Here are the trouble spots. The back of the cab sits on top of the front bed mounts and the front sits on the area around the front cab mounts. Trimming the bed mounts off is the easy part. Then i'm going to replace the section of frame from the factory seam which is under the middle of the rocker, up to the narrowest section of frame in front of the firewall. Then the cab will sit right down on the frame. BTW....this is a 91 short bed S-10 frame. Hope this helps!!!
What do you do with the front wheels sticking out at the sides of the fenders. The best 40 ford coupe frame swap Ive seen ,involved a 58 chevy car chassis and the wood blocks to get it level. Oh the firewall was custom to.
Thanks a bunch. That is what I wanted to see. As is, it isn't all that great of a match, but there is a fix for the middle part of the frame. Does it look like the steering box will fit under the front fender?
not sure on a 40 but on a 36 the wheels sit to far in so a set of reverse rims or spacers are needed. Steve
I don't think its possible to tuck the front wheels too far in unless you mean that the tires are hitting on the back side. I like 'em low with the tires tucked way under.
mine may be different than yours. the shape is a bit different and I'm using the 86 S10 frame.this is the only front pic I have here with me.it's hard to see in the pic but the rims sits to the inside about 3" more than it should.I like my wheel right in the middle of the fender.also not sure about the 40 but on a 36 the fenders didn't work out in the opening so I had to move the cab back farther and the front of the fender was into the steering box.no way around it on the 36, so off came the steering box and a rack is going on in its place.I hope the 40 works out better on the s10 frame than my 36 is.if I had to do it over again I would have made my own frame.
How come nobody is using a mustang 2 style clip. It seams after all that cutting and fitting you could have had one with the right fit, rack and pinion, lower, and the stock mounts for the body. Not busting balls just curios.
when i got mine it was in pieces no frame.putting it together piece by piece as I go.35 fenders 36 grille 37 body so on
look at some of the mid 80's jap trucks, they are boxed, most are torsion bar front suspension that has a similar look of a M2, disc brakes & u can get them in 5 or 6 lug & i believe they are narrower the the S10's.....joe
Here's one from Louisville that i'm almost certain is on an S-10 frame.......but I could be wrong.... Yes, the front wheels do sit way under the fenders. A wider front wheel will offset some of the difference......but not all. WHY??? In my case part of the frame had been sitting on the ground for years. Major rust problems. The fact that I bought a good parts truck for $40, got the rolling chassis and then sold what I didn't need for scrap for $57 didn't by any means make me rich but did buy me lunch for all my trouble.
Yes. The inner fenders will have to be scratch built anyways. The stock S-10 bench seat looks like it was made for the 40 cab. You have to remove the seat riser first of course and then add a 2 inch block under the seat mounts.
Cheap s-10 $200 (and you can make more back selling off parts and scrap) Mustang II $1500 for a cheap one
this maybe way off the mark, but have you looked at a Ford Ranger (2wd). locally there is a 40 Ford truck on an 83 ranger frame. No Major Mods and still use the stock fuel tank. has about an 1" clearance on the outside of the front fenders. Frame is much straighter than S10
don't know about a s10, but i put a 40 chevy pickup on a 1986 ranger frame. The ranger frame is narrow enough for the cab to sit perfectly on the frame. I never had front fenders so I don't know how they would have lined up with the wheels.
You might want to follow the guys over at Kit Car magazine. They are putting a '41 Willys kit on an S-10 chassis. http://www.kitcarmag.com/projectbuild/
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