Anyone wanting to take the tedium out of hauling construction materials for a living might want to seek the expertise of stock car builder Glen Diderick. He took parts from an old pickup and mounted them onto the chassis of a '78 Camaro stock car to create a flatbed that would be just at home on the Daytona Speedway. Diderick's ingenuity with the Chevy frame caught the attention of the Hoonigan lads and here's what they found out.
Body Parts From Trucks Galore
As far as the body goes, Diderick doesn't have a particular model mounted on that chassis. He has the cab of a '73 Silverado, with the hood and grille from trucks in the early '80s. When attaching the body, he realized he needed a five-link suspension to ensure the entire frame would fit without sacrificing traction. A J-bar underneath helps mitigate the likelihood of this beast from rolling.
Some measures he took include taking the caster gains and adjustable mounts from a Camaro and installing modified upper and lower control arms for better control. "It handles real nice," says Diderick.
Power And A Few Nuances
Diderick declares this C10 hauler runs like a legit racecar, meaning whoever's behind the wheel of this 3,000 lb. monster will have the benefit of an engine boasting 565 horses. That power is courtesy a 383 stroker which, because of its longer stroke from a modified crankshaft, increases piston speed.
But the vehicle has a few nuances, including engine mounts on parts of the chassis that you wouldn't otherwise expect. And then there's the steering rack coupler, its U-joint and the steering mount, which actually came from an Easy-go golf cart.
One Smooth Ride
While this custom-made four-wheeler looks like a flatbed suited for hauling drywall, Diderick says it doesn't handle like one. "It drives like a car; it drives pretty car-like," he says. "Just smooth, you know. You could let go of the wheel going down the freeway. Just track nice and straight, awesome."
At a time when there's a lot more attention to such modifications as mounting a 1937 Ford body onto a Chevy chassis and putting a Kawasaki engine into a mid-engined mini, Diderick's novel revamp fits right in.
Source: Hoonigan