I finally got my S10 frame swap done

Discussion in '1947-1954' started by speedfreak1976, Aug 19, 2007.

  1. speedfreak1976

    speedfreak1976 Member

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    I built a rat rod style truck from a 50 Chevy 1 ton grain truck and put it on an S10 chassis. I built all my own mounts. If you have any questions just ask. Its a very easy and cheap swap.
     

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  2. speedfreak1976

    speedfreak1976 Member

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    more pics of it

    Here is a couple more pics.......
     

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    federale likes this.
  3. Tailgater

    Tailgater Member

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    Excellent! Now let's hear a little more about the drive train. And plenty of pics so we can see what is hid.
    I never really thought much about rat rods but the more I see the more I like the idea.
    Gator
     
  4. Kens 50 PU

    Kens 50 PU Member

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    Looking good!

    One ton grain truck? Where's the other 1/2 ton?:D Looks good! Hey Flipper, sorry about the too "rad" comment on yours a couple of month's ago. I'm kinda diggin' the low sloung look now! Need more input on the drivetrain like gater said!!
     
  5. Thunder54

    Thunder54 Member

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    OK Speedy!

    That's a really nice driver truck/car. It looks really good in the photos.

    Now where is that low mileage sm420 4 speed you left on the old frame? I figure most old AD one tons were not driven very far, because they were so slow. I have a sm420 out of another '50 one ton that only had 28K original miles on it.

    Anywhere near East Texas?

    Jim
     
  6. speedfreak1976

    speedfreak1976 Member

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    Here are the details on it. I used the cab and front clip from the grain truck and I also had a 1/2 ton pickup that had a great bed but rusty as hell cab. For running gear it has..........
    S10 chassis with 2in dropped spindles and 1in springs in front
    3in adjustable pin blocks in back
    manual steering box
    355 chevy with Dart heads and edelbrock intake and carb
    350 turbo trans
    alan grove alt and a/c comp. brackets
    4.10 rear end which is the stock 2wd one
    S10 tilt column
    91 chevy silverado seat
    15x7 front wheels with 195/65/15 tires
    15x10 rear wheels with 285/70/15 tires
    universal summit aluminum radiator and fan shroud with elec. fan setup
    aluminum water pump
    85 camaro ex manifold on r/h side
    66 impala ram horn ex manifold on l/h side
    85 caprice steering shaft with borgeson joints
    dolphin custom gauges
    ez wiring harness
    aluminum treadplate bed floor with custom wheel well tubs

    The whole project took me about 8 months of off and on working on it. There is quite a bit of fabrication work to do but when it starts for the first time its all worth it. Here are some under hood and interior pics of it.
     

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  7. speedfreak1976

    speedfreak1976 Member

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    Thunder I am no where near Texas. I am in St Louis Missouri. I had the whole chassis from the grain truck and ended up scrapping it out as no one seemed to want it. The truck had around 35000 miles on it. The cab has perfect cab corners and no floor rust at all on it. It sat in a barn for many years before I got it.
     
  8. Zig

    Zig Member

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    That is totally AWESOME, Speed! Now just satin clear-coat it and Bob's your uncle!
     
  9. sloromon

    sloromon Member

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    wow! all that work in 8 months?! i'm impressed. you must not sleep much. usually, i'm not into lowered trucks, but i do like the stance on this one. very nice interior, too! i like that bench seat!

    jon
     
  10. Bigt442

    Bigt442 Member

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    What S-10 did you use, long bed standard cab or the cab and half short bed? Also what rear end did you use?
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2007
  11. speedfreak1976

    speedfreak1976 Member

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    Bigt442 I used a 85 S10 longbed single cab truck. As for the rear end I used the stock S10 2wd rear end which has 4.10 gears with the 15x10 wheels and it was a perfect fit. I have a buddy who built one and used a 4x4 rear end since they are 4 inches wider. He has 15x8 rims on his. On the front I have 2 1/2 inch billet spacers on it to make the front wheels sit in the correct spot.
     
  12. Texas53

    Texas53 Member

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    Speedfreak - impressive. Front and rear wheels look dead center. You even got the front bumper attached somehow. Really nice. Did you mount the '91 Silverado seat on the original "seat pan" or is it on the floor? I am looking for a seat to use on my truck and this one that you used looks to be a good fit.
     
  13. Bigt442

    Bigt442 Member

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    Speedfreak - Looks great and thanks for the info. That is the S-10 frame I have. I was told originaly to use the S-10 cab 1/2 short bed, but it was longer wheel base. I really like the stance of your truck, great job.:D
     
  14. speedfreak1976

    speedfreak1976 Member

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    Texas53 I mounted the 91 full size Chevy truck seat directly to the floor. It fits in there like it was made for the truck. I have about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of space between the seat and the inside of the door. I like this seat because it has room under it to store stuff. I just drilled 4 holes thru the floor and bolted it down.
     
  15. Pontiac1976

    Pontiac1976 Member

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    Speedfreak very nice looks really good great work so far.
    Oh the 85 camaro ex manifold on the right side is it off a 305 motor ( is it a small exhaust manifold ) does it have the casting # still on it.?
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2007
  16. speedfreak1976

    speedfreak1976 Member

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    Pontiac it is a low hp Camaro or caprice 305 manifold. It comes on the tbi style camaros and caprices. the l/h one will fit on the truck if I would of had a block with r/h dipstick instead of the l/h style that I have. The manifold blocks the dipstick hole. The rams horn one was for l/h dipstick.
     
  17. Texas53

    Texas53 Member

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    Thanks for the help. Do you have any more plans for yours? Hard to believe that you did all of that work in 8 months. I have been working on mine for over 3 years. Of course, some of that time was getting it ready to paint which you didn't need to worry about :) The way your trucks fades from rust to green almost looks planned. Very cool. I like this Rat Rod style. Come to think of it, I think my truck started out as a Rat Rod. Had I have known that this would be the craze, I could've saved myself a lot of time. Here's a picture of what I started with and then where it is today. I hope to have it painted soon.

    Mike
     

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  18. Pontiac1976

    Pontiac1976 Member

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    Yes there is three types maniflods small, med, large.
    I have one on my truck off a Camaro, but it pitted real bad on the Right side. The one I have is the small one with the 3 stud flang & I can not read the casting # any more it's so baddly pitted. So I have been trying to find out what the casting # are to get or find one. I think the caprice had the small one to but it a 2 stud flang . the casting # is between # 8 & 6 cylinder I can only make out 2# any more out 6 or 8.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2007
  19. Zig

    Zig Member

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    Sorry, Speed-

    Shed the turn signal lights (what would get into someone to drill holes in good fenders to mount those kinda lights?!) then, as I said, satin clear coat it! That is SUCH an awesome ride! Big T has a good ride too, but like he said, the color play on yours is tits!

    I think it will beat my rattle-can approach...:p
     
  20. Flipper

    Flipper Member

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    Those turn signals must have been popular :confused:
    [​IMG]
     

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