people like to take the knuckles from the Yota front end, and then take a Dana 60 center section (from the rear end), and weld the knuckles to it.

Then you use a die grinder and V notch all the splines. The 60 R&P is stronger than the Yota, but the Yota axles are bigger than D60.

u go to yankee lake truck night awsome!my parents went there twice and my dads last truck was a 99 dodge ram 2500 cummins diesel and he had some pretty big tires on it and he got all drunk(mom was sober)and he was gettin ready to take it through the mudhole but mom wouldnt let him lol she loved that truck she was so pissed when he sold it....but my dads friend goes to yankee lake like every week and he has like 1 normal truck and 3 muddin trucks 2 of em are broke and now 3 cuz last week he hit the big mudhole full board and broke a whole bunch a crap(almnost made it thrugh)....and all his trucks are chevy's and his muddin trucks are like old 70's-80's and his name is jason douglas he's a mechanic and owns his own shop,maybe you've heard of him at yankee lake,but my vote is for the chevy.

[blacknblue#2]

I say number 1. you cant kill these trucks. I had a 78 Reg Cab F-250. Had a 351M in it when i got it. i put a 460 in it. The 460 in front of that 4 speed was a running sum-beetch. Ive always been partials to this body style.

[Brauap]

416ex, I never thought about dropping a 6 cyl in there! Do you know how hard it is to fit? I have a 4.0L from a Ranger with an extra tranny! It's be better on gas and I think it would be easier to fit in there! Do you know if when you put it in, if there would still be room to still attach the 4X4? I know in the Tracker/Sidekick when you plop a V8 in there, there isn't enough room...... Do you happen to have a site where some has done the conversion or a site for the Sammy alone? I can't find one.. I'd love to have a forum!

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[400ex28]

the 77's look better than the 78's.

[416exfreak]

These are good people to deal with.

http://www.rocky-road.com/vortec.html

That would be what you need. I dont know how popular the 4.0L from a ranger is, but I know that 4.3 swap is very popular.

And a 4.3L V6 is going to be worse on gas than a 1.3L 4 cylinder. You would just use the 4.3L vortec with a turbo 350 tranny, NP203 or 205 transfer case and fab up a mount to lower it down some.

Your also going to need double cardone shafts after you go bigger than about a 35" tire.

Here's ours on 42" rice and canes. Yota axles. We have a set of 38" cut boggers that stay on it 90% of the time though.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r124/440kid/022.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r124/440kid/113.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r124/440kid/018.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r124/440kid/016.jpg

[Brauap]

That looks awesome! How's those tires in the mud? I bet AWESOME! :eek2:

Welp, the 1978 Ford F-150 (1) is out of the running, he e-mailed me some more pictures and the whole cab and bed it rotted out and there is a nice big rust hole in the frame. He was very nice and honest, however! I am just not looking for that much work.

[Brauap]

1978 Ford F150 (2) is also out of the running fore I do not want to pay soo much for a truck I can't take to school and that. Right now I am kinda thinking about taking the 91 Ranger I have and fixin that up.. its a 91 Ford Ranger 4.0L short bed... I'd find a cheap 302 w/ manual tranny and drop it in... UGH SO MANY OPTIONS!!!

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[Tommy Warren]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Brauap
[B]1978 Ford F150 (2) is also out of the running fore I do not want to pay soo much for a truck I can't take to school and that. Right now I am kinda thinking about taking the 91 Ranger I have and fixin that up.. its a 91 Ford Ranger 4.0L short bed... I'd find a cheap 302 w/ manual tranny and drop it in... UGH SO MANY OPTIONS!!!

there is a guy around my house with the same truck but it has a 7.3powerstroke in it:D :D :D works mint with 44's on it.

[honda400ex2003]

i voted for the blazer cause you can get cheap lifts and stuff for them, but the samurai would be pretty cool. i dont see any of them up here where i live. steve