It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

After way to long I finally get to build one for myself, sort of. 40 years old, married father of 3 with another on the way. Going to have my kids help on this one when they can. This isn't my first build though. Been a GM mechanic for most of the last 20 years. During that time I have been lucky to have bosses that like toys.

The first truck I built was a 50 panel van that he found in a field somewhere. Used a 70s camaro subframe, pickup steering column, booster, and wiring harness. He pretty much left the build up to me, which is surprising considering I was only 20 at the time.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...underhood1.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/50rtdash.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...jects/50lf.jpg

That was the last picture I got of it before I left the dealership in 2000. Never did get to see it finished.

I took a break in the middle of the panel van to build a 47 for a customer. 4 days a week for 6 weeks. Similar to the panel build. Also used a camaro subframe. Used an 80s van column this time. Mainly for the column shift and the built in shift indicator. The same camaro the subframe came from also donated the 305/th350 and rear end. He also found a GM under dash a.c. unit for it also.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...jects/47lf.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...jects/47rf.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...47leftdash.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...underhood1.jpg

The owners wife was seen driving it almost daily so it must have turned out good. In hindsight, the camaro front end was probably not the best choice. The panel had 8 inch wheels on the front and the sidewalls rubbed and the 47 just barely cleared with 7 inch rims.

We also did a 57 panel that was put on a shortened 74 4WD frame. Only got one picture. Back before camera phones. Good old 35mm

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...jects/57lf.jpg

Both panel vans were finished after I left and sold somewhere out east last I heard. Sure would love to see how they turned out.
About 7 years ago I built a 68 4 door Impala for my mom and her husband. Original 307 power glide, factory a.c. and power steering.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...5/DSCF1397.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...5/DSCF1400.jpg

It got a full rebuild minus pulling the body off the frame. All new bushings, springs, shocks, power disk upgrade, sway bars front and rear, a fuel injected crate motor, overdrive and cruise. Took a little over 2 years but the end result was worth it.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...5/DSCF2512.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...-43-41_269.jpg
Now for the fun part. A little while ago a guy I worked with messaged me asking if I wanted to buy a 47 pickup. I was kinda torn between that's pretty cool and I have to many projects as it is. Showed the pictures to my wife and she was on board with it.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...swqh7kt8w.jpeg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps3gdsakbu.jpg

Brought it home where it sat while I started rounding up parts.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psoghxbakt.jpg

Unloaded for the next step

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pss7nmhoxs.jpg
After what turned out to be a lot harder to find than expected, I finally found a donor chassis. 91, 4.3, 700R4. Only a 5 hour round trip to get it.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psxn4wrzew.jpg

The next step is to get the S10 stripped. I cheated and took it to work. Pulled the bumpers and all the cab bolts and box bolts on a hoist as well as the exhaust and e-brake. Put enough back in to trailer it home but that should save a lot of time at home.

Current plans,
400 small block, camel backs, Holley flange cast intake, Chevrolet scripted valve covers and center dump manifolds,
700r4 with some up grades
S10 chassis, B-body spindles and brakes, nine inch rear end.
Cut coils up front, leaf springs for now out back.
AC at some point.
Still deciding on a color for the body.

Sorry for the long post. Any comments or suggestions are always welcome

Nick

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Looks like you found a decent truck to start with. Good luck with your build.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Cool projects you've done Nick! Skymangs thread on building on an S10 will be useful. Looking forward to the build.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Thanks! I had a lot of fun with them and learned a lot along the way. I have found a lot of helpful builds on the internet and Chris's is at the top of the list. I am going to get started on stripping the S10 this week much to the dismay of my oldest daughter. She has already gotten attached to it lol

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Finally got some time in this week. Doing the tear down solo sucks however. Getting the box off was the only easy part.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pschosamfv.jpg

I also learned from the Impala build. Unless you are cutting them with a torch, pull the front springs before pulling the motor and cab.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psbtmd2vuw.jpg

The bow in the old springs seems to match up with the 200,000 miles on the odometer.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pswooqs8pe.jpg

After a couple sketchy hours I had the cab off.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psrzi4wmn5.jpg

Trust me, pull the front clip separate. Major pain in the rear. Have the cab mobile for now. I'm going to pull the harness out of it sometime this week.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps1dus72sg.jpg

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Tomorrow night the motor and transmission come off along with the gas tank so I can start cleaning up the frame.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pszmysbrtw.jpg

Found an unpleasant surprise though after getting the cab off. Evidently it got t-boned at some point. Not sure how much this will effect things. Have to do some measuring after the motor is off.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psslyrhygn.jpg

Spent a couple hours at the u-pull it yard Saturday.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pszehquekt.jpg

$112 got me a complete pair of 91 caprice spindles with brakes and a 90ish Chevy van column. The column is complete with as much harness as I could reach plus the steering shaft and the key. The caprice spindles help fix the less than ideal S10 geometry, give me 12 inch front rotors with off the shelf stock parts and change the bolt pattern to 5on5 to match the nine inch going under the back.

Early shot of the motor. Going with the classic Chevy look under hood. Simple, minimal chrome. Sill needs gone through obviously.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psczt8oodx.jpg

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Great progress. That little tractor was pretty handy!

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Who wants updates and chassis mods?

Finally got around to pulling the motor and trans off the frame.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psrnio2hap.jpg

Did some measuring to see how it was after finding the repair work on the passenger side rail. Measuring from the cab mounts showed about a half inch distance diagonal. Not a good start. There is an oval hole on all four corners where the frame goes over the rear end and up to the front crossmember. From the hole in the center of the front crossmember to the rear ovals I had 1/8 inch difference, diagonal from all four ovals was about the same. I think the passenger side rail is bowed out a little bit but to be honest I don't care. I firmly believe it will be just fine.

Now that I know it's not completey messed up its time to get something accomplished.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psx4fb4g1u.jpg

You can see the size difference in the rotors. Big upgrade in braking with off the shelf parts. My favorite.

This morning I started on the frame mod. Buddy of mine let me use his shop today.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psk2incgke.jpg

I can't imagine crawling on the floor doing this.

Planning is rather important on something like this. Before I cut anything I tacked two pieces of angle to the frame rails and made sure they were even and square before cut so I had a reference.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psih19gdft.jpg
The duck bill looking thing was the first to go. It will probably go back on eventually but I have a different center link to try and want to make sure it clears before I weld it on.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psgaauase4.jpg

After that it's time to mark the cut line and drill holes for the plug welds.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pspeax4g6u.jpg

This is the part where got nervous.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psrycsw7cv.jpg

I was surprised how easy the front pushed apart. The transmission crossmember was out and the crossmember for the carrier bearing was half out also.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pst7aavea1.jpg

From there it was the somewhat tedious part of bending the backing plates. Both the backing and filler is 1/8 inch thick.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psovdabpqx.jpg

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

And the last of the easy stuff.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pscwfy5rkv.jpg

After that was tacked in it was an hour and a half of stretching, measuring, pulling, measuring, tweaking, measuring, cussing, measuring, second guessing, more measuring. You get the idea. Spreading the frame is easy. The catch is if you just spread it and weld it the front of the horns spread farther than the crossmember and the rails are no longer parallel.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psgxlnmwmp.jpg

There is a hi-lift Jack, three come alongs and a ratchet strap. Or in other terms, a clusterf**k.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psovdabpqx.jpg

You can see in this pic how the rails don't spread evenly. That's where all the cables and straps came in.
The hi lift was used first to spread the rails. It had very little pressure on it originally. After that the come along at the front was used to pull the rails together. From there, the come along angled behind the crossmember was used to rotate the rail slightly. The one in back going diagonal was very slightly pulling the whole frame out of a diamond and the ratchet strap on the lower arm mounts was there to pull just the bottom closer together. If I had one of those big tables made from i-beams it would probably be allot more simple.

After a lot of tweaking it was time to make it solid. The lower plate was first in.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps7z6fyr2l.jpg

Evidently I didn't get any pics of the top plate before paint but it turned out pretty good. Might not be good enough for SEMA but I'm happy with it.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pst8vcsdy6.jpg

I also added a plate across the bottom of the crossmember just because I could. Made me feel better anyway. Again, should have taken the pic before paint.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psqrlzxnt8.jpg

My temporary center link.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pslbsapnzz.jpg

I also found out I don't have any 5on5 wheels so I borrowed a couple spares from my stock car. 15x8 with a 10 inch racing tire.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psryvxljqh.jpg

Right now I have about 60 1/2" center to center which is right where I wanted. From my rough measurements, it's about 74 inches outside to outside on the front fenders and about 71 inches with the wide tires. Very happy with that. The next step is to get the S10 body mounts cut off and start taking the body off the 47. Question, what's the best thing you guys have found for spraying on 68 year old bolts so they actually come out?

Nick

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

nice work!!!
BTW, i like your tag line! The fun is finding the balance between the 3.
Keep up the good work.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Well, I must be a little slow this morning. Why split the crossmember? Nice work you did there.

Hmm...removing 68 year old bolts. Usually I clean them really well, spray them down with one of the popular rust penetrators, let them soak for awhile and then break them while removing the nut. At least that is how it usually goes for me.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Looks good, fish plate on the bottom is great, just adds more strength. Question on the 91 Caprice stuff. The upper and lower ball joints, will S-10 work with this or do you have to change to something different?...Jim

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

I missed that earlier. Yes, it has come in very handy.

I was trying to avoid spacers. Plus it gives me more room for exhaust and steering.
Is there a spray that works better than the others?

Every once in a while You find something that fits all three. The hunt is usually the fun part.

The ball joints, and tie rods all bolt right up. The brake hoses are different but the caprice brake hose brackets and hoses bolt right up to the s-10 frame and fit perfectly. I am probably going to have to shorten the upper arms or fine shorter arms. With the most shims I can put on the mounts I still have a fair amount of positive camber. They will end up farther out after I put new bushings in it. Not a huge problem though.

Thanks for the kind words everybody. I appreciate it.

Nick

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Nick, thanks for the explanation about widening the crossmember. That makes sense. Will you widen the centerlink or are you going with a rack?
For rusty bolts we actually have had some luck with a mix of diesel fuel and atf. Dad and Uncle used it years ago. also Croyl and I use a lot of WD40....probably why my bolts don't come apart.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

I think I'll ride along on this one. Nice work.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

My wife already have me one if those "how safe is that?" remarks when she saw the angle iron lol. A standard G-body center link should fit but I'm going to try a 90 camaro center link. From what I have read it moves the inner tie rods out and down which will help bump steer.

Nick

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

iowaboynca I mix 50/50, atf and acetone, let sit for 24 hrs. Give it a go, if it breaks free you're in luck. If you have no joy go for the fire wrench. Oxy/Ac wrench, that always frees up everything. Don't waste to much time. Last Saturday I'm pulling the four cab bolts on my 57 GMC, used the atf/acetone, after 24 hrs 1 out of 4 came loose, the other 3 fell prey to the fire wrench, universal fits all sae and mm as well. Good Luck Nut Case

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Cool. In for updates!

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Looking back...is there a way you could have braced the frame and then controlled the bowing, bending, parallelness, until you got your 4"?? I want to do mine...I am thinking of welding some stiffeners across the frame w/ some long threaded rod that I can release slowly to get my 4" and then weld'er up.

~Nate

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

I would think square tubing would work. one piece welded to each side and another that just slides inside to run across. one behind the crossmember and one at the front of the horns. Might still need some tweaking but if the tubing is solid enough to should for the most part only side straight out.

Nick

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Two quick questions. Is there an easy way to pull the front clip with one person? Was looking at it tonight trying to figure out where I could use the engine hoist.
Second, am I seeing right that there is only 4 bolted mounts? One under the radiator, two at the front of the cab and one in the center rear of the cab.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

First question - someone will jump in with and idea. I haven't done it.

Second question - yes, maybe two bolts in front at radiator support close together, two at front of cab then the center mount at the rear. I don't remember the year differences though some had the rear center mount and others had two shackle mounts at the rear to the outside.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

What is everybody mounting the rear cab mounts on them? All of the builds I have been following used the same rear mount as the front saved about the same. I had just assumed they were using the factory spot on the cab.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

My truck cab had the center mount and the original frame I used had the shackle outer mounts. I reinforced the cab floor with plate steel, then drilled it to make use of the shackle mounts. When you use the S10 chassis, don't you make fixed position body mounts for the rear outer of the cab?

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

What do you mean by outer shackle mounts? This one looks like it has the center mount and then rubber pads between the frame and body.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

There is some additional information here http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=552004

The cab shackle mount functions and looks a bit like a leaf spring shackle mount. The shackle mount was introduced in 1949? Replacing the center mount design. It bolts to the outside of the frame near the back of the cab and extends up to the cab, bolting in place.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Monday night update. I got a little bit accomplished over the weekend. Spent a couple hours Sunday pulling the harness out of the S10 cab so I could get it out of the driveway. Need to keep Mama happy. Married guys know what I'm talking about lol.

I forgot how many screws were in the dash of these trucks.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psbl3zqgrn.jpg

Working in a dealership I forgot how easy it is to pull a dash on the newer ones. 8 or 10 bolts, a couple connectors and a helper and the whole works is out. Not so much on the old ones. That's ok. I didn't have to keep track of screws so that's a plus.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps9xfnvyzp.jpg

Bonus!

Couple hours later I had a clean, unmolested harness.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psh5uwyhpc.jpg

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

With the cab stripped out it was time to haul it out back. My daughter wants an S10 when she gets her school permit. Need a 4wd though. When I was looking for this one I found alot of rusted out 4wd trucks for super cheap. I figured keep the cab and box and throw it on a cheap frame later. Wait and see.
Anyway, the good old tractor came into play again. Not near as scary as last time though.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psohahxxgl.jpg

It was a little tippy at first so I added some counter weight

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psztho20pd.jpg

From there it was time to start clearing cab mounts.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pstngea4ji.jpg

The front four are easy. Score one side, cut the other two, fold, break, repeat. Those rear ones suck. Need to finish cleaning up the rear ones then it's time to start pulling the 47 cab.

What's the easiest way to get the column out? All I remember from the last two was they were awkward but I can't remember specifics.

Nick

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Small progress update. Lately my time has been limited to about 45 min in the morning after the kids get on the bus before I have to leave for work. Slow progress but I did manage to get the front clip off this week. That part couldn't have went better. The bolts from the inside to the inner fender all came right out. And all the ones inside the fender to the cab twisted off right away.

Over all it looked pretty good behind the fenders. Drivers sides a little iffy but at least it's not all rusted out.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps3w63h7ji.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psmii9olr5.jpg

I also figured out another use for the cab lifting fixture I built. Not my design though. Someone on here posted pics of theirs but I don't remember who.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pslkvebcek.jpg

Makes pulling the whole front clip way to easy. And also makes it real easy to set it in place.
First look to see where I need to trim.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps05uztesw.jpg

And where it sets as of tonight.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psupywb03e.jpg
I am hoping to at least get the cab sitting in the frame this weekend. Hope for the best anyway.

Nick

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Nick, your getting stuff done and that all counts, moving along good...Jim

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Good looking build.

I mounted a bar across the back of the cab in the "floor brace channels" and bolted it down in several places. I thought this would add some decent strength. See pics post 50 and 51:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...64837&page=2=3

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

More updates and pictures. Was able to get some time in this weekend on the truck. The next step was setting the cab on the new frame. As much as I hate cleaning, Now was the time to do it.

Inside was rather nasty to begin with. The seats were the first to go. The covers are done for but the frame and springs are in pretty good shape. Gonna craigs list them one of these next couple days. Any body interested shoot me a PM.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps8qerlyuk.jpg

68 years of crud.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psinjy4n69.jpg

Two hours later I was pretty happy with what I found.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pshuqkdlsd.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psvkce4j8h.jpg

The ususal surface rust but very little cancer to be found. There were a few small holes on the right side. Those are not holes at this top of the pic. Thats shiny metal that was under the insulation.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps9hm836vq.jpg

The drivers side kick panel will have to be replaced but I new that going into this project. Kinda hard to tell from the picture but theres a couple buckles in it along with the rust. The left front fender was changed at some point and Im guessing things got a little tweaked in the wreck. Nothing major though.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pscdz2rljd.jpg

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Didnt have so good of luck on the hood though. Of course the last one had to ruin my afternoon. Not looking forward to drilling that out of the hood.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psasli0cwh.jpg

After the hood bolt I had little patience for the steering column and took the easy route. Sawzall and about 30 seconds.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps2fhlbnfu.jpg

From there the cab lift got used again. Thanks HUSSEY for the pics. It worked fantastic. Had to improvise a little because it still had the passenger side door on but a battery in the left rear corner and an extra floor jack for counter weight and all was good.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psdho71sip.jpg

Just a little rot in the cab corners.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pswd8d3qno.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pszooit6wm.jpg

Went to set the cab on the new frame and had one of those " what the heck is going, oh yea thats right" moments. It didnt fit.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pshmglub6p.jpg

Someone had the bright idea to make the frame wider. Didnt see that coming lol. Not a big deal. Trim a half inch off either side and it will fit just fine.

And temporarily sitting really crooked on the new chassis.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psqkgrqpdu.jpg

Nick

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Nick, doing good so far...Jim

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

nice progress!

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Update time again. Last weekend I finally got the old frame stripped down. With the cab off the box was next to come off. Would have been easy if not for some previous "repairs"

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psy6tnj13e.jpg

Managed to get it apart with out too much carnage. Running boards were next. really wish I had a torch at home. Took forever cutting the rivet heads off with an angle grinder.

Wonder if it had starting issues?

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psu2vd72ox.jpg

I also pulled the stock brake pedal assembly off. I figured I have to fab one up anyway, most of the work is done this way. I was rather impressed with the fact that all the bolts came right out. The line cut in it lines up with the front cab mount bolts.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps3gj9bow5.jpg

Right now all the parts are setting on the new chassis. The front cab mount is currently sitting at 6 inches (on blocks) The front cab mount is sitting 4 inches from the oval hole to the bolt. Sitting back looking at it, I think the wheel needs to go forward a little bit yet.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psmelatawy.jpg

Here comes the questions. From reading many different places it seems like the front cab mounts are in the "standard" location. Most spec 2 inches from the oval hole to the back of the cab mount with the cab mount made from 4 inch square. Unless my math really sucks thats 4 inches. The wheel looks like it needs to go forward almost an inch. I did check front alignment to make sure it was close to start. camber is around 0 and caster is about 5. Might be a little high on caster but cant see the wheel moving that far ahead if I drop it down to 3 or so. both horns are trimmed back as far as i can without cutting into the steering box mounts.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...psdnpwwhq7.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pscg7dsdyl.jpg

By the time I move the cab back another 3/4 inch or so to center the wheel and cut enough to have a clearance I either need to cut into the sheet metal or I cut past the steering box mounts. Is that normal?

I have a plan for the cab mounts after I get it moved back. Thats the next step after I get my garage cleaned out. Have been gathering parts though. Had a Corvette come in the other day and had the exhaust replaced. Didnt want the old parts. He saw scrap. I saw a free 2 1/2 inch X-pipe that I didnt have to build or buy.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pss4m6b9ja.jpg

Finally found some wheels also. I sold the original s-10 wheels to a guy in town for $100 and picked up a set of Caprice police wheels. for the same money. Seems like a good trade. They may not be what I had pictured but they match and probably wont look too bad.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...pslwubjrq3.jpg

Had to test fit one just to feel better.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps7wvynpz8.jpg

Really looks like it needs to go forward in that pic.

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

And I need to resize pictures. wow...

Re: It's my turn, 47 S10 build
 

Following your build closely...as i'd like to do my '51 AD very similar. Can you put up some pics of how you handled the S-10 frame being too wide for the cab? I know you were going to shave off some metal from the cab....not sure if I want to take that approach. Anything you would do different if you had to do the widening over again?

Enjoying the progress, keep the pics coming!