1970 Chevy Truck Budget Basher - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

Due to the austerity of these economic times we've been running across a lot of homebuilt budget 4x4s lately. However, the art of building a trail rig from scavenged and bartered parts existed long before our economy took a turn for the worse. As an extra source of income, Jason Howerton of Morgan Hill, California, was buying and selling trucks and cars for a number of years, and then one day ran across the perfect crawler combo: two Chevys.

The suspension on Jason Howerton's truck is composed of 52-inch Chevy leaf springs up front and late-model 63-inch springs in the rear, and the ride is damped by BDS and Rancho shocks. The Dana 60 front axle was robbed from a '79 Chevy, and the 14-bolt was taken from an '85 Chevy truck. Both axles are fitted with 4.56 gears with a Detroit Locker in front and welded spider gears in the rear.

The suspension on Jason Howerton's truck is composed of 52-inch Chevy leaf springs up fron

After making a few bucks and gathering some highly-sought-after 4x4 components in his own cash for clunkers and parts program, Jason took a '79 Blazer and a '70 Chevy pickup and started building. The '70 Chevy Truck body now sits on the '79 frame with a narrowed and tapered front clip and body sides. Then Jason boatsided the vehicle, which took a good amount of useless metal off the sides. The Frankenstein rig is now a dependable and well-built trail beater and is used for extreme trail runs on the Rubicon Trail, Hollister Hills, and Hammer trails.

Tech Specs
1970 Chevy Truck
(on A '79 Blazer frame)
Drivetrain
Engine: Chevy 8.1L V-8
Transmission: SM465
Transfer case: NP203, NP205, Jed's Machining doubler kit
Front Axle: Dana 60, 4.56 gears, Detroit Locker, chromoly shafts
Rear Axle: 14-bolt, 4.56 gears, welded spider gears, chromoly shafts

Suspension
Springs & Such: 63-inch Chevy late-model leaf springs (rear); 52-inch Chevy leaf springs (front)
Tires & Wheels: 42X15X16.5 Interco Super Swampers, 16.5x9.75 Hummer H1s, with USA6x6 centers, Custom Tribal flame rock rings
Other Stuff: Jaz 15-gallon aluminum fuel cell, stock chevy radiator with two Taurus fans, stretched wheelbase, Hedman shorty headers, Flowmaster two-chamber mufflers, custom skidplate

There's nothing better than a dependable late-model engine in old iron, and the truck now finds its power through an 8.1L Chevy V-8. The power and torque from the engine are transferred to the ground via an SM465 transmission and NP203 and NP205 transfer cases mated with a Jed's Machining doubler kit.
There's nothing better than a dependable late-model engine in old iron, and the truck now
Most folks would look at this rig's interior and say it's not fit for human habitation, but the vehicle wasn't built to win any show 'n' shines. This is a trail rig purpose-built so there's no need for a speedometer, and Auto Meter gauges monitor the engine vitals and rpm. Custom seat mounts are welded to the frame and rocker tubing to anchor the seats and harnesses securely.
Most folks would look at this rig's interior and say it's not fit for human habitation, bu
Now this is what we call green! Jason recycled scrap metal for things like the tie-down rack and fuel can carriers. For safety, the exo-cage was constructed from 13/4-inch DOM tubing and the rocker panels were shored up with 2x3-inch box tubing.
Now this is what we call green! Jason recycled scrap metal for things like the tie-down ra