New Guy With a Potential New Build

[AZCaptain]

Hey there, so I have been lurking for the past few weeks and decided that I needed to join. I live in Arizona and figure that I have some awesome destinations around me to go explore. So I might as well build a truck to do it! I have a 2wd 77 shortbed chevy. I have found a 4x4 frame and 1/2 ton axles here locally. So I have a few questions.

1) Has anybody on here made the swap from a 2wd to a four wheel drive?

2) I want to find a manual transmission for it, the guy that has the frame has a manual transmission, I just need to identify it. I at one point had a 79 4x4 that had what they call a 4-sd, but really it had a super low granny gear and three normal ones. Do those transmissions do well for exploring, minus the no overdrive for the highway cruising.

3) The reason I ask about these transmissions is obviously I will be lifting the truck up. With the lift comes bigger tires. If I leave the differential gearing stock and put 35's or 38" tires on it, will the granny gear somewhat compensate for the stock gearing when I need to move slowly? And what will the effect on cruising down the highway be? Will I get better gas mileage, but have no power?

4) I might have the oppurtunity to get a cabover camper that came out of a dodge dakota, for the right price..FREE. Has anyone on the forum put one of these midsize campers in a fullsize shortbed? Will it work? Is there enough space left over to make some storage spots?

I realize this is just the tip of the iceberg, but I wanted some answers before I jump in head first into this project. I am limited by budget, but I can slowly work away.

Thanks in advance for the help! You all seem like a great bunch of guys that have a hella lot more knowledge then me.

 

[bftank]

1) yes

2) most likely an sm465 spicer muncie, 6.55 first gear, very heavy duty for offroad, big tires etc,

3)will be fine up to 38's if you have at least 3.73 gears, will definitely compensate for moving slow, check out a gear calculator. http://www.rocky-road.com/calculator.html, cruising depends on your motor and how much power there is, if it is weak it will have a hard time with the aero dynamics, i would try to avoid thinking about fuel mileage all together with trucks like this. lift, big tires, and camper all contribute to horrible fuel mpg. you would be lucky to get 10 mpg on the highway.

4) dont know

best advice would be to submerse yourself in coloradok5.com, if you want to pursue the chevy route.

 

[chilliwak]

AZ, a couple of questions.
How good are you at fabricating?
Do you want to make your 2wd into a 4wd or do you want to take a good body and mount it on a 4by4 chassis?
Are you really that worried about gas mileage?
What kind of terrain are you going to be wheeling in?
All these need to be addressed if you want some honest advice.:costumed-smiley-007

 

[AZCaptain]

I am pretty good at fabricating, just slow. I don't personaly own a lot of fabricating tools, but luckily I have a few good friends that have everything I would need. I think a lot of my fabricating will be bumpers, sliders and some sort of cradle for the camper with water and gear storage for the space between the slide in camper and bedsides, if I end up doing the whole slide in camper thing.

I have pondered just putting a straight axle under my 2wd, but it looks like I found a 4x4 frame here in town that is a roller, and the guy has the sm465 trans and a 203 or 205 transfer case. Right now I am thinking I am going to buy that, since the price is pretty cheap, a few hundred bucks. Also, I can put the rolling chassis and my 2wd right next to eachother in my garage, it will be tight, but doable. Just have to scrape the money together to get the roller frame.

I am not super concerned with getting great gas mileage. I geuss my main concern there was getting away from doing a gear swap....if leaving the stock gears will increase my mileage going down the highway, and the low gearing in the sm465 will compensate for it on the low end. I am planning on haveing in the neighborhood of 300hp.

I am planning on starting out here in Arizona, heading to southern Utah and New Mexico. My dream is to eventually go up to Alaska, and I will go to Mexico.

I will check out coloradok5.com, thank you

I think I am going to post in the pop up camper section to see if anyone there has done what I am wanting to do camper wise.

Thank you guys!

 

[chilliwak]

I personally think you would be best off moving the body from the 2wd onto the rolling 4by4 chassis. That is why I was asking about your fabrication skills. You might have to do some minor bodywork, but all in all I think it would be easier if the frame from the 4by4 is approximatively the same year. That way your springs,motor mounts, and shift linkage should be bolt on. Let us hear your thoughts. Cheers and Merry Christmas!

 

[Rovertrader]

those axles and 38s make me cringe just a bit... Why not put it on a 3/4 chassis?