Noobie with a new truck!

[Beau_The_Aussie]

G'day guys,

My name is Beau and I live in Queensland Australia.

First up, congrats on a great forum, there is obviously a great knowledge base here!

I have recently become the new owner of a Pilot-house pickup that I am planning on hot-rodding.

The plans are for a nicely finished rod with a mild roof chop, bent 8 of some description, custom trim and a big set of wheels.

Somehow I have to make it steer and stop, I have a 8-3/4 disc rear sorted but I am looking for ideas on the front end. Sadly we never had the volare here in AU that you seem to regularly fit over there, any other ideas?. Has anyone played around with the original beam and found a way to fit disks?

Can you get them fairly low on the beam axle?

I have seen 1 on ebay AU with a XJ6 Jaguar clip but I don't know what was involved in fitting it.

Any ideas would be great.

Thanks for letting me be a part of your forum!

Beau.

[IanT_Qld]

G'Day, and welcome,

the VC/VE valiant (sort of similar to a Plymoth Barracuda but 4 doors) K-members are readily available and I would consider that.

look around the following www.pentastarparts.com.au you may get some ideas and cost.

You may seen "Rustyhope" has disc that will go on the beam axel, he is somewhere in the US and at the moment the $aussie is close to $US, so now is the time to import.

PS where abouts in Qld? add it to your profile.

[greg g]

Do you folks get the Dodge Dakota pick up over there??? they make a good donor for front frame. Carry all the good stuff like discs, power R&P. Motor mounts for a good variety of engines.

Also there is a fellow around here with the earlier Dodge truck (40 through 47 style), mounted on a Ford Ranger, Mazda B series pick up frame. He said it was a virtual bolt up deal except for some fussing with the front sheet metal mounts. Perhaps either of those would be a good clip donor also.

[Tony WestOZ]

Hello Beau good to see another aussie on the site.

I don`t know much about the front end conversions but jag are the most common used in Australia.

Ford disc`s are used for most conversions as there cheep and readily available. Callipers, some use Holden HQ. Landcruiser seem to be the latest fit to Valiant for an upgrade.

Best thing to do is get in touch with the local hot-rod club or the RTA for details. Any mods, specially in QLD require an inspection of some sort or an engineers certificate.

[Beau_The_Aussie]

G'Day, and welcome,

the VC/VE valiant (sort of similar to a Plymoth Barracuda but 4 doors) K-members are readily available and I would consider that.

So the VC/VE has a removeable front crossmember? I thought they were torsion bar fronts. Hadn't even looked!

As you may have guessed I am not a long term mopar owner, my other toy is a 72 LTD Galaxie (ford).

I will go and wash my mouth out now!

[IanT_Qld]

Beau your not far away at all, I have inlaws in Toowoomba.

You are fast exhausting my knowledge of Vals, the cross member is removable and they are torsion bar.

See immage and for the fellow american readers that's what the VC looks like. (got the images off that web page)

Dodge Dakodas are rare and thus expensive, the Mazda B series is cheaper than a Ford Ranger/Courier over here, they may be a good swap, mind you my Mazda B2500 (4WD) is very soft and low.

Cheers

[Job~Rated]

Welcome aboard, Beau!

[Young Ed]

Are those Mazda trucks the same as the ranger there? The mazda pickups here are a clone of the rangers.

[greg g]

Yep, it's getting hard to tell which are fords, which are mazdas and which are volvos.

Fusion~mazda 6

TaurusX~Volvo xc70

Focus~Volvo S40, Volvo C30, Mazda 3

Escape~Mazda Tribute

[Young Ed]

Don't forget the Jags mixed in there somewhere

[greg g]

I believe Ford and Jauguar have parted ways. I do recall a visit to my wifes car dealer for service. It is a Subaru Jaguar store owned by a pontiac dealer.

I was killing time in the showroom looking at an X 6 sedan. The prototypical upscale import sales guy came up and asked if I was interested in the JAg. I said not really if iwas going to spend that much money I would just buy 2 Tauruses. He got bit irritated as asked what I meant. So I pointed out the switch panels, radio, heater controls, power windows and doors buttons. He said they weren'f from a Ford. So spotting a used Taurus on the lot, I felt it was my duty to educate him. Even when confronted by the exact same pieces he coldn't accept they were from a Ford. Apparently his Jaguar certified sales associate training hadn't covered the Ford Jaguar connection. I invited him to look it up as I returned to the service area.

And how about those supposidely independent thinker engineers and designers at Saturn, getting paid to change trim and badges on all those Opels?? Pehaps they developed a new mounting system or new adhesive for double sided tape. Wonder if the Saturn guys think their roadster is an improved version of the Pontiac vibe? I believe it is a detuned version of the Opel GT. Or the new Small Suv is an in house product? At least the Vue now has a GM engine, they gave up buying the Honda V6 last year. And how come those Isuzu trucks look so much like Chevys?

[Beau_The_Aussie]

Yeah, we now have the ranger here. It had always been called a courier but they have recently bought it into line with the rest of the world after they finally got the chance to buy the name. Seems mopar actually beat ford to the punch over here naming a range of valiants utes (if my memory is correct)Ranger. Then ford again mised the boat when Chrysler folded here and Hino grabbed the name for their trucks. In the last couple of years ford finally got it and released the new model under that banner. I believe Qld Transport has now banned rebodying old shells on new chassis so it is propably no longer an option.

Hi Ian, thanks for the info on the VC's I will chase it up, we have a local mopar Guru in Toowoomba who has a wagon in his yard I will have a look at.

And on the Jag subject Greg, I have been told it and Aston Martin are being sold to Indian Company TATA who are planning on re-releasing the E-Type. After seeing an Indian built Royal Enfield Bike, this could be interesting....

[mackster]

Welcome aboard, Beau!

Welcome aboard! my hat off to you all, on the other side of the pond! I often see so much imagination and execution with all the projects on that side. great looking always. necessity is the mother of invention.

[Beau_The_Aussie]

Welcome aboard! my hat off to you all, on the other side of the pond! I often see so much imagination and execution with all the projects on that side. great looking always. necessity is the mother of invention.

Cheers Mackster, you guys get all the good gear over there, been watching American hot rod on DVD, makes me sick, I am sure your seven eleven's must sell more parts than our speed shops do!

Loved Boyd's cars though, kinda sad. Hope they do something in his memory....

[Guest El Rust box]

Hey Beau!

Im an Aussie living in Canada. There's tons of good stuff over here. I used to live on the sunshine coast for a few years. You know i can't remember ever seeing any of these trucks back home. I picked up a beautie for a great price. Ive thought about sending somthing over.

[48Dodger]

I am sure your seven eleven's must sell more parts than our speed shops do!

LOL:D I bought a carburetor there once..."The Big Gulp", or more sometimes called the "Slurpee"...

Welcome Beau!

48D

[Beau_The_Aussie]

My Galaxie must be fitted with a "slurpee" too:D

I hadn't seen one over here either, then on they way out to pick mine up from dalby (about an hour away) I saw at least 3 in a machinery yard out there, since then there has been at least six on ebay, including this.. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140211850884&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004

ain't that the way it always goes.. anyhow I am really happy with mine, nice solid body and chassis. And the bloke had rebuilt the motor, brakes, new seals in the box etc,etc. Not that I'm using the drive train but it might find it's way into another project. There's always another project.... lol

[IanT_Qld]

Beau,

Is yours the delux cab? I'd be interested in your moter if it is a 218. How many gears did the box have?

I hadn't seen that one on e-bay yet, but that is beautiful. Shame it wasnt a 360 or better the 340.

[Tony WestOZ]

Beau,

Now you own one you will start seeing more of them.

Is it possible to post a photo?

Also is it possible to get the tag details and engine number off you, I`d like to put them in my file.

There`s some info on Australian trucks here.

http://dodgepilothouseclub.org/garage/garage.htm

Tony

West OZ

[Beau_The_Aussie]

Yeah mine is a 5 window, with the quarter glasses in the doors, I guess it's a deluxe? It was badged a Fargo. Actually I am missing the curved rear windows and the glovebox lid if anyone has some...

I am not sure on the engine capacity, I know it has a 25" head...

I will post those no.s and some photo's when I get a chance.

Cheers, Beau.

[Job~Rated]

Welcome aboard! my hat off to you all, on the other side of the pond! I often see so much imagination and execution with all the projects on that side. great looking always. necessity is the mother of invention.

Beau is in Oz, I'm in the UK, but I'll accept your compliment, too...

[Tony WestOZ]

Beau,

If it looks like this one, in Australia its a Standard cab model.

All trucks here came with quarter glass in the doors.

If its like this its a Deluxe model.

I have spare corner glass for the standard model.

The spare glovebox lid I have has a few holes in it if thats any good to you.

[Guest Mick Kelly]

Beau,

I am going to fit a HZ/WB Holden front clip frame graft on mine (Dodge Coupe Ute). Great ride, power steering, disc brakes, etc.

Simple conversion, great result.

Mick .

[Beau_The_Aussie]

Hey tony, that gear sounds great, I guess mine is a standard, but I was under the impression that mine was a stepside, I don't have the box (long gone ) but I do have the wide stepside guards and my petrol filler is in the cab not in the same place as the red one pictured.

That said I am a complete novice when it comes to these trucks.

Either way it will end up a stepside (custom made to suit my job).

The holes in the glove box lid don't worry me as I am planning on doing a woodgrain interior, I like playing with wood too.. and the windows would be great, send me a PM with how much you want for them and we can get it organised.

Keep me informed on how you go with the holden front Mick, I would be really keen to see some photo's.

A little off track but we were talking about ford couriers and imagination, well... I have been building a water to air intercooler system for my fathers courier, but couldn't find a suitable water cooler, so I cut an old toyota corona radiator down to size, added some brass and copper, and made one that fits the exact hole we had. A little black paint, pressure tested to 30psi and works a treat!

[Tony WestOZ]

Australia did have its own version of the step side, it was known as an Express. These are pretty rare.

You might have a tray top that someone has started to turn into a step side.

I shall dig up the bits and get a postage cost for the parts them PM you. Might be a week before it happens .