Australian Class 8 4wd TTB dana50
Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 7:23 pm
Hi guys, my name is Ash i have been asking a few questions on here and the guys here have been realy helpful so i thought i would put a very compressed version of my build here. I have a full build on my web site outlaws4x4.com called the "New Outlaws4x4 offroad class 8 race truck "
Well this has been a very long build with sooooooo many changes. i have really done this all in my head with next to no plaining. i the build would probable be finnished if i had planed it better as i would not have changed so many things and wasted so much $$ and time on things i am not even using anymore.
In Australia our off-road racing classes are a little different to yours.
Our biggest flaw is even our unlimited classes have engine restrictions to either 6000cc capacity naturally aspirated or 3500cc forced induction. This i believe is our major down fall as it restricts so many international competitors coming and competing in our off-road competition. The two biggest off-road races we have here in Australia is the "Finke desert race" and the "Gasgoyne Dash"
These are our offroad classes.
Pro Buggy - Buggy with engines 3500cc to 6000cc and all Turbo engined buggies
Pro Lite Buggy - Buggies with engines 1651cc to 3500cc
Super 1650 - Buggies with engines up to 1650cc and two seats
Sportsman - Buggies with engines up to 1330cc and two seats
Extreme 2WD - Highly modified 2WD Vehicles with engines up to 6000cc (This is our unlimited truck class where Trophy trucks fit in)
Performance 2WD - 2WD vehicles with engines up to 6000cc (Production class)
Clubman - Restricted Buggies
Production 4WD - Production 4WD vehicles with engines up to 6000cc
Extreme 4WD - Highly modified 4WD vehicles with engines up to 6000cc (This is our other unlimited truck class but 4x4 This is the class i am in, it is also known as class 8)
I am building a truck for extreme 4wd or Class 8 - this is our unlimited 4wd class where other than engine capacity almost everything is free to do what you want with.
My build started out looking nothing like what i have now. Originally i just wanted to go racing so i purchased a Nissan patrol wagon chassis and body and was going to modify the suspension a little, cut it down into a extra cab utility and put a big engine in it and go racing.
Oh iv been building this for about 2 years now too. Now from the beginning i wanted to have trophy truck style race truck but i did not have anywhere near the amount of $$ to buy or build one but being competitive i new that the solid front diff in the front of the Nissan patol was not going to do.
I looked into different options for IFS i looked and going to 2wd and looked at staying with 4wd. in the end i came up with staying with 4wd and trying to build a IFS. The main reason for this was like most sports there are certain classes that only people with massive sponsor backing and or just endless amounts of money race in and if i had of gone to 2wd that would have put me into classes where i would be racing against these sorts of people and money dose play apart in weather you win it dosnt necessarily mean you will win if you have lost of $$ but is sure gives you a huge advantage if you have a good driver with an unlimited budget compare to a good driver with no budget. So class 8 extreme 4wd was the class for me.
The biggest thing about class 8 is here in Australia for some reason people with huge money have always built 2wd unlimited trucks or pro-buggies. the unlimited 4wd class seamed to be left for the guys wanting to slightly set out of production class and run a big v8. But none of them really made the most of the rules and most just ran fairly standard trucks with big engines. however over the last 2 years some on the bigger budget guys have seen the potential of an unlimited 4wd and i think there are 2 or 3 professionally build class 8 full tube massive travel trucks.
these are the other professional class 8 extreme 4wd truck i know about.
and here is mine as it sit unfinished today.....
Well anyway somewhere along the line i got my hands on a nice Holden 355 stoker V8 and a dana 50 IFS front end and from this point on my whole build changed for the better.
I started rebuilding the dana 50 IFS and cut and turned it. I removed most of the body of the Nissan patrol and some of the chassis
Well this has been a very long build with sooooooo many changes. i have really done this all in my head with next to no plaining. i the build would probable be finnished if i had planed it better as i would not have changed so many things and wasted so much $$ and time on things i am not even using anymore.
In Australia our off-road racing classes are a little different to yours.
Our biggest flaw is even our unlimited classes have engine restrictions to either 6000cc capacity naturally aspirated or 3500cc forced induction. This i believe is our major down fall as it restricts so many international competitors coming and competing in our off-road competition. The two biggest off-road races we have here in Australia is the "Finke desert race" and the "Gasgoyne Dash"
These are our offroad classes.
Pro Buggy - Buggy with engines 3500cc to 6000cc and all Turbo engined buggies
Pro Lite Buggy - Buggies with engines 1651cc to 3500cc
Super 1650 - Buggies with engines up to 1650cc and two seats
Sportsman - Buggies with engines up to 1330cc and two seats
Extreme 2WD - Highly modified 2WD Vehicles with engines up to 6000cc (This is our unlimited truck class where Trophy trucks fit in)
Performance 2WD - 2WD vehicles with engines up to 6000cc (Production class)
Clubman - Restricted Buggies
Production 4WD - Production 4WD vehicles with engines up to 6000cc
Extreme 4WD - Highly modified 4WD vehicles with engines up to 6000cc (This is our other unlimited truck class but 4x4 This is the class i am in, it is also known as class 8)
I am building a truck for extreme 4wd or Class 8 - this is our unlimited 4wd class where other than engine capacity almost everything is free to do what you want with.
My build started out looking nothing like what i have now. Originally i just wanted to go racing so i purchased a Nissan patrol wagon chassis and body and was going to modify the suspension a little, cut it down into a extra cab utility and put a big engine in it and go racing.
Oh iv been building this for about 2 years now too. Now from the beginning i wanted to have trophy truck style race truck but i did not have anywhere near the amount of $$ to buy or build one but being competitive i new that the solid front diff in the front of the Nissan patol was not going to do.
I looked into different options for IFS i looked and going to 2wd and looked at staying with 4wd. in the end i came up with staying with 4wd and trying to build a IFS. The main reason for this was like most sports there are certain classes that only people with massive sponsor backing and or just endless amounts of money race in and if i had of gone to 2wd that would have put me into classes where i would be racing against these sorts of people and money dose play apart in weather you win it dosnt necessarily mean you will win if you have lost of $$ but is sure gives you a huge advantage if you have a good driver with an unlimited budget compare to a good driver with no budget. So class 8 extreme 4wd was the class for me.
The biggest thing about class 8 is here in Australia for some reason people with huge money have always built 2wd unlimited trucks or pro-buggies. the unlimited 4wd class seamed to be left for the guys wanting to slightly set out of production class and run a big v8. But none of them really made the most of the rules and most just ran fairly standard trucks with big engines. however over the last 2 years some on the bigger budget guys have seen the potential of an unlimited 4wd and i think there are 2 or 3 professionally build class 8 full tube massive travel trucks.
these are the other professional class 8 extreme 4wd truck i know about.
and here is mine as it sit unfinished today.....
Well anyway somewhere along the line i got my hands on a nice Holden 355 stoker V8 and a dana 50 IFS front end and from this point on my whole build changed for the better.
I started rebuilding the dana 50 IFS and cut and turned it. I removed most of the body of the Nissan patrol and some of the chassis