Where are the trucks that handle...I Mean HANDLE

[joeys66pickup]

any year i just want to see some trucks that can put up the numbers on the swoopys.videos,pictures,build threads anything.i searched and searched but maybe it cant be done so im asking you guys because i think they're out there somewhere

[evenmadderdawg]

I've been lurking hear for a while, just hoping someone would share some insight into making one of these trucks into a "Road Racer." I've got a clapped out 84ish SWB that I would love to lower, throw a 5/6 speed in, and hit the track with. I hope somebody on this forum has an example...

[98L150]

here is fdeslers blazer this past weekend in columbus ohio at good guys show.

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links in case embedded lnk does not work.

YouTube - Good-Guys Street Machine of the Year,...

[72BlckButy]

That was a great video... he really cruised!

[joeys66pickup]

that was good but what were his numbers compared to others? that would fall into the handle part of the "..handle i mean HANDLE!.." i want something on par with a roadracer

[ZZ4Blazer]

Not my fullsize, but thats the route Im going wiht my s10. Pretty decent IMO so far.

[evenmadderdawg]

I was wondering about just how well those bagged suspensions can be made to handle. And I noticed that over on carjunkietv.com there was a vid with Freiburger taking an Air Ride-equipped 4-door Chevelle around Willow Springs, and generally gushing over how well the car handles. I was pretty impressed about the whole thing till the suspension collapsed during one lap due to an incorrectly routed air line and Chad off handedly mentions the system cost $6200 Holy Shnikes, Batman!!!
Couldn't one build a comparable road-race style suspension with lowering kits, sway bars and some poly or Delrin bushings? Maybe go a little further and put a T5 or an NV3550 in? Maybe do a trailing arm/watts link swap (on later models, of course)? And even look into setting the engine further back?
I'm thinking all of these mods could be done for less than $6200, and have significantly higher reliability for a street driven daily driver...
Anyways, that is a cool Blazer.

[joeys66pickup]

CJTV is a great site but i havent gone since i cut my hand really bad(its easier to type really slow here because im not trying to talk to anybody)cant wait to go back though

need trucks that handle though not crew-cab chevelles

[kevindtimm]

bear in mind that handling has a lot to do with (low) center of gravity issues. When you think about low COG, the first thing that comes to mind is NOT a pickup truck.

That doesn't mean it couldn't be done, it's just that it's probably not a focus of too many people. That said, good handling is not that hard (swap bars and generally stiffer suspension bits) but GREAT handling is going to take some work.

[c10addict]

I was at the show and watched the blazer run.... I beleive it was around the 18/19 second mark... THe fastest time of the day was 15.94 ran by a 69 Mustang with air ride suspension on it.. (Actually the owner of airride techs car) Detroit Speed's Camaro was right there with it at a 16 flat with there suspension set up...

[abadsvt]

Originally Posted by c10addict

I was at the show and watched the blazer run.... I beleive it was around the 18/19 second mark... THe fastest time of the day was 15.94 ran by a 69 Mustang with air ride suspension on it.. (Actually the owner of airride techs car) Detroit Speed's Camaro was right there with it at a 16 flat with there suspension set up...

I read on another forum that the Feslers blazer finished 7th. Now i am not sure how many there were to begin with. That is a bad a$$ blazer!!!

[evenmadderdawg]

Originally Posted by kevindtimm

bear in mind that handling has a lot to do with (low) center of gravity issues. When you think about low COG, the first thing that comes to mind is NOT a pickup truck.

That doesn't mean it couldn't be done, it's just that it's probably not a focus of too many people. That said, good handling is not that hard (swap bars and generally stiffer suspension bits) but GREAT handling is going to take some work.

I totally agree.

So- how close has anyone on this forum gotten to that? Anyone else with advice or pics? Or links with pics and advice? When I search, I invariably come up with the Banks diesel road-racer, which is certainly hip on atleast two fronts; its a road-racing truck and its diesel powered. But woe unto he who might try to build a truck like that on a working man's salary. And to try to get plywood home in it!

[abadsvt]

Originally Posted by evenmadderdawg

I totally agree.

So- how close has anyone on this forum gotten to that? Anyone else with advice or pics? Or links with pics and advice? When I search, I invariably come up with the Banks diesel road-racer, which is certainly hip on atleast two fronts; its a road-racing truck and its diesel powered. But woe unto he who might try to build a truck like that on a working man's salary. And to try to get plywood home in it!

Are you talking about stock setups or are you talking about complete custom trucks? I was building a truck that should handle with the best of them. Low center of gravity, low roll centers, IFS, IRS and so on. I swapped and modified a 2002 corvette drivetrain and suspension to fit with my truck. I put it on hold because i needed more money for turbo's (twin turbos), 6 piston brakes, and so on. I recently thought about when i get back on the project that i should make a patina shop style truck with the C5 drivetrain and suspension. That way when I do finally get the truck built I can drive the crap out of it and not worry about the paint or powedercoat. Here is a couple pics.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by evenmadderdawg

I was wondering about just how well those bagged suspensions can be made to handle. And I noticed that over on carjunkietv.com there was a vid with Freiburger taking an Air Ride-equipped 4-door Chevelle around Willow Springs, and generally gushing over how well the car handles. I was pretty impressed about the whole thing till the suspension collapsed during one lap due to an incorrectly routed air line and Chad off handedly mentions the system cost $6200 Holy Shnikes, Batman!!!
Couldn't one build a comparable road-race style suspension with lowering kits, sway bars and some poly or Delrin bushings? Maybe go a little further and put a T5 or an NV3550 in? Maybe do a trailing arm/watts link swap (on later models, of course)? And even look into setting the engine further back?
I'm thinking all of these mods could be done for less than $6200, and have significantly higher reliability for a street driven daily driver...
Anyways, that is a cool Blazer.

I'll bet if you figure in the costs of the 'learning curve' you will most certainly go through using your trial & error method of combining various parts to make your vehicle handle, the cost of ART's 'Street-Challenge' systems isn't too far off.

For comparison, Detroit Speed sells a front end kit for f-bodies that put them @ a similar level of performance starting @ $1800 for the basic stuff to $3800 for the kit that's comparable to ART. Now add $2200 for the rear kit (which doesn't include the necessary mods to the rear end) & you're $200 off for a system that's much harder to adjust the height (DSE's kits utilize coil-over's which can be adjusted for height).

Feslers Blazer isn't really a truck under the sheet-metal anymore. The performance could be duplicated or improved upon.....



Let us know how easy it was to do when you're done .

[joeys66pickup]

see the C5 truck is what i was looking for....that thing should kick some major ass on the swoopys i want to see that run when its done

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by joeys66pickup

see the C5 truck is what i was looking for....that thing should kick some major ass on the swoopys i want to see that run when its done

That would be a C-5 truck w/a custom frame & air-ride suspension. There's not many of them around here to compare to but Feslers Blazer should be equal competition.

[c10addict]

You want to see stuff that handles check out http://www.lateral-g.net/

Really cool stuff there!

[andresco50]

You have to invest in your frame and suspension... you have to add some mods to the frame against the roll... new sway bars new control arms a harder coil springs and shocks wider tires.. like a race car

[chevymotocross]

http://www.customclassictrucks.com/f...c10/index.html

[Musclerodz]

Fesler Blazer beat alot of good competition including the 69 Camaro they brought. Chris also had to fix a blown bag just hours before they had to run.

Air Ride has proven for the last couple years now at GREAT EXPENSE to prove air ride suspensions can be made to handle. They sponsor a good number of Goodguys events at which they usually end up winning, or their system on a customers car wins.

Air Ride will be the fastest way to get a truck to handle without a bunch of education and starting from scratch on a frame and suspension. Trucks that handle is really a new market segment just recently becoming more popular.