Mustang II IFS Ride Quality VS S10 Swap

[SalvagedSouls]

I have a couple AD trucks that I will begin working on hopefully sooner than later just as soon as I finish insulating and wiring my small pole barn/garage.

I have been weighing my options and would like a little feedback from those with experience with both options: IFS versus S10 swap ride quality. For argument sake lets assume both are riding on springs or bags depending on what you have experience with.

A part of me is a little hesitant to modify my existing frame just in case I ever want to go back. Who knows what the trend will be in 20 years..... maybe people will be looking for original uncut truck frames.

Any feedback is appreciated.

[AZbent]

This past weekend I went to Industrial Chassis, here in PHX. I was impressed with the Dakota cross member to use on the original frame. The suspension travel is about double what you would get from a MII setup. He said to use late '70's Maverick springs for a smoother ride. A little trimming of the core support is required for rack install/removal. The Dakota rack works well with the GM pump and fluid lines. The Dakota parts are very plentiful in any wrecking yard. That is the direction I will go when I'm ready.

[solidaxel]

Originally Posted by AZbent

This past weekend I went to Industrial Chassis, here in PHX. I was impressed with the Dakota cross member to use on the original frame. The suspension travel is about double what you would get from a MII setup. He said to use late '70's Maverick springs for a smoother ride. A little trimming of the core support is required for rack install/removal. The Dakota rack works well with the GM pump and fluid lines. The Dakota parts are very plentiful in any wrecking yard. That is the direction I will go when I'm ready.

I have a Ind. Chassis Dodge Dakota in my 53 Chevy, and I have a Mll in my 55 GMC
Both are riding on 4 Bilstine and parallel leaf on the rear

Glad to see Steve is offering his X members again, Everything he told me in the meeting with him was true they work on a truck just like the truck they came from
That truck has been on the road I think for 6 years and I like the 53 for the ride and handleing at hiway speeds
I would get one of his center X-Members also, just make the center trans mount removal

[rtinniste]

I'm input might be slightly invalid but i went thru the same thing. I ended up going s10 route since i wanted 4 wheel disc small block and bagging my AD.

Here's my input cant say much about ride quality on the s10 my dad had a 2001 gmc sonoma with a 4/6 drop when I was younger and he said he liked they way it drove.
My brother in law has a 54 ad with a mustang II and I've rode in it a couple times and heard his complaints and seen his issues first hand.

mustang II
PRO'S
you'll be driving your truck sooner
original frame is more appealing when you sell
you can keep the straight 6
it rides pretty good not a lexus type ride quality but better then the straight axle
there's bolt on options so no welding if your not confident with welding

CON'S
He was running stock control arms and his tension rod has broken a couple times so hes in the process of putting tubular control arms
his alignment goes out of wack with how the upper arm gets adjusted
more up front cost


S10
PROS
good after market support 4 links, bags, steering etc
wear items are in stock at autozone, napa, pepboys, etc
will drive like a s10
tons of info on laying those frames out online
if you enjoy figuring stuff out and fabricating its fun
plenty of info about how to do the swap on this forum
-the alignment will hold better
-its actually light duty truck stuff not a car suspension
-the feeling of accomplishment when its done knowing you built it
-you spend money in stages

CON'S
-Truck will sit in the garage longer
-you'll get discouraged wonder why you even did it
-lots of beer drinking and head scratching
-not as appealing to some people
-engine bay gets tight with a 350
- you might end up opening a bigger can of worms dont ask me how i ended up with a second cab *cough cough* bondo bucket

Similarities
-end up costing about the same at the end of the day maybe slightly more with the s10 depending how crazy you go
-both have tons of info on how to
-both will lay running boards if you want bags


As for the stock frame I said the same but I find them on craigslist for $200 bucks. So don't let cutting the original frame up worry you they aren't worth much right now

As for mine I'm running a thor bros 4 link, 4wd blazer rear end with a posi and 3:73 gears, 350/th350 combo, speedway circle track tubular upper controls arms dehumped stock lowers, little shop of horrors no toe steering system, jags that run s10 motor swap mounts flipped custom trans crossmember, stock zr2 manual steering box, my cab is mounted 4" above the frame

It smashes the running boards and fenders on the ground so i can add adjustable bump stops to get it to lay out nice and still have decent PSI in my bags for driving low. But I do need a small trans hump have about a inch between valve cover and fire wall. My steering looks like it will be simple with the clipster headers and stock AD steering column.

End of the day I feel like i'm going to have a real nice setup and i'm happy with my choice, motor might get changed eventually to either a LS or 4bt cummins when funds allow.

Hopefully that can all be of help to you seems like there's always mixed answers and haters on both sides

[mr48chev]

J S I just bought a Dakota donor for 200 this past weekend because I am impressed with the Industrial Chassis Dakota crossmember and the simple fact that I would end up spending more than I had planned to put the Jag XJS front suspension in as it is missing too many pieces.
200.00 donor that should end up with enough left overs sold so that It also pays for most of the Industrial Chassis crossmember.
Dang truck has the puniest little rear axle you can imagine though.

I'm on record as not being a fan of frame swap trucks as they usually scream "CHEAP BUILD" there are some nice ones but the majority of guys who do S-10 swaps do it because they think it is cheap and quick and prospective buyers view the trucks as cheap trucks compared to trucks with stock frames and suspension changes. Some will argue but generally when a guy thinks S-10 swap he thinks getting out cheap.

My other and main reasoning for sticking with the stock frame with suspension mods is that I don't have to fight with sheet metal alignment nor have to hack up the front end sheet metal to clear and S-10 or subframe suspension. Everything fits pretty well without a lot of bang the head on the wall issues.

[joedoh]

MII have relatively short spindles so their ride height range is pretty narrow, lowering 3 inches can cause all sorts of problems with the strut arms (if not running tube arms) and camber. especially camber, short spindles with unequal length control arms will always have this problem. s10 suspension has its own foibles but only at the limit of lift or drop, otherwise pretty stable. the 47 GMC I sold at the end of october rode beautifully, not floaty or truck like, but nice and taut, shocks play a big role in ride quality.

I use the whole s10 donor, engine trans wiring steering column brakes etc. this makes a big difference in setting up and figuring things out, because the bulk of the swap is already made to work together. you can cut down the amount of figuring things out also by buying a prepackaged body swap kit, leaving you to only figure out steering and wiring.

it also makes a big difference when comparing to a mustang II setup, because that is literally ONE COMPONENT compared to what else is needed to directly compare an s10 swap, like rearend, engine, brakes, etc etc. You can get down the road with a MII and still have to figure eveything out, like radiator sizing and engine mounting, brakes, steering, wiring. everything beyond the front suspension is still up in the air. cant wait to see how mr48s dakota crossmember works out with the rest of the truck.

let me describe the s10 in a way other than cheap. it is a fast way to get power disc front brakes, highway gears, power steering, and a chassis set up for just about any drivetrain without any serious welding or bolting of suspension components (especially if you buy a bolt on body kit). there arent any mods needed to the front sheetmetal, just to the lower apron and the inner fenders (which also get modified for a MII).

If you are building a show truck and will sell it for rarefied air dollars when done, you may want a MII because the guys who pay 40-80k for their trucks will expect it. Otherwise I have seen nicely done s10 swaps command a good price from guys who want something they can jump in and drive to the local show and shine and grocery store but still haul a load of bricks with.

[67 chevelle]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

J S I just bought a Dakota donor for 200 this past weekend because I am impressed with the Industrial Chassis Dakota crossmember and the simple fact that I would end up spending more than I had planned to put the Jag XJS front suspension in as it is missing too many pieces.
200.00 donor that should end up with enough left overs sold so that It also pays for most of the Industrial Chassis crossmember.
Dang truck has the puniest little rear axle you can imagine though.

I'm on record as not being a fan of frame swap trucks as they usually scream "CHEAP BUILD" there are some nice ones but the majority of guys who do S-10 swaps do it because they think it is cheap and quick and prospective buyers view the trucks as cheap trucks compared to trucks with stock frames and suspension changes. Some will argue but generally when a guy thinks S-10 swap he thinks getting out cheap.

My other and main reasoning for sticking with the stock frame with suspension mods is that I don't have to fight with sheet metal alignment nor have to hack up the front end sheet metal to clear and S-10 or subframe suspension. Everything fits pretty well without a lot of bang the head on the wall issues.

You can get a ford explorer rear , with an extra drivers side axil and tube to widen , fairly easy modification , cheep , and bullet prof , plus you get possi and disc brakes , opposite of what you would do for a camaro , pasenger side axil and cut the tube , to narrow

[Coach529]

There is some great info here. Love this site.

MK

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by 67 chevelle

You can get a ford explorer rear , with an extra drivers side axil and tube to widen , fairly easy modification , cheep , and bullet prof , plus you get possi and disc brakes , opposite of what you would do for a camaro , pasenger side axil and cut the tube , to narrow

I have a Nine inch out of a Ford car sitting there complete with the big drum brakes that I can have narrowed pretty easily.

From my experience in the past if you run a Spicer style rear axle and you loose a wheel bearing you quite often loose and axle too as the bearing rollers ride on the surface of the axle. I don't plan on drag racing this time around with the six but want to have a pretty well bullet proof truck with most every part in it easy to get and repair if it fails on the road. There is always someone in most every town no matter how small that can press a wheel bearing on a Ford axle and get you gone in short order if you loose a wheel bearing. You might not find that odd size axle if you need it and end up stuck for more than just a few hours. Plus if for some reason I did loose the third member on the road I could find a workable replacement in about any wrecking yard of any size and go again with the 9 inch. It might not be the gear ratio I want but in a matter of hours I'd be on the road again.

Thinking about it I've had 4 rear axles under the 48 since I first built it in 1973. 61 Chev Car, 67 Camaro, 66 Impala 12 bolt posi (worked great) and the current mid 70's Nova. I think I've replaced about 4 wheelbearings in that time frame and one axle. The axle was in the rear that is under it now when the bearing ate a groove in the axle.

Actually, this time around I'm working at using common and easy to replace parts in places that there may be a parts failure due to wear or road damage on road trips. The trick parts are great for bragging rights but having to wait several days until the brown truck brings a red label package to the side of the road motel you are stuck in because of a parts failure and no available replacement part at the local parts house or wrecking yard that will get you on the road again can ruin a major road trip. First planned road trip for the 48 this time starts out with a 2500 mile one way shot to Central Texas and hopefully several states past that after that before we return home with between 10 and 15 K new miles on the truck from that road trip

[Coach529]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

J S I just bought a Dakota donor for 200 this past weekend because I am impressed with the Industrial Chassis Dakota crossmember and the simple fact that I would end up spending more than I had planned to put the Jag XJS front suspension in as it is missing too many pieces.
200.00 donor that should end up with enough left overs sold so that It also pays for most of the Industrial Chassis crossmember.
Dang truck has the puniest little rear axle you can imagine though.

I'm on record as not being a fan of frame swap trucks as they usually scream "CHEAP BUILD" there are some nice ones but the majority of guys who do S-10 swaps do it because they think it is cheap and quick and prospective buyers view the trucks as cheap trucks compared to trucks with stock frames and suspension changes. Some will argue but generally when a guy thinks S-10 swap he thinks getting out cheap.

My other and main reasoning for sticking with the stock frame with suspension mods is that I don't have to fight with sheet metal alignment nor have to hack up the front end sheet metal to clear and S-10 or subframe suspension. Everything fits pretty well without a lot of bang the head on the wall issues.

I am going to say it outloud.............I wish I would have looked into this crossmember more before I bit the bullet

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Originally Posted by Coach529

I am going to say it outloud.............I wish I would have looked into this crossmember more before I bit the bullet

I agree 100%
I did one S-10 swap on a 53 a few years back. I will NEVER do another.
I enjoy fab-work, so I thought this was the best route, but.... I enjoy pizza too, but I don't want to eat 10 at one meal.

[SalvagedSouls]

Thank you all for your feedback!

I've been collecting parts for a little while and already have an S10 conversion kit from Code 504 as well as a Welder Series MII crossmember and tubular upper and lower control arms.

I have access to lasers, press brakes, rollers, welders etc. and enjoy fab work when the time permits. At this point in my life with a young family my projects won't progress white as fast as they would have a few years ago, but that is fine as the trucks will always be there.

I'm not looking to build a $50K truck but I do care a lot about the quality of the build. If its worth doing its worth doing correct - no short cuts.

[MiraclePieCo]

I have a friend who has a professional shop cranking out one AD truck after another. He does them both ways, MII or S10, whichever the customer prefers. He says the MII is vastly easier than relocating and rebuilding body mounts, bumper mounts, running board mounts etc. on the S10 frame. The entire frame is still intact - body mounts, running board mouints, battery mount, everything.

And I can't count how many AD/S10 swaps have I seen ruined by failing to get the front wheels centered in the wheel wells...



.

[Cjcolbyjack]

The mountaineer chassis is very well built imo. They are set up for a v8, standard awd, 4wheel disc, IRS and have a closer wheelbase to the ad than a s10. The explorer is also the same chassis without all the extras. Both can be found for way cheap.

[yukon ratrod]

I built my 48 ad on an s-10 chassis. Shortening the chassis was a breeze. With help from a few friends I had mine on the street and driving in 6 days. If you have fab skills this in my opinion is the way to go. I drove my truck for 6 years, all year round and had zero issues. No matter what you do, you end up having to fabricate something. I've been in the trade 27 years and have built many vehicles with mustang 2 suspension. Yes it works well, but if you want a driver, spend the time and do the swap. Aftermarket parts are just that, aftermarket. Don't forget your still dealing with 1974 technology. S-10s are cheap to buy and parts are even cheaper. You can use the brake pedal and booster,e-brake, steering column, wiring, ect.... these builds don't end at a mustang 2 kit. You need steering shafts and u-joints, power steering adaptors, motor mounts, brake hoses and lines, proportionING vales ect... just my two cents worth. There is no wrong answer.

[Hampshire]

And I can't count how many AD/S10 swaps have I seen ruined by failing to get the front wheels centered in the wheel wells...

Amen to that....

[Cuate]

Good information here.
Thanks

[Thadious]

Originally Posted by Cjcolbyjack

The mountaineer chassis is very well built imo. They are set up for a v8, standard awd, 4wheel disc, IRS and have a closer wheelbase to the ad than a s10. The explorer is also the same chassis without all the extras. Both can be found for way cheap.

This is the route that I took. Started with an 2002 Eddie Bauer Explorer that came with the V8. It's a good solid frame, a little wider than an S10 and will require some sheetmetal reworking at the back of the cab depending on how low you set the cab on the frame. The frame will also need to be stretched about 3+ inches in the middle to get the right wheelbase, but the track width is much better and any offset you need to make it sit right right is easily accomplished by wheel offset, not spacers.

I ended up using Tacoma struts in the front, utilizing the Tacoma coil, but clipping the top off about 1" and using the top "hat" from the explorer. Have to make a couple adapters on the bottom to stop it from moving side to side. Dropped the front about 2.5"

In the rear, a set of struts from an 03 Crown Victoria replated the top mount of the strut bracket to accept the bolt pattern of the new strut and welded it all into place. Dropped the rear 3".

This is not an easy swap, just to be clear. You must have some good fab skills and some tools to make it all work. There isn't much for aftermarket lowering of an Explorer/Mountaineer suspension, only the lowering springs out there, so you're going to need to be creative.

The IFS/IRS, all wheel disc brakes, 8.8" rear limited slip dif and rack and pinion steering is what's keeping me on this build.

I can go on with a lot more of the changes and fabrication to make this work, but rest assured, it's not a simple swap. That being said, should make a great driver.

Oh, and used sbc 350 TPI from a 91 Camaro for the heart, just love the looks of them motors!

Ted.

[jwhotrod]

i mostly build streetrods, and as such have used Fatman MKII IFS for a long time. they are strong, well engineered and early on i had Fatman set my stuff up to shim like GM ifs and not use the slidebolts that Ford used. i could never understand why you would place that adjustment in the plane of stress. My frontend guy loves it much easier to adjust. this 555 im building is using Flatout Engineerins C$ Corvette mounting which is awesome as well.
goodluck

[Thadious]

Originally Posted by jwhotrod

i mostly build streetrods, and as such have used Fatman MKII IFS for a long time. they are strong, well engineered and early on i had Fatman set my stuff up to shim like GM ifs and not use the slidebolts that Ford used. i could never understand why you would place that adjustment in the plane of stress. My frontend guy loves it much easier to adjust. this 555 im building is using Flatout Engineerins C$ Corvette mounting which is awesome as well.
goodluck

If you're referring to those st*pid little notched plates with the teeth that Ford used to set the camber/caster, they have done away with them. Moog makes a replacement part that fits in the same spot that is a cam setup. Works great, more robust and you never have to swap plates to change camber now.

[mr48chev]

It still comes down to exactly what you want your truck to be in the end and how much money and time you plan to put into it. Plus do you want to recover most of what you spent on the build if you sell it within three years or so.

Most of us have admit that we have spent a few hours watching Mecom or Barrett-Jackson auctions. The one thing you never see or will see is those talking heads gushing over the Wunnerful S-10 chassis an AD truck rolling across the platform has on those shows. If an S-10 swap is even allowed in the auction it sells on Monday or Tuedsay with the other driver quality low buck rigs.
Since the mid 90's when guys figured out that they could often drag a broke down S-10 long bed work truck out of someone's yard for free or not much more than beer money and roll the cab and bed off, make some cab mounts and set their AD cab and bed on and have a low buck driver in short order for a small investment and not that much work it has picked up speed. Now guys thinking that you have to run an S-10 chassis to be one of the Facebook truck cool guys will pay 2 or 3 K for a running driving truck that is actually a lot nicer than the AD that they have to get the frame and then spend 1500+ to buy the kit that FB commandos say they have to have and by the time they rebuilt the front suspension or swapped to longer tube control arms and an upgrade front brake kit plus swapping the narrow S-10 rear for a wider rear and then deciding that they want run a 4 link rather than the leaf spring they have 6 K or better in an S-10 swap that Joedoe does for less than the cost of a decent motel room for a weekend at a Goodguys show. Meaning that if you are building a low dollar great driving truck and aren't going to put a 10K paint job on it or a 10K interior in it and the build consists of a decent AD cab and sheet metal, S-10 chassis, engine of choice but not a high dollar crate motor and the big expense of the build is the wheels and tires life is great. If you are going to Make a long list of changes to the S-10 chassis and do real nice paint and interior you are better off with the original 3100 frame and the MII front end of choice plus a rearend and rear suspension of choice.

One thing, if you do an S-10 swap buy a complete dead truck with a title so you can prove that you came by the chassis legally or buy the chassis from a legit source where you actually get a receipt from a business rather than buying it from one of those guys who advertises them on FB or other places and you have no idea of how they came by the truck they took the chassis out of. You do not want the law showing up in your driveway to impound your truck because they tracked a stolen truck's chassis to your garage. It's a lot simpler to buy the dead truck with title, take it home, harvest what you want off it, make a photo copy of the title for your build book, haul the hulk to the scrap yard, hand them the title and get paperwork from them that shows that you hauled a titled cab into them and put that paperwork in with the copy of the title for show and tell at inspection time.

While we are at it, Subframe swaps be they Camaro/firebird or cut off something else are pretty well obsolete 80's technology from the time we could pack a Camaro subframe home for 100 bucks before the S-10 swap came into vogue. I've done two of my own on my 48 and the 51 Mercury I used to own and they do drive fantastic but you have to cut and trim so much front end sheet metal to get them to fit that it just isn't worth it anymore. Plus the restorers have run the cost of decent Camaro subframe up to where you are spending too much money trying to save money. There are just better ways now.

Ive been out of the loop on MII front suspension but do like the Fatman setup with the way the control arms mount. They won't get knocked out of alignment by bumping a small pot hole and are a lot easier to align. YOu just have to sort though the offerings to see what fits your needs and budget. I do like the bolt on crossmembers for guys who don't have the welding skills, and may not have the time or space to do other chasiss mod methods. The crossmember is a bit more than a weld in but you can roll the truck in the garage pull the nose off and unbolt the stock suspension, measure and drill a few holes and bolt in place on a long Saturday and pretty well have the truck back together with the MIi front end under it by Sunday night. All with a tape measure, 1/2 inch drill and hand tools.

I really like the Crossmember that Industrial chassis makes for using Dakota front suspension on an AD or TF or Ford. The cost of the crossmember has gone up to around 1000 if you can even get one though. The outfit that Steve went to work for who was supposed to also build his crossmembers doesn't seem to be making many of them. I missed out on getting one when he had his own shop. https://www.industrialchassisinc.com...ota-based-ifs/

I already had the "big brake rotors" they mention with a Ford 5 on 5-1/2 bolt pattern that would match the 9 inch I have and mess with the Les Schwab tire dudes when I roll in with a F150 lug bolt pattern and Ford truck 15 inch steelies. That 1000 bucks is holding me back right now though.

I've also got a Jag XJ front end in the stash that is the exact right width wms to wms , has good brakes with 4 pistion calipers and is built for a 4000 lb performance car. Parts can be spendy if you don't shop dilligently but the original buy in is still pretty low.

There are a lot of options out there some better than others and as long as you get value for your investment life is good. We can't all afford a Morrision or Roadster shop chassis.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Most of us have admit that we have spent a few hours watching Mecom or Barrett-Jackson auctions. The one thing you never see or will see is those talking heads gushing over the Wunnerful S-10 chassis an AD truck rolling across the platform has on those shows.

the other thing i have never seen is any of the garage built MII rides going across the stage. those ALSO sell with the cheap rides on monday. the ones that get the coverage are the big name builder trucks with 95% of the selling price invested. I am not building those, and neither are you, nor anyone else on this forum outside of hogtied.

so potato pottato, you can talk at length about how cheap the s10 route is, how its worth more money to do MII, or dakota, but it doesnt really mean anything until you actually put a grinder to metal and start doing it.

No one ever had "I'm gonna" carved on their tombstone but by golly everyone who ever bashed one way or another of doing a project sure says it every third sentence


the fatman IFS is gorgeous and solves a lot of the MII problems. its also 4k+ shipping, just as a data point.

[dsraven]

hey salvaged, any thoughts/ideas/decisions yet?

[dsraven]

I think what it boils down to is that it is the owners project and the owner will have their own idea of what they want, and then when reality hits after they price out the parts, they will decide what they will do with their project. it is up to them and, when asked, people on the forum will give their own 2 cents worth of advice. the owner will do what the owner wants to do at that point. if there is a lot of money in the budget then there will likely be a lot more big dollar stuff on the project and likely less actual owner work being done and more sublet work being done. if there is a small budget, then it is what it is. you cant make a silk purse out of a pigs ear so you cant expect a backyard build to stack up against the big shop builds where all the tools and parts are readily available and the guys doing the work are proffessional builders who know the shortcuts and what works. of course the backyard builds will be out back at the big boy auctions even if they are awesome builds. simply because auctions are big business and the big shops will have more business coming back to the auction than the backyard guys will have. that litle thing called commission paid is a small number for the auction company when you compare the backyard guy yearly number to the big shop guys yearly numbers.
persoanally I am building a fame swapped 57 GMC because almost everything I need for the truck comes from the donor. frame, suspension, engine and driveline, cooling system, heater and a/c, seats, console, carpet, steering column, pedals, wiring, fuel pump, fuel tank, fuel filler, fuel lines, power steering, brakes, booster, master cylinder, wheels, tires, and on and on. for a few hunderd dollars you can pick up a decent donor vehicle. just price out a fuel tank or a rad for a stock framed truck and you will see why there are more and more frame swaps. don't get me wrong, I started with a stock truck. stripped it down, cleaned and sandblasted stuff, removed crossmembers, boxed the frame, built cross members and installed MII front end, built and installed a 4 link rear, fussed over brake systems, engine mounts, trans mounts etc. then I started adding up the bills paid and ones coming to finish that "stock framed truck" and decided that a frame swap was going to cover a lot of bases for a lot less cash. cash i could use for other stuff in life that I enjoy. yes, my truck will be a one off, it will eventually sell for waaaay less than the other, more refined, build option. but, it will have been within my budget, I can stop at ANY parts place along the road and have a replacement part in my hands within hours, and I will have had lots of fun building the truck. not to mention that when the time comes to sell this truck it will likely be enjoyed by the new owner for quite awhile before the other, more refined, build would have been simply due to the price point and the expectations that come with the higher dollar selling point of the stock frame build. a frame swap is not for everyone but, if you have more skills than budget, it can get the job done for a lot less. this is, of course, just my opinion and i surely don't mean to tread on the toes of those who have spent years and countless dollars on a high end stock frame build.

[leegreen]

you may be making a mistake if you are building a truck for yourself and worried about how much it is worth when you are done. The real question is how much time and money do I have to invest to get what I want and can I afford that investment.

kudos to joedough for having a formula that lets him crank out s10 swapped trucks and sell them and keep it going for a decade or more. He clearly knows how much to pay for candidates, knows how far to take each project and what to sell it for. S10 swap is a well documented way to DIY yourself to a DD. But we have also seen many old truck projects for sale 'sitting' on an S10 frame.

A MII or similar crossmember is also a proven way to improve these trucks, but that crossmember is just one piece of the puzzle. We also see many unfinished projects with a MII cross member welded in.

The important thing is to realistically plan your project within your limitations. Don't turn into the guy selling his dream with the obvious lie "all the hard work is done"