[joedoh]

I have an s10 swapped older truck (not a 47-55, but I am doing and s10 swap on one of those too) and there are some common misconceptions about it

myth 1: you can do a mustang II swap for about what an s10 swap would cost you. Well I dont know where people are buying these cheap mustang II setups but welder series is about as cheap as anyone at a couple hundred bucks for the crossmember. Then you still need arms, and shocks, and springs, and spindles, and brakes, and a sway bar mount, and a steering rack, and a good shop or good fab skills to weld it in yourself. that steering rack will need hoses, and tie rods. And you still dont have a sway bar. With an s10, the whole rolling chassis (at least for mine) was free after selling the parts I didnt want/need.

myth 2: by the time you rebuild all the worn components on the s10 front end you could have had a mustang ii setup They made s10s with that front suspension from 1982-2003, there are millions of them out there and lots of competition for parts. I rebuild the whole front end on mine for $430 in parts, and that was NEW arms and NEW shocks and NEW brakes. Also, I upgraded to the 98+ Blazer dual piston front brakes at the same time for about $100. I dont think that compares to a mustang ii cost but it might. Even if it was a wash, I would still pick the s10.

Myth 3: The track width is too narrow Its about 5 inches narrower than stock, which means no special order wheels, you can run about any wheel you see anywhere without fitment problems. Hold out your hand with your thumb pointing straight out, 5 inches is about the distance from your thumb to the tip of your pointer. If you want the wider track width, you can run simple spacers.

Myth 4: The stock s10 wont hold up to horsepower
I have yet to see an s10 pumpkin blow up with a v8 swap. Even if it did, see myth 2 where there are millions of them out there. But mostly trucks dont blow rear ends because they lack the weight over the rear to stress it too much, the tires just spin.

Myth 5: People cobble together the body mounts and its unsafe Maybe, but where would you rather have goopy bubblegum welds? Body mounts? or front suspension crossmembers and rear shackles?

I appreciate however people choose to build trucks, so dont think I am pro or con on either side. But an s10 chassis FITS, is the RIGHT LENGTH, has all the suspension MOUNTED AND READY, is set up for a V8 and POWER STEERING, and is a documented way to get a truck lowered and IFS and disc brakes in one step. If you are building it to cruise it is hands down an inexpensive way to get a lot of work done in one step. S10 specific bag parts and complete kits are available if you want to crawl the earth.