The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk OK here's another off topic (Sort of)

I'm gathering parts for the COE project ... just missed an A class RV ... but that's not my question.

I've been given an Olds Toranado ... (Front wheel drive).

1. Anyone ever tried to combine this with an AD system?

2. The engine is a 307 will it hook directly to my TH400 or is the bell housing different? I can see some subtle difference but general it seems to be the same so far. No sense pulling it if it's not going to work.

I'm assuming it's a Chevy TH400...To swap the motor in, you need to find a bellhousing from a BOP (buick, olds, pontiac) car with a TH400. The bellhousing bolt pattern is different. I *think* you can get a plate that will change the bolt pattern from different people, but I'm not sure. The motor you have has 150HP/245lb-ft from the factory, so it might not be the best engine if you've got a big truck with steep (numerically lower) gears. Well, then again, it'll move my 3800 lb delta 88 with 600 lbs of stuff in the back end at 80 mph on the highway with 2.73's and a .67 OD gear ratio in the tranny, so it shouldn't be too bad...

PLease refer to the website www.realoldspower.com for more information about olds motors in general and maybe some ideas on how to put that in there. Also, check out the post in Hardcore Race Tech about Bill Trovato Racing's engine getting the #10 spot in the PHR Engine Master's Challenge. We're pretty proud of that.

Hey Fatfenders,
Theres a guy in Santa Rosa, NM that built a coe pickup on an Olds FWD chassis. His name is Steve Silva and they did a full article on him in Custom Classic Trucks a year or so ago. I have not seen the pickup in person, but I went to school with his son and I recognized his name in the article. If I remember, he used a coe cab with a modified pickup bed all sitting on a front drive car frame. The pickup is bright blue and he makes a lot of the shows. I will try to find that writeup and reference it.
Ralph

Ralph, perefect. Thanks.

Just as I started to take the front off this thing a neighbour from down the street aways walks into my shop and says, "do you have any use for a 1989 class A RV? ... the back end caught fire and I was going to make a hunting thing out of it, but I know I'll never get to it. 38,000 miles, 350 Chev ... you know I think my luck is returning to me. This will be more than perfect. But I'll take that front off the Toronado and stash it somewhere in case someone else wants it.

I've seen a couple of COEs with Toranado/El Dorado front drive. It allows for a real low bed. One of them looked like the builder had just grafted a car trailer to the back.

There was a motorhome using a 455 and a beefed up version of the Toranado transaxle that I have thought would be perfect for this application.

I have an old class A with a 454 and turbo 400 that someday will power an AD truck...

There's a homebuilt Chev PU I used to see around Seattle that used a Toron- / Eldor- ado front end.
The operator could lay the bed all the way down on the ground and walk right in. It was a cool idea but the truck looked like junk.

There are two of them up here in NE Ohio.One is a 50s Dodge pickup with the Olds Toranado front end.The other is an S10 Chevy,with the front wheel drive unit mounted in the back for rear wheel drive,it is quite a hot rod.The big v/8 sits in the back,he has the radiator up front with long lines running to the back.