Definitive S-10 Frame Swap Vehicle List

Merry Christmas ,, damn nice so far i say JoeTx..
as i recall this isnt your first cool project
cant help you with any rack n pinion questions,
I have one in an ass-tro van,, i only use that thing for storage,
maybe end up using it,, havent got that far on my 41..

 

Unisteer makes a bolt in rack and pinion converstion for the S-10 chassis. They just did a piece on it in Custom Classic Trucks or Classic Trucks (same thing). They have a ongoing build feature using a glass Willys P/U on an s10 chassis.

Here's the link for the part. It's pricy but how much is your time and effort and trial and error going to cost (speaking from my own painful and expensive fabricating efforts)? The part is listed as 1996 to something but the info button will show you that it works on 1982 and up (until they changed to the Colorado)

http://www.unisteer.com/search_by_product/bolt_in_rack_pinions/s-10/1996-04_s10_rack_only.html

Maybe it will work depeding on how much of that S10 is used on your truck.

Terry in SoCal

 

thank you rustnchrome n novadude for the info,, also i think im going to use the cab mounts off of the 62 c10??????? what ya think??? merry chrismas to all

 

I may have missed it in the 1500 plus posts to this thread but,
has anyone explained how this thread deserves to be on a traditional hot rod and custom site?

If you want to be true to this site you will stop posting off topic stuff.

 

then i guess we are going to have to start a forum for hot rod and custom is there a way to add one to the hamb like a sister page where we can get together but stay out of the front page of the hamb so our post wont offend the traditional guys

 

http://customhotrods.myfunforum.org/

i think i made a new custom hotrod forum

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS PAUL THE EDITOR

Later,
Billy

 

If its off topic why did you bother to open it up just to make a useless comment and make it an even bigger thread...it would have been closed along time ago if it wasnt ok with Ryan.

 

First off, Paul is a mod and has given tons to this board. And Ryan has let it live and tried to keep it confined to this post because he's a nice guy, but he has even commented that this stuff is off topic. It was fine when it was a littler here, a little there, but it has gotten a little out of control at times. Seriously you guys could start a forum for s10rods and then be able to do your thing unhindered.

 

Some of you guys kill me, I know this is a traditional hot rod forum, and I get it. That said it,s also a forum with a lot of guys that build & have traditional cars but also build other more non traditional cars and trucks for economical or other reasons. I can't see where sharing knowledge and ideas about these builds is such a big deal, you can see this thread dosen't show up that often, just one guys opinion...............

 

and it costs money to support this forum, yet those that usually have this attitude aren't even Alliance members. Then wonder why O/T stuff gets trashed.

 

I love the "Traditional Police" it's my favorite part of the Hamb. Just a little reminder of what your opinion of traditional is. Thanks.


S-10 frame, International truck, blah, blah..... Just build something cool and get on with it. Not everything about every car or truck is traditional. This seems like a suspension upgrade that makes sense. Safety and moneywise.

 

Yep and Clark's truck, the one that started all this. So what. Like I said there is some leeway granted. But if you want to go O/T at least support the board. But then from your intro I'd not expect much.

 

My .02,,
Abomination started this thread awhile ago and
I caught wind of it since I am in the middle of the very type of project,

I guess maybe its not traditional in the definition set forth
by the HAMB ownership, but it is inspiring to see guys updating old iron,
putting safer frames and brake hardware under them and putting them back on the road,
And the Wikipedia also brought a compliment to the HAMB due to this thread.
But
If Ryan decides to kill it,
who am i to argue,
I will be sad to see this thread die,
I suppose as an owner and a DataBase Admin standpoint I understand.

 

Thanks. Merry Christmas Zman and everybody else.

 

Do you?

This one is done...

 

Did this custom stretched Kingcab 37 Chevy pickup several years ago on an S-10 frame. Great handling ride on long trips. Now owned by our Son in Michigan.

 

My 51 Henry J is on a 96 s10 blazer two wheel drive frame. Same wheel base and track with as the Henry J.

 

Would like to mention that the S10 frames work on pre 55 Chevy trucks, but the wheels sit in a little too much from the fenders unless spacers are used. Upgrading to a different rearend can correct the problem in the rear, but the frontend needs help.

If anyone is contemplating using an S10 frame for a 55-59 Chevy truck, let me suggest that you look for an 89-98 Chevy truck for a donation. You can keep all the stock engine and trans mounts and maybe even rebuild the engine/trans that came in the truck if you buy a whole truck.

We did this conversion on a 56 Chevy. Here are the details.........



Note: We may put thicker spacers under the body and doghouse to raise an inch or so for a little more tire clearance in front.




1. The front of the frame just ahead of the steering was cut downward a couple inches (a notch) to allow the stock 56 radiator support to sit on it. Its still there, just cut off the top and weld a plate in place a few inches lower.



2. If using a Smallblock, all the mounts and exhaust stuff fit already. On ours, the 56 inner fender panels actually fit the frame shape perfectly. We did have to cut a little where they are above the A frames, but a minor mod.

3. The cab sits nicely on the frame and we made some cab mounts by using some rectangular box tubing cut diagonally and welded to the frame. Very easy to make and you can raise or lower the cab to where you want it. Ours is pretty low using stock components. Its easy to raise the front doghouse and cab if you want it slightly higher...3much easier to raise by starting low than to try to lower a vehicle thats too high and needs special components. These are all OEM stuff and it sits low and still has a good factory ride and feel.





4. Moving rearward ........ The stock trans crossmember works. We bought a long bed truck because we got a good buy on a running truck that needed a small repair. We used an LS engine, so we sold the smallblock and some other parts and got most of our money back. Oh, we also completely rebuilt the front suspension and steering just because it was easy to do with no engine and sheetmetal in the way. So if you keep the smallblock, you are good to this point.
The frame behind the cab is not two parallel rails. They move outward as they go forward. We had to shorten the long bed frame anyway. I do not know if a shortbed frame is the right wheelbase. We cut the frame and pulled it inward until it was parallel. We also shortened it to get the wheelbase we wanted for the 56. The frame rails do hit the stepboards on each side of the bed, so making them parallel fixed that problem. Also, you will need to relocate the stock spring mounts. We made a crossmember to weld in place where we cut the frame and included a driveshaft loop. Then a little boxing plate to make it look nicer. Its all pretty easy to do if you have a mig welder.



5. After the frame rails are made parallel, the rear will look like this. We also used a 9" Ford rear. Don't remember if the stock Chevy was the right width, but think it would work. Measure first to check before buying if thats a concern for you.


6. You can use the stock suspension and shock geometry other than having to move it inward to make the frame parallel. We decided we wanted to mount the gastank behind the rearend. We chose one from an S10 Blazer 2 door 2 wheel drive. They are basically a short rectangle. Depending on the year you choose, they can accept a factory OEM fuel pump and fuel gage for either a carburetor (low pressure) or fuel injection (high pressure). Earlier S10 had carbs, and the size of the hole determines whether it for a carb or injection. We bought a new one on line (Spectra) for about $120 at the time. Suggest you also buy the mounting straps (maybe $ 30-$40 ?). We had to make new rear crossmembers to hold it, so we incorporated a hidden trailer hitch in it. If you want a sway bar, we used one from a Saturn Vue SUV. We also made a fill tube that would allow fueling thru the fender rather than the bed. The steel bed was in good shape in the 89, so we cut it out and welded it into the 56's side panels. We wanted a steel bed. Here are some detail pics to show what we did.







So this pretty well documents what we did to put an 89 (89-98) long bed Chevy frame under our 56. One thing I will point out is that with the stock factory wheels, the front tires are close to the fenders and look good spacingwise. If someone plans to use custom wheels on the front, they will have to be close to the same as the factory size wheels. I think raising the truck an inch or so might cure that problem. It is definitely too wide for a 49-55 Truck. I believe a 56 frame may be similar to a 49-55, but the front suspension is wider. So, all the steering and motor mounts ,trans mounts stuff can be stock and the front suspension fits better for a 55-59 truck.

 

thankyou for the nice write up,, inspirational , ------------did you know in 92 gm ford and Chrysler in a engineering group seminar meeting ,,decided the metallurgy of the frames should change and save them all money ,,,important info for us road salt states up north ,, as frames are only lasting 10-15,000 years in the big cities.
the softer steel hydro forms easier than old steel, so faster to make also. so i only buy pre 92

 

Helped a buddy do a jail bar 46 Ford pickup onto an S10 frame . I think it would be near same as 40-47 truck