what to get...

Well, I'm getting my life back together and I think I just scored myself an awesome job today, pending if I pass thier physical ability test. I have to swap the stock exhuast back onto this vw conv. I got then its being sold and I want to replace it with a mazda. I have 2 sets of 4x4 front fenders and the 4x4 shortbed thats sitting on my 4x4 mazda right now. This is my basic plan for the truck I want.
Bag it, nothing crazy, just bagged
Slight Bodydrop, just to bring the body even with the frame
15" steelies painted hot rod red with chrome center caps
Matte Black paintjob with red pintstriping all over
leave the bench seat and do some pinstriping on the inside
maybe a bed cover
but where I am stuck at is what body style should I get, I already have the 4x4 stuff for the post 86 trucks, but I think it would be kind of cool to graft 4x4 stuff onto the older body style, pre 84.
any honest oppinion would be appreciated. this will be far from any show truck, a dialy driver truck that I can maybe tow my rabbit race car to the track and throw tires in the bed. If I can find an engine cheap enough, I would also really like to swap in a vw TDI setup, I can only imagine, a bagged mini, hot rod scheme, and getting 40-50mpg while having tire burning torque all without sacrificing that big puff of black smoke mazda's are known for

I want to try and do this before I start building the race car, cuase its going to suck tons of money and all my spare time to build, so I figure by next summer, it should be 100% done.
thanks for any oppinions or knowledge on this sort of thing

I would vote to get an 86-93 as it will be easier to find parts for when you need them

newer truck would prolly keep me on budget, less fab work too, more avaliable body parts, will washington let you put a diesel in place of a gasoline engine if it still has to go through emmisions?

I have no idea about that. Only thing I know is that for motor swaps, the donor motor has to be the same year as the car, or newer.

oh yeah, the TDI would come from a newer 96-98 passat or something. Some of the other vw guys can pick em up all the time, and I know a guy thats kind of a guru of TDI's, so hopefully he could help me swap something like that in. I really want a TDI in my 4x4 so I can run a toyota trans and swap the front for a solid axle, but thats way in the future.

i would definately go for the late 80's mazda Mike. as far as the bench seat and body drop...i was gonna try that as well, the only prob, is with a traditional body drop you would be sitting WAY to damn high because you can't lower the mounting brackets on it the bench already sits on the tranny hump. with a stock floor body drop you still need to raise the tunnel a bit, which you MIGHT be able to work around the bench seat.... if you need parts for the mazdas dude, hit me up. I have a small mazda graveyard at my house..AND i have a frame with monster notches already installed ready for front brackets that I want to get rid of. shit for that matter, i have a good Ex-cab cab and doors.

T

that sucks about the bench, I was looking foreward to trying to keep it all oldschool hot rod looking. I dont know if my land lord would flip out or not if I had a frame sitting here, he already doesnt like the shell of my GTi, but I would have to have it static for just a little, just to save up for the bag system. I was thinking of buying a running/driving truck, undo the torsion bars, either completly or leave them there for support, monoleaf it with like a 2 inch block, then shoot the whole truck with a matte black, inside out, just a quick spray job, nothing too special, dirve it for a bit, and then when I have all the money saved up, drive the 4x4 while I'm baggn the 2wd.
with my first paycheck, I'm getting another tattoo, something I have been wanting for a long time, then the rest all goes to the trucks/cars.

hopefully, we'll get some nice weather so I can drop the exhuast off my car so I can get back into a truck, I miss it, lol

Well you know Aftermath is always here to help you out brotha....just hit me up.

T

yep, I know, and I will keep you updated, Aftermath still have meetings? I started checking back with the website. you ever get the cab off your truck?

blazer...can i get a bigger pic of the trashed mazda in the middle of your sig?? and some details on what the hell didnt happen to it?? -bf