Battle of the Half-Tons [REVIEW POSTED]

[JasonPoland]

Interesting variety so far throughout the competition. And yes, JasonPoland did have the huevos to submit a FWD half-ton that I'd like to nickname "The Brain Rattler."

Of the 7 submissions including the benchmark, we have 3 straight-6's and 4 V8's, so that's pretty diverse.

Well it's working, so why not
My original idea was a small Inline 4 with a turbo, but I scrapped it due to weak reliability. Then I decided to go nuts and I've fitted in ye ol' big V8 [cannot rememder if it was 4 litre or 5...].
I'll be honest now, even though I think that I'll be last in this contest, I'm curious how would it look in "head-to-head, magazine-style review".

[FivesAlive]

Adding another contender to the mix:


It's the Shoshone Rugged Eight!

[randomone]

Shepherd Motoring has decided to throw their hat into the ring with the Bootstrap V8, pictured here in its fleet trim.



Powered by 6.2 liters of American V8 goodness, it produces 325 ft-Ib of torque and over 230 hp, getting you to 60 in just under 8 seconds.

[VicVictory]

All entries received so far have been scrutinized. There's less than 72 hours remaining for submissions. Get them in! I'm looking at you, Niall and Zab...

[nialloftara]

I have a mostly done version, just need a few more tweaks and to name it properly, should be up tomorrow morning. It has a restrained (for me) 557 cubic inch ohv v8 with round about 270hp

[Zabhawkin]

Its coming, just a few more tweaks, still not sure if its going to be V8 or I4 since no one else has one as far as I know.

[VicVictory]

I can safely say that after either Zab or Niall turns in their entry, the number of submissions will be great enough to justify a 4-way comparison review at the end.

(and of course, anyone who piles on at the end just makes the competition that much more fun).

I will also give shout-outs to the highest and lowest in a number of categories, as well as possibly nicknaming all of the entries that don't make the comparison cut.

[Zabhawkin]

Desert Mountain Automotive presents the HT78B Half Ton Truck for 1978.

[jdripke]

Ponderosa.PNG (514.58 KiB) Viewed 5248 times

Ripke Automotive Industries presents the 1978 Ponderosa x1. Producing 230hp and 320lb/ft of torque, this rugged pickup has the power to get you and whatever you are hauling wherever you want to go.

Pending approval, the RAI Ponderosa x1 will be competing in the 1978 Battle of the Half-Tons.

[oppositelock]

The GSI Homesteader has been submitted.

[VicVictory]

I am absolutely loving what I am seeing here, guys. So much variety in this competition.

Again, all submissions up to this point have been verified, and every single one passes.

Note to anyone who has not submitted yet: please PLEASE FOLLOW THE FILE NAMING GUIDELINE IN THE ORIGINAL POST! While there have been a couple submissions with some off filenames that I've been able to figure out, it is EXTREMELY difficult if you don't follow the naming convention, and makes my job about 20 times harder than it needs to be. A little more than half of you who submitted followed the naming guideline, and I thank you. The rest of you (I hope you know who you are) -- please pay attention in the future. I tend to be more lenient than other competition hosts. The last thing you want is to get your entry booted on a technicality.

[SeriousSimon]

I hope I did it right, I have a lot of trouble with the naming of Engine Families and Variants, to me that's kind of redundant. (I'm blond also.)

Without further adue, a little peek at the Romanov Galik, name freely adapted from the term: working horse.
The pickup was needed as farmers demanded a utility vehicle and so Romanov was awarded the honour to develop such a car for the USSR (exactly 38,000).
Resources were limited at the time and so the engine of choice ended up being a 2.3 liter six cylinder engine, gloriously melted from old frying pans.
While it doesn't stand a chance against the V8 powered muscle-ups, it is a reliable companion on the field.

And no, radios were deemed unnecessary, the sounds of nature (really just the engine), were enough to entertain.

[Razyx]

My truck, ManHell Tiramillas AFR.

[nialloftara]

Here we are folks, the Centauri Minotaur 557, this heavy duty half ton is ready for anything you can throw at it. With a extended bed and torque to spare this pickup is the answer to all your transporting needs.

Minotaur .jpg (555.32 KiB) Viewed 5181 times

Fireball 557.jpg (572.82 KiB) Viewed 5181 times

[BlastersPewPew]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I have a sneaky feeling my pickup will be bringing up the rear..........

Edit: Since Nial showed their engine off here is mine in all its glory.

HTC Engine Details.jpg (493.42 KiB) Viewed 5174 times

I do like how I have roughly 1000RPM of peak power give or take a couple horses.