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ZR2 SS, American Hilux

A solid axle and V8 swap.

A couple years back I wanted to build a sort of "American Hilux" a reliable, lightweight, and small truck to have fun with. I had a northern rusty F250 back in high school and had fun with it but it was a pain to drive, put gas in, and I wasn't willing to put a lot of money into a rusted out truck. I knew I wanted a 4 door truck for my family to ride in so that left me with Nissan Frontiers, Toyota Tacomas, or Chevy S10s.

The end goal was to do a solid axle and V8 swap so the cheaper the starter truck the better. I ended up with the S10 for a song with a crummy paint job, seized rear calipers, and a bad rear end but the interior was mostly perfect and the body was completely rust free on it. I'd seen other people on facebook swap 1 ton axles and 40's under these trucks and I knew I wanted something where the tires were still under the fenders.

The end goal was to do a solid axle and V8 swap so the cheaper the starter truck the better.

So for the last 3.5 years I've been picking away at this truck in my driveway, finally got it driving down the road but it still needs a lot of work to get to a comfortable driver like I want.

Most recent picture, drivable to a point but still needs exhaust and a tune plus a trac bar for the front axle.

The end goal at this point is to make it look like a package you could've gotten from GM, a souped up off road package, a ZR2 SS if you will.

Jeep axles with modified knuckles for larger rotors and dual piston calipers for the added power.

Oil pan had to get modified to fit next to the front diff.

Builder Q&A

Any plans for another build??

I've got a few plans for when some funds come back after this truck is done. I picked up another S10 from a friend, this one is a 4 door 2wd Blazer that I'm torn between another LS swap for more stable shenanigans and a Mercedes OM617 5 cylinder turbo diesel to get insane MPG out of it. I've also been pointed towards a later BMW M57 turbo diesel to put into a trailblazer with third row to make a killer road trip vehicle out of.

Any added inspiration these days?

I'm always surfing the internet, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for ideas, they're never good ideas but I get ideas on other projects.

Would you ever sell your truck?

Oh God no, never, I'll sell a kidney before I get rid of it. It was the best decision but I still regret selling that mostly stock F250 to this day, I won't make that mistake again with something that I've put this much blood, sweat, and time into.

Best advice for anyone looking to build their dream truck?

I'd say to figure out exactly what you want, bounce ideas off of other people that've done similar things before, do your research on electronics and parts that you're unfamiliar with. Avoid going in blind unless you're looking to triple the time you spend on it.