Re: Frame options????
I'd have to believe that you are number 9999 to ask this question in the past six months.
People often use the S-10 chassis because they think it is a cheap way to get modern independent suspension and steering under one of these trucks. That is fine if you don't have a frame, your frame is damaged or hacked beyond reasonable repair or maybe you bought a 1-1/2 ton truck for the great cab and now need a chassis that will work with a short bed to make a pickup out of the big truck cab. You still have to mount the cab on the frame and it isn't a bolt on deal that you can do in a couple of hours. One popular kit is over 1500 and that blows the "cheap chassis" deal out of the water. Then you still have to rebuild the usually worn out S-10 suspension at another few hundred dollars investment.
The 73/87 chassis doesn't work very well at all unless you are doing a 4x4 tall truck build. The 88 and up C-10 chassis works a little better than the 73/87 but the wheels still sit pretty wide limiting wheel choices.
If you have a really straight and nice stock frame why not keep it and install an independent crossmember or a dropped axle and a matching open drive rear axle if you do an engine and trans swap? Solid platform, no issues with lining up the body parts, no issues with the state on a cobbled up mismatched body/chassis that has already come to haunt some guys doing S-10 swaps, No hacking up the front end sheet metal to clear the suspension and frame horns. Speedway and a couple of others even sell a bolt in Mustang II style crossmember that only takes a 1/2 inch electric drill and a hand full of hand tools to install in less than a day including pulling the original axle and steering out. It may not be the cheapest but it is all measure, drill and bolt and done.
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Founding member of the too many projects, too little time and money club.
My ongoing truck projects:
48 Chev 3100 that will run a 292 Six.
71 GMC 2500 that is getting a Cad 500 transplant.
77 C 30 dualie, 454, 4 speed with a 10 foot flatbed and hoist. It does the heavy work and hauls the projects around.
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