Alright guys I'm gonna start a build thread. Even though it will be a slow progress with just one thing at a time.
Took her out to the local ORV Park for first time to see if everything works and find out what she needs. So far I need some more suspension, more aggressive tire, and a little more power.
Any pointers, tips, or recomendations on those three things would be awesome.
Thanks

 

Good looking truck.....

 

What are the specs on your truck? As far as what suspension, tires, mods, etc.. it already has? We can help you further if you can tell us that.

 

It's a 1983 shortbed 4x4. 22r manual choke and 5speed manual, both rebuilt about 30k ago. It has the stock suspension (I assume) and 31x10.50r15 Dunlop Radial rovers and black steel American racing wheels (came with it)

 

Other than that its pretty much stock.

I plan on it being a driver also so I won't be doing anything extreme.

 

Well as far as suspension goes, if you're just looking to go wheeling every so often I'd get a 3 inch kit. I have a 3 inch rough country on mine and it performs pretty well mated with some 33x12.50's. If you're going to do some more serious wheeling you can do 63" Chevy springs in the rear and move your rear springs up front(RUF, as you will see it called alot on here) This can give you way better amounts of flex. This requires some welding of new spring and shackle mounts in the rear and will also move your front axle around 2" forward. Theres a little more work involved but it can open the doors for bigger tire sizes and so on. Let me know if you want the links for that stuff.

As far as tires, it all depends on what you're going to do with the truck. If you're making it your wheeling vehicle or if you are going to daily it.

For performance, you can start by getting rid of the emissions if it hasn't already been done. There is a de-smog tutorial here in the pre-84 tech section I believe. Also you can visit www.lceperformance.com for performance parts. They have some pretty good stuff.

 

If you want to go with a mild lift without having to sacrifice on-road ride or having to do any welding, I would go with the Old Man Emu 2" medium duty springs. I have a site that you can get the front and rears for under $400 shipped, but they take about a while to get here since they ship directly from Australia. OME is without a doubt the best bang for your buck when it comes to direct replacement springs. I also went with Bilstien shocks on my truck which are a bit pricey, but good for the ride. I've had "cheaper" suspensions in the past and REALLY regretted it and wasted my money.

As far as tires go, there's nothing wrong with 31x10.5 tires. You can easily push them through all 5 gears without needing to regear. Slap a weber on there is that's about all the power you need.

 

+2 on the OME springs!

Quality stuff for a decent price

 

Alright guys.... bringing this thread back from the dead 😜 It's been a long busy 4 years, but here she is now:
3" lift
Weber 32/36
Flowmaster 40 w/ 3" exhaust
Complete desmogg
33x10.5 15r BFG KO2s
Bran new Tranny
all new front end, chain, sprockets, steel guides.
new top-end with shaved head
Soft topper
jerry can
HiLift (locking mount with shovel)
Acura RSX Bucket seats

 

Nice man. Good to know its still on the road

 

Agreed! Nice rig

 

Great to hear you are still driving it and it is a good looking truck. I always break my neck seeing one go by. Not many out there..