51 chevrolet truck.

[brizzle86]

New to the forum. Google search keep referring to this thread. I sign up.
Never restored any thing. Green horn warning.

Dream is to have old truck modern suspension and bagged with ls motor

I found a 51 chevrolet truck. Running and driving all orginal. Solid truck. My buddy's farther truck. Going Saturday to possibly pick up.
I found a chassis donor vehicle 97 s10 2wd standard cab long bed running and driving. From what I read this is the kind of s10 easier frame swap. Wanted some thoughts or opinions.*
The s10 is 2k. I'm hoping that I can put body on s10 frame than fit 5.3 or 6.0 in place of the 4.3.

Also any advice for the up and coming project.
Thanks

[dwcsr]

Bear in mind that 51 was a change year for Chevy in that it shares 50 and 52 styling.
Doors are a bit difficult to find if they are bad, 51 is the only year that has a vent windows and turn down handles. The rest of the truck is essentially the same as 52 and 53.

[b.sharp]

Welcome neighbor. Post some pictures when you purchase the truck. There is a lot of information here about doing this swap and I am in the middle of doing it as well. Good luck.

[ghettoluxury]

This is a very straight forward swap and has been laid out very well on this site. I am in the process of the same swap with a '49. Mine requires a little more fab work because I am stubborn and cheap this is due to the wheels I am using and the brakes that I want. My frame is also a 99-2000 era.

I would not spend $2,000 on a donor S10! Complete trucks can be had for around $500. You will probably find that the front suspension will need rebuilt on it any way. If you don't plan on using everything from the donor than it will be a waste of money. There is not much to be made from parting out an S10.

[Advanced Design]

Welcome Brizzle!

There are nearly an infinite number of ways to build these trucks. Look through the builds here for ideas on chassis, suspension, power train. Here is Skymangs how to for S10 chassis swap. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=632686

Before jumping into to something, determine what you want out of the truck when you are done, what your budget is, evaluate your skills and shop space available. Then make an informed decision about which way you want to go. A project can take years and it is pretty easy to get frustrated due to budget, skill, shop space issues. The project then gets abandoned and sold for a loss.

Other chassis options are to use one of the MII based kits our vendors here sell or purchase an entire chassis as a roller.

Read, study and ask questions. Really talented folks around here!