47-55.1 S10 Frame Swap on 47-53 - Would you do it again?

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by joedoh

lots of 4x4 guys out there, I have done kits for 5-6 guys, 2 of them have "finished" their trucks and the rest have the body mounted.

the points they make are:

if you start with an ext cab the frame has to be shortened behind the torsion bar crossmember.

the max you can move the engine/trans/transfer case back is 2 3/8" before the transfer case hits the crossmember. you can get more if you notch the crossmember. this impacts your radiator clearance, gotta move it in front of the core support with a v8 swap.

if you start with a longbed s10 truck lining up the sheetmetal is easier than with a 2wd (because of the height off the frame/ride height)

my kit parts will work with a 4x4 except the front bumper mounts which need some slight modification.

there was a guy who built his own brackets and did a 4x4 one on here. looked really good. dont forget maintsg truck too, he converted to 2wd with a 4x4 frame.

Wow. That seems like a lot of intricate work. Glad i went with an 84 GMC step side donor chassis. It was wrecked (cab top sheared off) but fairly easy to put 54 body and bed on by my lonesome and under really rough conditions. Besides it was 24 years ago and S-10s were not cheap then.