CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Fullsize Pre-runner Thread!

haha yeah but currently my k10 runs out of balls before I do out in the sand ;)
The suspension is so stiff I have a hard time keeping my wheel speed up w/o going into some serious hop and rattle...
 
A comment about the first video posted.... I can give a thumbs up to everything I heard them talk about, and everything I saw, except: 4.56's with 33's??? Waaaaay too low for a dunerunner - that's ust robbing RPM's and taking away a fair amount of tire speed. Seems, at least to me, that 3.73's would be more appropriate for this setup.

Discuss....
 
I bet they got the 14ff out of a CUCV and it already had the 4.56's and the detroit...

I'd bump it up to 35" BFG's and call it good...thats actually a pretty good price for that imo... really nice start for someone...
 
A couple of u guys were talking about saving weight, but then you used 14bff in the same paragraph :confused:. If I were building a pre-runner, a trussed 9-inch rear would be the only way to go.
 
A couple of u guys were talking about saving weight, but then you used 14bff in the same paragraph :confused:. If I were building a pre-runner, a trussed 9-inch rear would be the only way to go.


While your point is valid, the 14b is heavy, but its cheap strenth. you talk about 35" paddles and 600-700 hp and your gunna need to "build" a 9" to handle it. Whereas a unmodified 14b is gunna be plenty. Dont get me wrong a 9" could be made to handle the power and traction but not without spending some coin on it first. Disk brakes and also shaving the 14b both bottom and the "ribs", compaired to a trussed 9" isnt gunna be much more weight. Besides you want weight in the rear to some degree.

One of the cheapest was to get a 9" is old full size lincons and fords. I have owned 3 77-78-79 lincons with disk brake 9" rears. Unfortunatly the gears where something like 2.55:1. and the 77 I had shattered the ring gear with a stock and worn out 460. 9" parts can get expencive fast too.

After all that is said either way would be respectable.

As to the gears in the video, low gears are how sand rails are set up. As well as score trophy trucks.
I realize the comparisson is a little weird but my baja bug will have somewhere close to a 5.4ish:1 final drive. Also the rails I have rode in 2nd gear gets used the most and 3rd gear is only used on high power rails. Before anyone tells me theres a big differnce in RPM's on a VW and a chevy v8 mine redlines at 4450, that should be an EASY RMP to get out of any chevy V8.
 
As to the gears in the video, low gears are how sand rails are set up. As well as score trophy trucks.
I realize the comparisson is a little weird but my baja bug will have somewhere close to a 5.4ish:1 final drive. Also the rails I have rode in 2nd gear gets used the most and 3rd gear is only used on high power rails. Before anyone tells me theres a big differnce in RPM's on a VW and a chevy v8 mine redlines at 4450, that should be an EASY RMP to get out of any chevy V8.


I have no personal experience with sandrails or the like, however, I am thinking about this from a logical standpoint. It would make sense that tire speed is what gets it done in the dunes, and running 4.56's with 33's is gonna rob necessary tire speed - that 3.73's would be more appropriate. Sure, it's got (assumingly) a big power BBC that can produce, but getting though the gears of (assumingly) the automatic transmission, it's just gonna bogger down trying to get through to the higher side of the tranny.

Does anyone else see it this way, too, or am I alone?
 
Continuing from your logical standpoint - 33" tires with 4.56 lets you break 100mph at 4700rpm (1:1 3rd gear). I don't think you ever need to go faster than that. Remember that sand requires low tire pressure and creates lots of drag. With a higher axle gear like 3.73 you might need to drop into low range.
 
Continuing from your logical standpoint - 33" tires with 4.56 lets you break 100mph at 4700rpm (1:1 3rd gear). I don't think you ever need to go faster than that. Remember that sand requires low tire pressure and creates lots of drag. With a higher axle gear like 3.73 you might need to drop into low range.

I run 33's and 4.56, and I daily drive my truck to:doah:

thats probaly why my truck will do pretty good in the sand
 
I run 33's and 4.56, and I daily drive my truck to:doah:


I used to run 4.10 in my DD with 33's. I recently dropped down to 3.73, now I get a few extra mpg's and an obvious direct correlation between higher road speed at lower rpm's....
 
I used to run 4.10 in my DD with 33's. I recently dropped down to 3.73, now I get a few extra mpg's and an obvious direct correlation between higher road speed at lower rpm's....
What tranny are you using, the 700r4?
 
You sort of have to ask yourself how far do you want to blur the lines between a drivable sand toy, a real prerunner, and an actual race truck? There's been lots of good ideas in this thread but it seems to me that many don't fall directly into one of those categories.

I've seen guys have great luck with 4x4 trucks as long as they have strong, braced axles, good spring packs (this is what National Spring, Deaver, and Alcan first made their names doing), and long travel driveshafts. Oh, good bumps too. This is about the most common setup here in Michigan for the Silver Lake Dunes. They suck but people take them seriously and build their trucks for sand.

There used to be a guy on here with a Suburban on TALL National Spring packs running some biiiig tires. He was down in the San Diego area, said they did great, but didn't post much. This was years ago though.
 
Avery, wadda bout a blazer with fiberglass fenders and bed sides, no doors, no top, it would be a lot lighter...
image.php


image.php


http://www.glassworksunlimited.com/shop/product.php?productid=12&cat=10&page=1

Tom
 
Lots of good ideas floating around in here...

Tom, yeah that is an option especially since a project like this calls for a full cage it wouldn't matter if it was completely topless...

I'm excited about this... I'm really doing some serious thinking about taking my k10 (since it already has a stout d-train that has so few miles on it) and dropping it down to a 6" lift and slapping some 35's on and use it as my local daily driver...
Then pick up a truck/blazer and dive in on a pre-runner build...

I'd say that first off I need to track down a trailer and assume from day one that it'll be trailered to and from Oceano which opens doors as well as gives you the go ahead in the back of your mind to have a lead foot out in the dunes ;)

Anyone have a full size trailer for sale? :D
 
copyofprerunnerwk5.jpg


Thats what I've been picturing in my head...


Blitzkrieg does some nice work... their welds look amazing.
Every time I see sites like that and read that they're shops in Cali it makes me want to go into that field more and more...
 
enough of this prerunner talk, if I dont stop Im gonna start another project. :D
 
enough of this prerunner talk, if I dont stop Im gonna start another project. :D


EXACTLY!

I was well on my way to a "CK5 cookie cutter truck" with the typical stuff but I've decided as fun as those rigs are (there is a reason everyone uses the same stuff :)) there are many ways to have fun in these old chevy trucks and blazers ;)

I'm going to talk to the boss about whats involved in getting a sub-forum as there is obviously some interest in this topic... I'll let you know what he says...
Oooo or maybe instead of me asking one of the mods could bring it up (if you guys think it'd be worth while)... rene, paul...what do ya' say?
 
EXACTLY!

I was well on my way to a "CK5 cookie cutter truck" with the typical stuff but I've decided as fun as those rigs are (there is a reason everyone uses the same stuff :)) there are many ways to have fun in these old chevy trucks and blazers ;)

I'm going to talk to the boss about whats involved in getting a sub-forum as there is obviously some interest in this topic... I'll let you know what he says...
Oooo or maybe instead of me asking one of the mods could bring it up (if you guys think it'd be worth while)... rene, paul...what do ya' say?



I like the idea for sure.
 
It might spice things up around here :)

I'm going to send some PM's...


EDIT: I just sent Paul, Rene and the boss man a PM to see if its a possibility...
 
Top Bottom