"daender" (daender)
11/10/2014 at 11:30 • Filed to: None
0
18|
"daender" (daender)
11/10/2014 at 11:30 • Filed to: None | 0
| 18 |
I'm getting horrible ideas again of buying a beater last-gen (80s) El Camino and turning it into a hauler/hoonmobile/autotragic-backup-DD for the Miata after college but I know a stock Elky isn't rated for pulling/carrying heavy loads. I was wondering if it's possible to beef up the chassis with fair bit of bracing, heavier-duty suspension setup, and robust engine/transmission combo. My roomie said there was an article on TruckYeah! about towing but I can't find it for the past 5 minutes of searching before class. Thanks if you come across it!
Edit: and I know it's possible...
bob and john
> daender
11/10/2014 at 11:31 |
|
I thought about this. getting an elco and using it to haul my motorcycle to and from the track without paying the fuel bills on a full sized truck.
if you want to tow a CAR, then id say your better off just getting a 1/2 or 3/4 tone right from the get go.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> daender
11/10/2014 at 11:33 |
|
< arbitrary kneebiting > Mid-70s Rancheros have full frames and are rated to tow 6500lb. You should get one of those. < /kneebiting>
HammerheadFistpunch
> daender
11/10/2014 at 11:37 |
|
I wrote one, its about the difference in towing standards from US to EU...is that the one you are thinking of?
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/tow-me-down-16…
|
daender
> HammerheadFistpunch
11/10/2014 at 11:39 |
|
Bingo! Thank you!
|
daender
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
11/10/2014 at 11:40 |
|
I've thought about Rancheros (total fan of the '70-'71 design), but damn that's sturdy!
crowmolly
> daender
11/10/2014 at 11:40 |
|
nvm, missed the "80s" part.
|
daender
> crowmolly
11/10/2014 at 11:43 |
|
Just some frame rail bracing like what you see on modified Miatas with V8 swaps.
I'm not sure what structural rigidity I'm expecting from a 80s ute but hopefully not a floppy noodle!
|
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> daender
11/10/2014 at 11:52 |
|
Sadly, the '70-'71 is the last gen of the unibody, so it doesn't have the full frame underneath. I'm not sure if there's even close to enough resemblance to put part of the '70-'71 front clip on a '72, but it would rule if so. If the fenders are just top seam/front bolts + firewall bolts like pretty much everything Ford of that era, they'd be easy, but I don't know about the grill bits.
As to the chassis under an Elky...
The older ones are sturdier frames, I think. The later G-bodies aren't really that robust. Below, a generic older A-body frame pair (performance/original) and a generic G-body frame pair:
Not a huge difference by any means, but I'm not sure the same beefing up steps work on both. I do know the dimensions are slightly different.
|
HammerheadFistpunch
> daender
11/10/2014 at 11:56 |
|
hopefully it helps, its not terribly germane to what you are trying to do.
|
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> crowmolly
11/10/2014 at 11:57 |
|
I wasn't that well versed in A-body/G-body structure differences, so I did some reading up on it. I can't say I'd really recommend to anybody that they brace up a G-body for *towing*, but it shouldn't be that different from a bracing job on an older A, just less to work with.
deekster_caddy
> daender
11/10/2014 at 13:20 |
|
I have a '73 Buick LeSabre. Underneath the frame, suspension and brakes are practically identical to a '73 C10 pickup, right through an '86 G20 3/4 ton van. They literally have the same part number for the brake rotors, calipers, pads... Mine has a class 3 hitch and I tow with it all the time.
|
daender
> deekster_caddy
11/10/2014 at 13:54 |
|
70s brown sedan hauler? That's awesomely Jalop as fuck!
|
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> deekster_caddy
11/10/2014 at 14:03 |
|
Unfortunately, since he's looking at a G-body, it doesn't have the ridiculous mass of a B-body. If he backpedals to an A-body, he may be more in the clear (like in his pic), but a full-blown truck an Elky is not.
Funny enough, the first gen of the Ranchero was rated higher than the contemporary F-100.
|
deekster_caddy
> daender
11/10/2014 at 14:07 |
|
Thanks! Keeping it in the family... Both cars in this photo were bought new by my grandparents and given to my brother and I when we got our licenses and they stopped driving. I drove the '73 DD for about 12 years and it's in amazingly good condition considering. Some rot in the quarter panels has me rebuilding those and the wheel wells from scratch (no replacement sheetmetal avaialble), hence the primer. I hope to get that all finished within another year or so and give the Moose some fresh paint. But will keep the color, of course. It's an interesting color, we call it Brown, some call it green (?), GM calls it "Taupe Metallic" - it's got a bit of flake in it. Really cool looking when new.
|
deekster_caddy
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
11/10/2014 at 14:08 |
|
True enough - I'm just saying there's nothing wrong with a choice from the 70's as long as the brakes are adequate. I have an electric brake controller in this.
|
daender
> HammerheadFistpunch
11/10/2014 at 14:12 |
|
Nah, I got what I needed out of it in regards to the GVWR, GAWR, and how much estimated weight the tongue will apply to the tow vehicle's rear. If I were to get a 2000 lb trailer with a 2600 lb Miata on it, then that's about 690 lb on the tongue using a conservative estimation of 15%.
GM Heritage has a saved PDF of the 1985 El Camino brochure and it says a GAWR of 2078-2204 lb front and 2490-2586 lb rear. From the factory, the heaviest model weight (at least for V6 Elky, no V8 numbers given) is about 2071 lb front and 1642 lb rear. I imagine having those air-adjustable rear shocks might be limiting it's loading capacity somewhat and will have to be replaced with a conventional shock setup for hauling/relibility purposes. There will also be a need to stiffen the frame with rail bracing, upgrade transmission/engine (LS/LQ with 4L60E swap) cooling, and possibly a stronger rear axle (hello GM 12-bolt!).
|
daender
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
11/10/2014 at 14:17 |
|
I figured my idea for an 80s Elky (only because my pops had a black '83 and I miss it greatly) might not work out given it's based off a passenger car chassis but I'm still open to a '76-'77 Elky with the stacked headlamps if done right...
|
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> daender
11/10/2014 at 14:39 |
|
'77 is the un-downsized older A-body. Should be a little more rugged.