Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I think you are gonna be fine haha. I just stopped short of telling someone to go ahead and remove it

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Hello everyone. I've built my cab stands according to skymang's version 2 plans, and mounted them to the given measurement away from the oval hole. Everything is going together well, but I'm a bit concerned with the clearance of the front wheels in relation to the fender. I plan on lowering it 2" using Belltech 2102 spindles with new stock coil springs. If the experts think everything is OK and it'll clear, then I'll move forward. Any input is appreciated.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/C6...Z9KlxBHatT_-Qe

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qG...z745C21tp-F3v9

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

1. your front clip is pointing down in relation to the cab. this happens more than you think on this swap. raise it so the body line on the fender is level with the bottom of the door.

2. it looks like you might be mounted a bit far back, but to be sure, did you replace the upper control arms? if you swap them side to side or use the speedway tubular uppers and get them on upside down? the wheel will move forward a lot in either case. did you take out any caster shims? it also sets the wheel forward if they are removed. if you havent messed with the control arms, triple check your measurement and make sure the body mounts are level and plumb. for example, the body being low on the rear mounts will cause the problem stated in #1 and lean the cab back.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Your front fender and hood DO appear to be aiming down a bit, although that may just be the camera angle. I've noticed on my truck that as I put more weight on the front end the wheels articulate to the rear slightly. Is everything currently in place? (i.e. motor, tranny, radiator etc.).

Here's how mine ended up with everything in place. I still want to drop the front end a bit and probably get larger tires in the front.

Attachment 1714262

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

joedoh, The front clip is facing down right now because I was following the Stovebolt forum directions to get my hood alignment and fenders to line up before I welded in my core support, but I will make the proper adjustment to check for wheel clearance first. Also, I haven't messed with the suspension at all yet. Everything is just as stock as it came on the S10. I'll get under the truck and make some measurements to be sure everything is level and plumb. I'm pretty sure I wasn't drinking when I fabbed them and/or tacked them in. I do have the motor and transmission in the truck right now, but not the radiator. I'll let you know what I find.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

be sure to put your grill in. I've noticed that the front of the fenders sags a little when it's out, I bet that once you put the grill in those wheels will be centered in the wheel well.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Thanks for the input everyone! After putting the grill in and adjusting my core support up about 2", everything is lined up in the wheel wells. I don't know what I'd do with out this forum to help me out.

Also, another question to those have done the Blazer big brakes conversion. I have a 1992 S10 as the frame for my 51. I've seen forums here where some have used the Belltech 2102 (2" drop spindles) for a 98-03 Chevy Blazer on an older S10 upper and lower control arms. Have any of you heard of this? I was checking HUSSEY's build for "Albert" and it looked like he did this. Can anyone foresee any issues with geometry and alignment? Thanks in advance!!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I happened to notice this on mine too. They sag inward and the edge of the grill actually pushes the base of the fenders outward to their correct position. I kept thinking the fenders were too narrow until the grill was in and it all made sense. Amazing how much flex and movement exists in the body panels.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

hussey did it (confirming, I remember it), and I did it on my 47 gmc, its a great brake upgrade. you will need to keep the truck rubber brake hoses because the blazer hoses have a different fitting at the hard line. it aint cheap though. the blazer drop spindles are twice as much as the truck and then you should figure to replace the bearings and calipers and rotors and pads. when you are done I think you will find you kept the caliper bolts and the bearing bolts.

there is no change to geometry or alignment. there is a great improvement in braking though!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

hello all!! I have been reading all these post for the last few weeks as I am, as well as so many of you are doing these s10 frame swaps. I have come to a stoping point and need help that I don't think I have seen posted up yet (or at least so I think).

question: how has everyone routed the wiring harnesses into dash? have you all been cutting a big hole through the firewall and feeding the wires through the drivers side?(thats how I purchased my half finished s10/3100 came to me) if so how did you guys close or seal the hole afterwards.
thanks and sorry if this has already been discussed(just signed up to this forum and have little experience with these trucks)
If so how have

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

what harness are you referring to? an aftermarket wiring harness or stock s10 harness/engine harness? How big a hole you talking about? they make grommets, but not sure how big they really go and or how big of a hole you are talking about. When I wire headlights for example using aftermarket harness, i'll route them through the cowl area and up the front fender to hide them. or you could run just those wires out through its own hole in firewall and run them up along the inner fenders. Options are endless, just need to give us some pics or info.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I used pipe sealing grommets made by Kennard that are flexible. I installed the grommet first, then ran the wires through them.

http://www.kennardind.com/grommets.htm

I bought an assortment from McMaster Carr, on their site search for: pipe sealing grommets.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#pipe-seali...mmets/=1as7odm

Sealsit makes a split grommet. I didn't care for the way they looked and I think they're a bit over priced.

http://sealsit.com/product-category/split-grommet-seal/

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

thanks for the quick response guys. And sorry, yes it is 2001 s10 truck and s10 engine harness. I'm more referring to the pcm, ecu, fuse box and multiple little wiring boxes(see pics as reference) the firewall was cut( see first pic) and everything was stuffed under the dash and zip tied up there (super getto). I am wanting to get the wires and boxes hidden better match or slim down I'm 6inch firewall hole and wondering the course of action.

99 to life, i do like the idea of going through the cowl. I was wondering if anyone runs the wires through the passenger inner cowl and into the passenger kick panel compartment?(see last picture) and just hang as many of the wires as possible


http://i64.tinypic.com/2d7vo75.jpg
http://i67.tinypic.com/315k3sm.jpg
http://i67.tinypic.com/b9a9z4.jpg5http://i68.tinypic.com/2us8l0h.jpg

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

crap sorry guys. newbie here haven't been on a forum ever and just learned how to post pictures on a forum after watching three youtube videos(insert face palm). so sorry for image size

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

you can run some stuff through that pass side cowl. I ran headlight wires and heater hoses through there.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

in this picture

http://i67.tinypic.com/315k3sm.jpg

there is only thing that needs to pass through the firewall, and its not what you are holding, its the big connector to the left and below that has the threaded grommet.

you can trace that shape and make the firewall hole the same, then the threaded studs will hold it tight to the firewall and seal it.

I have done 3 trucks with 98-03 harnesses, everything else you are showing goes in or under the dash. there is a big fusebox/distribution that goes under the hood, and all the other underhood stuff/rear harnesses plug into it. I lost the pictures in my threads but I will dig some up to show you where and how I mounted it all.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I would like some info on this also. Curious about the extra stress on this single , one piece style front wheel bearing especially if you use wheel spacers.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

not sure how anyone would/could answer about extra stress, except to say that the same bearings are used on the 4x4 that have the hub 2" further outboard in the wheel and they are all ok, sold that way every year of production. as for unscientific real world application the bearings on my 47 are still driven every day two (sheesh almost three, cant believe it) years later.



I found some bad pictures of the firewall pass thru for that big grommet-ed hole, look in the upper right of this picture above and beside the booster

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4637/...31c6764e_b.jpgIMG_5243 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

and this is the distribution block that mounts underhood.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4643/...ace35b63_b.jpgIMG_4153 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

So this might have been covered already and if so where would I find info tricks and tips? I have a 52 short box and a extended cab S10 and correct me if I'm wrong the S10's wheel base is 122.9 and the 52 is 116.0. So where is the best place to take 7ish inches out?

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

my80schild, you can absolutely hide the wiring between the inner and outer fender. On my 49 I hid the a/c lines there.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

motorhead153, honestly I've always started with a single cab long bed. but, if I was to start with an extended cab I think I'd cut in front of the hanger bearing.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I just ordered a set of 20" Ridler 695's with a machined lip for my 54 that's on an S-10 frame. The specs are below.

Fronts:
695 - 2861g
20 x 8.5 (4.75 backspace)

Rears:
695 - 2161g
20 x 10 (5.5 backspace)

I have a 4wd blazer axle on the back and I wanted to check with anyone who has used this setup to see what kind of spacers will be needed if any (front and back). I have seen a few that have 2" spacers on the rear axle but it has been on 2wd axles. any info will be appreciated!

Thanks

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

you will need 2" spacers or the front and none on the back.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Thanks Chris!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

you bet.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

to add to that, all 2wd s10 trucks and blazers use the same front frame half and different rear frame halves that are longer or shorter (or a different shape in the case of the blazer) to make the different wheelbases. there is a factory weld joint where the rear section is slipped inside the front section, its roughly under where the door was, and you can grind the factory welds and slip it apart, cut off the extra, and slip it back together and weld it. a slip joint is a little easier to keep square and weld strongly than a butt joint.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Great tip! I crawled under the truck last night and saw the area your referring too, looks like it could be the best place to shorten it up. All I have left to remove is the S10 cab, I'm hoping to remove it today and Ill have a better look. So next newbie question, according the the web the s10 LBRC wheelbase is 117.9 and the 52 SBRC is 116. since I'm having to shorten the chassis anyway which WB should I go for?

Great thread by the way! Wealth of knowledge!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

make it 117. the stock truck had the rear axle 1" forward of centered in the rear wheelwell. This was supposedly done so that when the truck had a heavy load the wheels would be centered. but who are we kidding, we would never put a heavy load in them! 117" is what you want.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

well and the angle of the s10 control arms up front pull the wheels back when you lower it, so going with 117 also helps that problem if you are planning on lowering it

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Great tips and info guys!! the most I might do with it is put a hitch on to pull our boat so yeah not a lot of weight is not going to be going in the back.

And I do plan on lowering it 3/4ish

I now have the cab off and have stripped the frame of all its unnecessary weight. The area that is joined from the factory is where be doing to cut.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

This is an awesome site and especially thread! I'm just finishing another project and starting my 51 short bed. I've been doing my homework, taking inventory and trying to locate a S10 for a reasonable price. Unfortunately the single cab long beds don't seem to be nearly as common as they use to but being able to look out for the longer chassis will give me more options. That slip joint will make life a lot easier if I go that route. Thank you for the info.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

just as a follow up, I found pictures of my blazer brake swap on the 47. working on the old desktop (lappy is in for service) means I have access to all the archival pictures. might put some more on flickr if I think about it.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4731/...9bd4e15f_b.jpgIMG_0950 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4635/...7b2242c3_b.jpgIMG_0951 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4730/...20571649_b.jpgIMG_0953 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


the belltech blazer spindles bolt right to the s10 truck arms. change the bearings as a 'while you are in there', use timkin bearings if you can, and use new rotors and pads. my rotor shows dust because I had a rock in the pad and these pictures were taken when changing the bad rotor/pads.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I found some bad pictures of the firewall pass thru for that big grommet-ed hole, look in the upper right of this picture above and beside the booster
Joedoh
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4637/...31c6764e_b.jpgIMG_5243 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

and this is the distribution block that mounts underhood.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4643/...ace35b63_b.jpgIMG_4153 by
Joe Doh, on Flickr[/QUOTE]

Thanks for those pictures and insight joedoh. It all looked pretty daunting at first but now after looking at your pics and revisiting all my wires on the ground it seems relatively straight forward. Just mount the wiring bracket on the firewall and hide everything up in the dash

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

yeah depending on what model s10 it came from there can be a lot to hide but the only really extra thing is the HVAC and radio wiring, everything else gets used.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I took every ones advice and managed to successfully shorten my extended cab short bed frame! It went smoothly and I plan on starting my own build thread soon, but for now here are some pictures.
Attachment 1741115

Attachment 1741116

Attachment 1741117

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Doing this swap on an S10 short wheel base which I moved the rear end back 8" on. Everything has been going as planned but just ran into a snag and hope someone else may have already solved this. The gas tank will not fit under the cab and front of the bed because the cross-member it mounts to is about 8" farther forward than it should be. Has anyone else run into this problem and is there an easy solution? Really don't want to spend $400 on a gas tank and then lose the ability to have a spare carried under the back of the bed. Thanks for any insight you guys may have.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

the gas tank crossmember is held in with rivets, and the front strap is bolted in. you can drill the rivets in the crossmember and slide it back in the frame, and redrill new holes for the front strap bolts. you shouldnt need 8 inches, only a couple inches to clear the top of the tank where the stepdown is. keep in mind, the further you move it back the higher it will get. I did this on my 65 which was a std cab stretched the same as yours, because the gas tank hit the floor (it was the stock s10 floor) when I moved the cab back. in the original position the floor did not hit the tank.

this is also pretty common to do on bagged s10s because the gas tank hangs ever so slightly below the frame.

I would double check the height of your body mounts, if you are mounting the body super low for a slammed stance, you will have this problem even with a longbed truck.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I am not going really low so that should not be a problem. I will go look at how far back I need to go. I measured when I found the problem and the frame flattens out before you can get 8" back so cannot move the cross member back 8" but like you said may be able to go back less. Thanks

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Think I have the tank location problem solved. Followed the advice to move the cross member back but ran into issues with not being able to move it back far enough sooooo. Since I Already had the cross member out I ended up replacing it with some 1.5 square tubing clamped to the underside of the top frame rail. I will eventually weld this in place all around and probably add a gusset to the bottom of the frame rail but for the moment this looks like it will work great sets the tank about 3/4" below the bed floor (already raised 3" to allow clearance to frame and get running boards and bed to align properly.) I need to take pictures so I can share but user beware the short frame extension does come with other issues although the 3" drop in the rear has made everything sit level and giving me the stance I was looking for without having to lower anything yet. Current stance is 9" from the bottom of the running boards to the ground which I think looks great and should be very drive able for a 16 year old.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

sounds like a good solution! I didnt have this problem on the 65, I moved it back less than 3" and it cleared the floor.

how tall are your body mounts? if you needed a 3" raised bed floor that sounds higher than I usually raise the floor, and that would mean the body is lower on the frame. did you use stock s10 body mounts?