Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Gary; it sure sounds like a vaccum issue to me. Make sure your booster vaccum hose is attached to "non-ported" vaccum source (below the throttle plate) then check for vaccum leaks. You should have around 15hg at idle. I've used disk setups on the stock booster/master many times.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Strodder; love the idea. On my swaps, the bumper brackets always ride just below the frame. You must mount the cab a little over to the frame than I do.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

On an un-related note, here's a few pics of the G body front section I just completed. The fit is really amazing. Perfect wheel track, no spacers needed!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Here is a question regarding the radiator and core support height. To achieve the ride height I am after, I have mounted my cab approximately a half inch off of the frame. I want to mention that I am running a 5.3 LS engine. I will have a large trans tunnel and I'm totally ok with that. So I have seen the 19 x 22 double pass radiators used and it seems like in most applications having the radiator sit ABOVE the steering box is ok there is still room in the core support to house the radiator. My question is, what are my options on a radiator when the body sits this low? Do I have to accept that the radiator will sit high? Can I tilt the radiator to miss the steering box and fit down in the core support? Different radiator dimensions? Thanks in advance

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Steve;

Look At my post;
( The Frankenstine build )
You will need to have your front fenders mounted to the cab to center your front wheels.
You will need to do this to find how thw hood fit to the fenders.
I had my body 2" off the frame, had to raise the front of cab up 1.25 " higher then the rear.
With the cab n fenders mounted you will get an ideal of where the radiator will set.

Just some information I had to work out on my build.

T-P Auto
Tim :chevy:

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Thanks Tim,

I have been following your build for a while now. Great job!! This definitely helps. Can I ask, what are the dimensions of the radiator you used? is it the 19x22 that I have seen most people using?

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

With your cab that close to the frame you may need to get a little creative. I dont care for tilting the rad. My son's truck is like that and the temp creeps when its 100 deg. And idling in a cruise. I'm convinced that the tilt has everything to do with it. You are adding turbulence add reducing air flow through the core if you. Ant get the clearance for a cross flow, you could always go with RIck and pinion..

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Steve;
The radiator is 19 x 22 from Speedway.
If I had though it thur more.
I would have set my cab closer to the engine n the dist.
If you look you can see that I have about 4.5 " from dist to cab.
Had I moved the body forward that much.
I would have had enough room to use the full front radiator support .
Just really look it over n move it around some before you fab the mounts.
Read the full post by skymangs all so.
There is a lot of good info in his post n builds.

T-P Auto
Tim :chevy:

P/S keep note of what you use.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Thanks T-P. Steve, if you want to talk about options on your build, feel free to call any time. 7602670624
~Sarge

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

awesome thread. youve helped me so much and im just beganing.

question tho. im using an s10 frame with a 4x4 rear, using 2 inch spacers up front what offset should i run for the fronts and backs? stock up front? id like to have a little bit wider in the rear.
thanks

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Front can be a zero offset, 7 or 8 " wheel. If you runs wide tires in the rear, you will likely still need spacers. I run 1.25" spacers with a 17x8 wheel on a 4x4 diff. on my kids truck. The other option is a G body rear end. They fit really nicely.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

thanks sarge!!!
so a stock off-set up front with a 2inch spacer and in the a rear a stock off-set for the blazer rear with 1.25 spacer?

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Yes. That works out very nicely.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

thanks. i think im gonna order the crager series 69 wheels. then put some small white walls on it.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psodketukk.jpg

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Cool. That will look cool!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Ok so hopefully someone here has done what I am hoping to do. I have my cab on my s10 frame with my 5.3 Vortec set. My cab sits about .5 inches above the frame (pretty low) and I have a hydroboost out of an Astro that I am hoping to use... however, I want to do a frame mount to keep the firewall smooth and clean (like skymangs!!!! nice work on the 49 by the way!!! wow!) I got the cab back in place last night after working the firewall and tunnel for a bit and it seems like the frame is going to get in the way of the booster being down there... anyone dealt with this? Do I have to locate it on the firewall? I have seen this done on many trucks... just not an AD with an S10 frame.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

That hydro-boost is pretty slim, but you will likely need to move the master/booster away from the frame 2-3". Then mod your pedal pivot to match.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

That's what I was thinking and after setting the cab on the frame last night, and because of the frame width, it looks like that will put the brake pedal pretty far right (towards the passenger side). Almost to the point of hitting my trans tunnel. No room for a gas pedal. Hmm. And there is no way to successfully mount the booster off axis of the pedal right?

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

If you really want a hidden booster, build a "under dash" setup. Or Speedway sells universal ones. I wasn't thinking during my earlier post... S10 chassis is going to be a darned tight fit. i was thinking stock chassis for some reason.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Thanks! That may be what I have to do!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

shymangs & steve;

What about useing a hydro boost system that works off the P/S.
Then you don't have the large vac booster.
Most of the hydo boost system were on like 78 chevy 1/2 ton with the funky diesel set up.
Even the 3/4 & 1 tons used the hydo boost system.
These system were about the size of a master cyl just longer.

Just my 2 penny worth.

T-P Auto
Tim:chevy:

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

That was what we were discussing T-P. By the time you made a bracket to bolt the booster/master, I dont think there would be much room left for exhaust.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

skymangs;

Is it going with heaters or stock exhaust?
Is there a possible way to set it forward(likt from the firewall) except drop it inside the frame:

Would it then clear the heater or exhaust?
Just thinking out loud?

T-P Auto
Tim:chevy:

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Thanks Skymangs and T-P!! I like the "out loud thinking"... that's when the best ideas happen. T-P, It's custom exhaust for the 5.3 and no heater. I think I can find room for the Hydroboost as long as it's ok that the booster rod is not directly inline with the brake pedal. I was thinking about possibly fabricating up a brake pedal with an arm similar to the stock brake pedal and having the inner end of the arm connect to the booster. Does this make sense? If so, any thoughts on if this will work? Or problems that may arise from this? I am uploading pics right now and I will post them.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Here is a picture of the hydroboost close to where I think it may go.

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/IMG_3398.jpg

Here is a picture of the stock arm on the brake pedal that I am talking about

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/IMG_3436.jpg

And here is a picture of where the brake pedal and arm may go? Above the frame right up against the bottom of the cab.

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/IMG_3414.jpg

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I'm thinking of this same problem down the road. That looks like it'd work good to me. Just make a heat shield incorporated into the mount.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Steve;

pic #1
Where you have it setting in your pic;
You will have a (very) long rod from pedal to booster.
Pic #3 I see that the frame is "box" at that point. There is not enought room it that point.
Pic #1 What is the chance that you have room between the exhaust pipe n frame at the spot where you "OLD" trans mounted?
Looking at the #3 pic,you are setting (very) close to the frame with your body.
Have you mounted your fenders n radiator suport together on the cab?
You need to ck the fit of the hood to the cab n fenders before you set or weld it solid.
CK out my post(Frankenstine) where I had to raise the front of the cab up 1.5 ' to make the hood fit to the cab.
I just want to make sure that you have the right clearness to make everything fit like it should.
It looks like you have the cab forward as far as possible which is good.

T-P Auto
Tim :chevy:

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

You can make anything work, It just depends on how much time and energy you want to invest. I think your best bet is back where you have it, and run a long rod for the master cylinder. You'll likely have to support it somehow so it doesn't flex or bend during hard braking. The most important thing is going to be to keep those hoses away from the exhaust heat, and I would definitely run a power steering cooler on the low pressure side. On my 49, I used the stock pedal assembly. I welded the two arms together at the pivot, used the clutch pedal as my brake pedal, and used the brake bracket to offset it enough to reach the master cylinder. There are pics and description of how I did it on my build thread.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Pic 2 looks like a good starting point. You may need to offset IOT get the bracket aligned where you need it. Good work my friend!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Coldshot, good call on the heat shield!

T-P I think I will brace the rod along the way so that it won't bend hopefully. I will have the fenders, hood and core support on this weekend and that will finalize the cab placement I am just trying to keep an eye on what I have ahead of me. Also, I've been keeping up with your build. Looking great!

Skymangs, I hadn't thought of a PS cooler but I think that's a great idea. especially because of how close I will be running to the exhaust. I'll look at your build again in depth to find the pics of your brake set up thanks!!

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Steve;

Just wante to let you know some of the things I had to work out the hard way(try n redo n try again) a little info can go alog ways.
Thanks for the comment on my build.

T-P Auto
Tim :chevy:

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

I have a s10 - 48 Chevy, just getting it back on the road. When you guys are done setting the body on the frame and adjusting the radiator to hold up the front end, is the front of the front fenders the same distance off the ground as the rear part of the front fender? My front is about an inch lower, I'm thinking I may need to move it up a bit. Hood fit seems about the same either way.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

The front of the fender should be higher than the rear. I'll do some measuring when I get down to the shop today to verify.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Steve have you thought of making a sleeve for the rod to make it stronger? Get a pipe with the thickest wall you can find that will slide over the rod. That should prevent it from flexing I think

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

That's a good idea. It seems to me that if it is done right, you should be able to mount it pretty far back and still be ok.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

When mocking up the cab and front sheet metal how much further can the cab be moved forward?

I have my cab at 2.1/8" as instructed but the wheels are too far forward in the front fenders. I would like to move the whole cab/front clip fwd about 1.5-2" to center the wheels. Are there any drawbacks to moving it fwd that much?

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Familybowtie;

Do you have your motor set in place:
Then move cab forward till you have1.5 inch of clearness on the dist.
If useing a dist engine.

T-P Auto
Tim :chevy:

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Motor (5.7L)is in but needs to be moved back about 4-5". Wanted to see if there was any issues with moving the cab fwd. I haven't cut the front frame horns yet.

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

FamilyBowTie, Do you have any pics of the front wheels in the fenders? I think I am having the same issue but mine may not be as bad as 2" I can't tell. The reason I think this is because of how crowded the front of the tire is to the fender. hmm maybe its just because it's lower than before. Thoughts?

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/IMG_2918.jpg

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...e/IMG_2916.jpg

Re: S10 Swap how to
 

Hey Steve,
This morning I measured with a piece of tape across the fender and a plumb bob and it was 1-3/8 to 1.5" fwd of center. I just came in from taking off the cab, grinding the tacks and moving the mounts fwd 1.25".

On 15" tires it looks like yours, not too bad but with 20" it really showed so I ended up just moving the mounts fwd. If I have any issues it should only be the rear end but I plan on a 4 link so I can adjust that pretty easy - I hope.