Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I made a little progress on the metal finishing...still a long way to go!! It's very time consuming!!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I got the rest of my cab corner repair parts today. Will start fitting them up this weekend....also hope to finish the metal work on the right front fender this week.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Moving right along, fender is taking great shape....Jim

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

your truck is looking good, keep the pictures coming, I love watching peoples builds come along it sure helped keep me motivated, I know I have learned more here than I have contributed from this site by watching others and seeing how others did things, also that must have been a popular color, it looks the same as my
55-1st

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Thanks Jim, Nacho55,

Nacho I like the look of your truck, I really like the 54-55 1st series, love the grill!! That's what I'd get if I ever get the chance to do another build. Especially if I could find a panel or suburban!

Atommik

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I would say it's the second most popular color....... after rust!!!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I started on the rear cab corners this weekend. Got the inner and outers, left and right mostly cut out and started fitting up the new parts. I was going to start cutting out the front corners, but I wasn't sure if I should since I don't have any cab bracing welded in. I'll finish welding the rears then do the fronts. I also made a few cuts on the cab to even out some door gap issues at the rear of the door.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

a couple more...

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Looks good dude keep the pics comming. I am getting close to doing my cab corners so lookng forward to seeing your progress.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I also started doing a little disassembly on the 327...removed the alternator, PS pump, pulleys and brackets, water pump. I've still got a little more cleaning to do before I can paint it. I bought a new water pump. It's a reman from NAPA, only $24 + $2 core chagre. I'll keep the original, although I think it was replaced along time ago with a new GM pump. It had casting numbers for the date from 4-29-1970. The motor was 2 years old then...I don't know the history of this motor beyond about 7 years ago when the PO had it rebuilt. It does have "camel back" heads and I don't think those came on a truck motor. So someone may have swapped them out at some point.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I also finished the metal work on the right fender. I forgot to bring my camera to work on Friday so I don't have a pic of the whole fender. Maybe tomorrow. I'm pretty happy how it came out, although there are a few places that will need a little filler...The other front fender should be much less straightening.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Also...Door gaps. Both doors were tight at the back edge. I took a cut off wheel and made a cut along the edge of the cab just behind the door. I will bend the cab corner edge back to meet the other side of the cut and then weld it up, thereby giving a little more than a 1/16" extra room. I'm planning to do alot of welding next weekend!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

One more thing...do the striker plates in the door jamb have much adjustment? My left door get "dragged" a little too high when its fully latched. If there is some adjustment that would be great! How about in and out adjustment? Eventually I'll be taking these out to paint the jambs, but I'd like to finsh aligning the doors.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Fender looks great, nice job. I agree on doing cab corners first then the front. When I did all my replacements I had the cab bolted to the frame with new rubbers in front, etc. I felt it made it easier for alignment of panels etc.. Just my 2 cents....Jim

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Hey Jim,

Thanks, Yeah I would have preferred to have the cab mounted to the frame first also, but I'm having a hard time finding a reasonably priced frame. However I do have the cab attatched to a dolly, mounted at the cab mounts, so I should be really close fit wise when I do get a frame. Also, being up in Minnesota, there's a lot more 4WD than 2WD trucks around. I'll find one, it is just taking longer than I thought, and the build must go on!!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

looking great, yeah those camel hump heads are def well sought after, but it sux they don't have the accessory holes drilled in them, hence the funny alt brackets. I think they prolly used those heads in trucks too, but I'm not sure. either way, they are good stock heads. Love the progress. You could also just do a IFS on that OG frame you got. But it seems like you got a little ways of work to do before you really need your frame. Keep it up.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Here's another pic of the right fender...

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I mocked up the BMW XENON headlight in the fender I've been repairing, and hooked a battery charger to the lighting unit...I don't have the trim ring on it and the bucket area directly surrounding the light will be painted body color. I was so excited to see this thing light up! It looks better than I thought it would!!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

A couple more...

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

your BMW headlight idea is great ! i wonder how hard it would be for us task force guys 55-59 to retro fit the same idea?

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Atommik, everything look great. I like the headlights. They should be bright as H!@#! I always hate when those lights are coming at you because the blind you. Or at least me because the glare up my glasses. But I am sure they are great to drive with because they make everything seem so clear. Keep up the great work.

Shannon

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Lights look great! What model are they from?

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Thanks for the compliments guys!

ChuckDriver, the lights are from a 2003 (I think, but within a year or so of then) BMW 3 series, probably a 330.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Daze57,
It would most likely work with a TF truck, but Probably not the "4 eyed" models. As long as there is enough room behind the headlight in the inner fender. The modified headlight canister is about 7-8" deep, so check for tire clearance, especially if the truck will be lowered to the ground.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Atommik

thanks for the headlite info - you are doin a great job and thanks for the picts .

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I hauled my cab into work Friday, and Saturday I worked on it for 12 hours!! Of course I forgot the camera...I'll post a few after pics when I get the chance. I installed the rear cab corners, left and right inner and outer. Also got the right front installed.Sand blasted the back of the cab and sealed the body seam with panel bonding adhesive. Also blasted the door jambs and hinges. Then I decided to filled in a few more holes on the firewall. I will be using the fresh air intake on the cowl but the drain basically comes out on top of the distributor, so I will reroute that and have it drain out of sight, lower on the firewall. That was one long day! I can remember the days of working that hard and long and not being wiped out at the end of the day!! I geuss that was 20 years ago...HaHa!!

Up next: left front cab corner and inner, sand blast roof (carefully), do the body work around patched in areas, fix a few dents here and there, finish smoothing the firewall, sandblast and straighten dash panel. I'm sure I'm forgetting some more items that need attention too!!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Here's some pics of Saturday's progress. I had to put some etch primer on all the bare steel right away. It was really humid here and 80 degrees. About 30 deg above normal!!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Here's the new cab corners, with Dura glass filler on the welds.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

more...

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Moving right along, and looking real good....Jim

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

same here. 80f here, 2ft of fresh snow in flagstaff.
strange weather, good for us :D

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

high 70's here - into the 80s by weekend ! sorry folks no snow 'cept in the mountains.
atommik - lookin good !

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

I wanted to get the firewall smoothing done, then realized I would need to weld in some bracing for the brake pedal assembly first. I didn't even have a pedal set-up yet. Work buddies to the rescue. Tuesday AM one of the guys brought in 2 that he had in the trunk of his project car when he bought it. I picked the one that looked like it would work with the least modifications, made an offer to buy it and he said , "just take it, I don't need it." A few hours later, brake pedal and GM tilt column mocked up!! Pictures tomorrow!!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

its good to have aquaintences

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Always is right?

Seems like the truck community is all about it too.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

looking great

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

Well good news and bad news. The bad: Since winter was almost non- exsisitant here this year, we have been really slow at the shop. We get paid "commision" on the number of labor hours produced, so needless to say, the paychecks have been kind of small lately.

The good: The bodyshop manager lets me work on my truck parts when there is down time. There has been quite a bit of down time lately. He could send me home, but he lets me stay punched in and I'm more than willing to drop what I'm doing if a customer job comes in. He's an "old car" guy and loves watching my project take shape.

Here's some pics of the brake pedal/ steering column set-up.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

The brake pedal assembly looks to be from a older chevy, maybe a truck or van. I welded 2 cross braces that the brake booster will bolt thru into the pedal bracket. Its also bolted into the bottom edge of the dash. I then welded a couple of brackets from the lower dash to the brace that goes from the dash to the upper firewall. (Previous pics.)

The column was abount an inch short of perfect, so I recessed a small area in the firewall where the column comes out so it in effect,moves the column into the cab a little bit and lines up the factory mount holes with the mount holes for the brake assembly, which is now nicely braced and very solid.

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

So...today I worked on getting the bodywork done on the cab. I'm finishing up getting the door gaps right, and filling the areas around the rust patches. Also started fixing dents on the back of the cab. Apparently the farmer who owned this truck once upon a time, didn't know his own strength. It looks like when he threw something in the bed of the truck, it bounced off the back of the cab first, including above the rear window!! Maybe that's why the rear window was gone when I got it!!

Re: 51 Chevy 1/2 ton, My S10 swap
 

still looks good