I know a guy who had a S10 clip widened 3 inches for his '49 Ford, and you know what? You can't even tell that its been clipped. Now I have a major question to this and that is has anyone else heard of this being done? Hell, I never had. The guy told me that the reason why it was widened was to get it to the width of the old metric Malibu and Regal. He said that it is exactly three inches wider than the S10 with the same suspension parts and is the same width as the original Ford clip. When I asked him how he fixed his center link to work with the widened S10 clip, he told me that he used the center link from the metric Malibu. Now I personally think this is a cool, and I believe that the results are well worth it based on what I have seen. My big concern, and I guess my only concern, is has anybody else done it this way?
About 20 years ago I built a shoebox,a '51. I used a s-10 clip,without widening. It sat low and more importantly could cut the wheel for a serious turn. Because it was a little narrow,i used 15 inch corvette 8 wide wheels to get some offser. certainly quicker than widening. the car today has the same setup. Drove great,handled great,and CHEAP!!
I think widening the S10 clip is a lot of extra work that's not needed. The 49'-50' Ford frame is 3.5" wider at the front and back (outside edges) vs. the S10. More importantly is the tracking width which is 56" front and rear for the Ford vs. 54.5" for the S10 (most 2WD models). So, the real difference is that the S10's tracking width is 1.5" narrower at the front (center of tire to center of tire)... that's only .75" on each side... not a big deal. Regards, X
Great point. I noticed on the stock Ford clip with original bias-ply's that the track width did look narrow from the factory. I figured that the S10 was perfect from the gate because its just as bout as narrow. 3/4'' on both sides isn't really shit. I'm not going to mess with widening it. Thanks man.
The main advantage to widening is that the metric (Monte Carlo, Malibu, etc.) are getting hard to find around here. Most ended up on the oval tracks. S-10's are everywhere and I'm sure there will be parts around for a long time. I've already studied this very swap but for an A-D truck. The real plus is that there's no welding on steering components. Sam
i put a s10 clip under my 53 ...i had already bought wheels with the ford pattern so i used wheel spacers with the gm/ford pattern....fixed both problems..
In my tech article in the archives I show you where the S-10 clip is the exact same width as the shoebox frame. It fits perfect. I don't know why he widened it?? -Shiny
Shiny is correct... great article! There are different concerns/issues to deal with... to sum it up: - The end of the frames differ by 3.5" where the Ford's bumper brackets attach.. not a problem (Ford is wider) - The point where the S10 clip attaches to the Ford is the same width.. good news (see Shiny's article) - The tire's tracking width differs by 1.5".. not a problem (Ford is wider) Regards, X
Just remember the S-10 is front steer and the box sometimes interferes with the placement of the Radiator. Not much different than the GM metric front ends which are also front steer.
S-10 clip. Stock rad in the stock placement. 6.70's on early corvette wheels. If it was any wider it wouldn't turn. The tires rub the fenders as is. Widening DOES NOT makes sense.
I agree. I thought that it sounded stupid. BTW, is that the awesome Canadian version Ford released? What was it called? The Meteor? Super cool man! Meteor Fords and Mercury trucks. You guys get the coolest shit!
I don't know about tracking width, but the difference in wheel mounting surface between the two is 3.5 to 4 inches. What I did was reverse a set of 49 chevy wheels. This gave me the right bolt pattern, and the perfect offset. Rich
This is what I'm getting for my '48 desoto this weekend. Was thinking about getting a mustang II kit but I dont have the financial needs to meet this goal. But this should help with the steering and easy access to s10 parts at a cheaper cost. I'd give anything for a lift in my garage instead jacking the car up three feet on cinder blocks. All the measurements will be INTENSE but in the end it will be worth it. Good Luck!!!
I have a shoebox frame that was clipped with S-10 amd followed the tech article that is available here on the HAMB. The rolling clipped frame is for sale. Pops gave up on the projet since the body was too far gone. CLipped and z'd..$800
The last thing one would want to do is research......like S-10 front clips are made in two sizes....54.5 (way too narrow for a shoe) and 59 inches, probably the one you have and actually too wide....duuuuuhhhhhh.
I am the kind that actually measures the stock tread width of the vehicle I am working on and match a late model clip to it....the FRONT tread width of my STOCK 51 shoe was 58 inches....84 monte clip is 58.5 inches....not 56 inches....those with a stock front end that know how to read the smart end of the ruler will tell you the same. The rear is a different story.....it is more narrow....56 inches is more like it....but a maverick rear end seems to work okay on the rear....it is 56 1/2 inchs in tread width. But for those that do no research, go ahead and put in your late model camaro and nova and wide style S-10, etc....you will be fine. Well, until you want to put tires on it and drive it.
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