Hi guys, I've been considering an S10 frame swap for some time. Now, the S10 I need to do the swap has appeared so I went to the ad-engineering web site to order up the kit that allows easy mount up for our trucks to the S10 frames and there was a big disclaimer on the site about how they have immediately shut down all production due to health issues of a close family member. Did anyone hear about this? Does anybody know where I can get such a kit? Thanks, Andy
Andy I used the A-D kit when I did mine.I saw the announcement on their site the other day. There is another site with a kit that looks as good.check it out at www.e-zchassisswaps. com It cost a little more but looks like it has everything to do the job.Let me know what you think.
Andy, we have done a number of these swaps and I have extensive photos of the process but, unlike Russ, I do not know how to put comments/descriptions with the photos. I can put the pictures on a disc and write out by hand the details of each shot by the picture number, then send it to you. If you or anyone else want to put them on the forum site like Russ's "How to restore an AD" you'd be welcome to do so. Here are shots of the AD Engineering cab and bed mounts and as you can see they are quite simple and could easily be made. We have to try to get the customer out at the best possible price so the shop time for making up one off conversion sets would be more costly than buying them. This does not apply to someone doing a project for themselves since we all know you don't get slave labor prices for this.
Silly Question But ; Evan ; Can the rig still be used as a truck after doing this S-10 chassis swap ? . I know where a very good S-10 W/ V-6 and slushbox is for sale for $500 , I'd not do it to my truck but maybe it's one way to save a junker AD..... Your thoughts & comments please . TIA ,
welding Evan I was once told that when welding to a frame you should wled Parallel to it and not Perpendicular as it could cause cracks in the weld? Have you ever seen this?
Nate, it can be used as though it is an S10 but since the track is quite a bit more narrow I would think high, wide loads would cause swaying. We use steel spacers from a place in Houston rather than the aluminum ones most use. Here are pictures of a stock AD--notice the center of the tire is exacly in line with the center of the head light and one on an S10 chassis before the spacers are added. As far as welding one must be aware of whether your working with a tempered frame or just one with a low carbon steel frame. As a general rule if the truck is designed for heavy loads then it's better to bolt than weld but most 1/2 and 3/4 tons are mild steel. Unless they are worn or scuffed away most tempered frames have "Do Not Weld" decals on them.
Thanx ! I guess then that for me anyways , the answer is -no- as I load until I can't fit any more crap in the bed.......
i volunteer Hey Evan -I would be happy to give it a try to post your pics and comments on here for this conversion process. I have to contribute something. I will send you a Private Message with my address.
When I worked at a truck builder shop,the frames did indeed have stickers warning against welding the flange area of the frame. We were able to weld the verticle areas with no issue, but used bolts as much as possible. On the subject of wheel offset, take a look at a custom wheel maker such as http://www.wheelvintiques.com They can build any wheel you need.
I have found that custom wheels with extreme offset or in this case inset put a huge strain on the wheel center. If the center were made with heavier gauge metal it could handle it but this is usually not the case. The spacer keeps the center near the middle of the wheel, in fact one can use factory wheels if desired. Either way puts more stress on the hub, bearings, and spindle but these were designed to handle the truck loaded so a truck that never carries a load again will be within those items design range. Having spacers which gives a longer torque arm applying stress to those parts and loading heavy would be something I wouldn't recommend.
I think I understand what you are saying Evan, but I have never been a fan of spacers. I've seen a few of the early ones break or work themselves loose. Hopefully today's technology has made them better.
update The day I first posted about this subject, I checked the website again and apparently he has decided to continue amnufacturing until the business is sold. I'm saving up now for one of the kits.
Federale, you are 100% right on ones that use the aluminum spacers and most do because they are less than half the price of the billet steel ones. Aluminum expands and contracts at a way different rate than iron/steel and this is the main source of problems. The steel spacers are held on by the original lug bolts/nuts and then seperate lugs are in the spacer for the wheel to mount to. This keeps the lugs at the original length instead of using very long ones. We use red Loc-Tite on the original nuts since they never have to come off again and so far haven't had one iota of trouble.
Evan I HAVE A SET OF ALUMINUM SPACERS MADE JUST LIKE YOU DESCRIBED YOUR STEEL ONES.I HAVE ABOUT 10,000 MILES ON THEM.I HAVE CHECKED THEM 4 OR 5 TIMES AND THEY HAVE NOT LOOSENED ANY.HAVE YOU EVER USED THE ALUMINUM ONES ?I THINK THAT I PAID AROUND $90.00 DOLLARS FOR THE PAIR.I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR OPINION ON THESE.
Sonny, if no trouble in 10k miles I sure wouldn't worry about them but would check on a regular basis. I was wrong about the steel ones costing twice as much, more like almost three times as much---$250. Here is a picture of my pilot spacer which I made to see what was needed to get the factory wheels located in the right place (I don't think I would load the truck very heavy). I made a set after getting the final thickness needed since none for the S10 were on the market at that time. The S10 hadn't been out for long when we did our first one so we made a lot of stuff that is cheaper to buy now.
