lucas regional stock mini truck build

  • Thread starter Deleted member 12904
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Deleted member 12904

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So back in the mid to late 90's my work went on a ford ranger kick. Why, I have no clue but now the rangers still kicking around our fleet are few and far between. I took a 95 home a few years back and built a little off road beater that has been fun and I still use for camping, running to home depot, jumping what ever.
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Anyways yesterday I tow truck dropped off one of the last few in the fleet. I guess one of our guys hit a deer. The air bag deployed so this thing was totaled as far as repair cost vs. value. So I passed my boss in the hall a few minuets latter and said looks like you have another ranger form me. He said if you want it its yours. I took a few pics and sent them to my friend dugfab and said what do you think? He replied with the answer any red blooded American should. " Mmp short course truck: )" Talk about right on the money. What can you do with a free truck that's better then caging it and racing it? Ya I know that's what I though my self nothing. So I told my boss i will take it and then last night after our families went to the pumpkin patch and the girls and kids where carving some pumpkins I dropped the bomb. Well its safe to say they aren't on board with us building and racing the truck but I'm 99.9% sure they wont divorce us if we do so I will take that as a yes.

After spending the night reading online guess what I found> Lucas oil regional series has a stock mini truck class. Talk about grass roots budget having a fun on the cheap racing. Read through the rules if your interested but aside from safety stuff we are talking bone stock trucks with shocks on them. Sign us up this is perfect for a good time!
Link to the rules if anyone is interested. http://www.lucasoilregional.com/wp.../02/2012RegionalRules.pdf

The truck as it sits now
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The plan: Less is more.

Fix what we have to to get the truck going again. Radiator, hood and a fender.
Gut the interior and cage it.
install racing seats and harnesses
Build bumpers
add a fuel cell
find some cheap tires and wheels 31" or smaller
Mount some radflow 2.5" body coilovers without coil hardware on the rear and valve for short course. (have the shocks already)
Flip the rear shackle hanger to keep the truck low for hard corners.
Buy some shocks for the front end and mount those.
Build the filler panels number plates ect. for the truck
Paint it with a bad ass rc truck style paint job.
take it out to miller next season and have fun!

For those of you who dont know dugfab he has some skills so the truck will look legit when finished. And I can even do some cool stuff "for my skill level" as doug puts it.

If anyone wants to help or be apart of this we are in grantsville and ya let us know.
If anyone can hook us up with some smaller cheap tires or wheels please let us know.
 

chadschoon

Well-Known Member
Location
lehi
I'm not sure what class you will be racing with due to amount of entries. You may be put with us ultra 4 class guys. That's what they have been doing this past year. It is a good time and its cool to see more and more people getting out. Awesome build, you should have a lot of fun with it :)
 
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Deleted member 12904

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I'm not sure what class you will be racing with due to amount of entries. You may be put with us ultra 4 class guys. That's what they have been doing this past year. It is a good time and its cool to see more and more people getting out. Awesome build, you should have a lot of fun with it :)
We dont really care who we race with. That being said still plan to build a class legal truck since you never know. I have seen people on here talk about picking up cherokees abd things like that to build but IMO a stock mini will be faster cheaper and alot more fun then a budget 4x4 for the short course.
 
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Deleted member 12904

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Wheels are spinnin in my noggin..........low-buck local racing......

3

Im with you it seems like crazy fun! Google it their is a whole group of these guys in az and ca racing trucks that they have like $2k-$3k into total and having a blast doing it. Im excited and hope the stock mini catches on a little in utah as well.
 
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Deleted member 12904

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Well I brought the truck home and found out two big downers. Fist its a 1998 and the stock mini class only allows 1997 and older and second its a long bed. So no matter how much we do to it you cant fix ugly. So Im not sure what to do with the truck now. For about $1100 I can fix it with an updated 2007 clip and have a cheap driver. I could sell it as is is guessing for maybe $400 or I could part it out but I dont really want to do that.
 

phatfoto

Giver of bad advice
Location
Tooele
Does it run? What engine/trans? 97 and older had the twin I beam and Twin Traction Beam. The 98 and newer went with all independent short/long arm...
 
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Deleted member 12904

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If you decide to part it out. here are two site that are a good out let.
Therangerstation.com
BroncoII.org
Awesome Thanks for the heads up. I dont think I will part it just because I dont want my back yard looking like a salvage yard. I have thought about fixing it as a driver then turning my 95 into a stock mini.
 
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Deleted member 12904

Guest
Does it run? What engine/trans? 97 and older had the twin I beam and Twin Traction Beam. The 98 and newer went with all independent short/long arm...
Yes it runs great. Has a 2.5 and a 5 speed. Timing belt was done 15k ago.

Doug and my self are very familiar with the ford ranger. Here are couple rangers doug has built
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And I even have a fixture for cutting, extending and turning beams from my 95 poser prerunner posted above
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phatfoto

Giver of bad advice
Location
Tooele
Just filling in the blanks... I imagine that is the reason for the cutoff. I sure wish I had the funds for Doug to build something like those... You have a PM...

Yes it runs great. Has a 2.5 and a 5 speed. Timing belt was done 15k ago.

Doug and my self are very familiar with the ford ranger. Here are couple rangers doug has built

And I even have a fixture for cutting, extending and turning beams from my 95 poser prerunner posted above
 
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Deleted member 12904

Guest
Just filling in the blanks... I imagine that is the reason for the cutoff. I sure wish I had the funds for Doug to build something like those... You have a PM...
I dont think thats the reason because they do allow other a-arms trucks like the tacoma for example. I honestly think the reason is to keep the cost of the trucks cheap. They have a claim rule in the class where you can claim the winners truck (little more goes into it then that) for $5k out right or $3.5k and your truck. the idea is to keep a class budget of $3500 total into the truck and the claim rule allows that to self regulate.
 
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