S10 Swap how to

[oldman3]

Very nice of you to put this info out for everyone...Jim

[69CST-V]

Thanks for the spending the time to do this.

[918733]

Cool right up Thanks for taking the time to do so, I have 2 questions secound being a 2 part question. 1 how do you make the stock gas tank/ fuel pump work for LS applications, 2 if using the V6 how do you modify s 10 harnes to work / and work with stock or aftermarket guages Thanks

[Kodiaks53]

Excellent thread Skymangs, thanks for posting it. I look forward to more info on the radiator set-up. I have a similar set-up for framing the cross-flow radiator I have but needed the info on the mounts. Look forwards to more info as you have time to post.
Thanks
Ron

[Nebo49]

I can't thank you enough for this thread!! I'm a newbie to this site and a proud new owner of a 49' 5 window. I'm just in the entry level stages of an S-10 frame swap now and this thread is JIT!! Probably going to rebuild the 283 and marry it with a 350 turbo tranny. Thanks for taking your time to detail your builds and pics!!

[S10Fan]

Originally Posted by Nebo49

I can't thank you enough for this thread!! I'm a newbie to this site and a proud new owner of a 49' 5 window. I'm just in the entry level stages of an S-10 frame swap now and this thread is JIT!! Probably going to rebuild the 283 and marry it with a 350 turbo tranny. Thanks for taking your time to detail your builds and pics!!

Welcome to the forum Sir! Tons of info here, lots of friendly members!

[skymangs]

Thanks guys.

Nebo49; My one regret on my son's truck was using a TH350... If I could do it again, I'd use a 700R4... Overdrive makes such a big difference in drivability.

[Nebo49]

Thanks Sarge...That's def food for thought esp from someone like yourself who's been there done that...It has the old powerglide and considered keeping it to, but now you've got me thinking on the 700 for sure...I appreciate the advice...I may bother you with some other questions later on if you don't mind lol!

[skymangs]

I wanted to cover the frame a bit tonight. One thorn in my side has always been the S10 rear cab mounts. They are huge, and seam welded all around the inside. My first several builds took me about 2 hrs to get them off and cleaned up. I can now get both off in about 30 min, so I'm going to detail my solution.

First, I use a cut off wheel, and cut the upright welds, and the top weld (pic 1).
There are 2 stitch welds (1.5" or so) on top, against the frame (pic 2). I use my cut off wheel to score both of them. Then a 5lb sledge from inside, to stretch those welds a bit. I cut some more, then tap some more, 3 or 4 times, and those seams pop. (pic 3) then, since I've already cut the inner welds, the whole bracket breaks off pretty cleanly. A little cleanup with a flap disk, and you are golden. (pic 4).

[skymangs]

The front cab mounts are easy. I use a plasma to cut the front and rear edges, then knock them off with a sledge. Of course, a cut-off wheel would work just as well, but fire is way cooler!

I leave the bed mounts right behind the cab mount (pic 4). I re-use them to support the bed (I'll detail this later in the thread)

[Nebo49]

Thanks Bryan ...Looking forward to being here and talking with you guys!

[Nebo49]

Because it will def be a daily driver

[skymangs]

I should have clarified. Bolt your cross sills to the frame, DO NOT weld them to the bed sides yet. Let the bed ride on the cross sills for now, so it can slide back and forth a couple inches. You will need to bolt on the fenders, and mock up the running boards/splash gaurds to give you proper placement for your bed before you weld them in. More tomorrow.

[CaliforniaDaddy]

Oh man this is so good!!!

[skymangs]

So the next step for me is to get the brake pedal assembly, brake booster, steering column, and gas pedal taken care of. I start with the S10 pedal assembly.

I cut steering column hole (in the toe board) about 2" farther to the left to give me room to work with. Next I center the S10 pedal assembly visually between the dash gauges, so that the column will fit properly when it's finished.

I trim the pedal assembly where it meets the dash. I can't really give you dimensions, I just do it by holding it up, marking it with a sharpie, trimming, checking, until it fits right. you will have to "pie cut" the right side slightly, and re-weld it to fit the contour of the lower dash though. I use the S10 pedal assembly holes, then drill new ones in the lower dash to bolt it in. I will use these same bolts to secure the steering column later as well.

I also tack a 1/8" piece of steel 6" x 8" between the pedal assembly and the firewall, to give it more strength.

Once the dash side is bolted in, I mark the center of the holes on the firewall, remove the bracket, and drill 3/16 pilot holes from the inside. I have a poster-board template I use from outside the firewall for the center-bore of the brake booster, then I drill the 4 pilot holes out to 7/16".

[skymangs]

Once the pedal assembly is in, just bolt the booster/master to the outside of the firewall. Next I fill the offset hole for the old column (I center the new column between the gauges)

[skymangs]

Thanks...

[CaliforniaDaddy]

Hey skymangs, If i found a complete running 96 longbed with the 5 speed manual transmission, can I use that tranny on a SBC 350 engine?

[skymangs]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaDaddy

Hey skymangs, If i found a complete running 96 longbed with the 5 speed manual transmission, can I use that tranny on a SBC 350 engine?

You can, but, your need a special clutch. Use the s10 Bell housing go to O'Reilly and tell them what you're trying to do. You'll also need the slave cylinder.

[chev3600]

This thread is great. The addition of the tips and tricks (like cleaning the wax off the frame) and the measurements for various setups is very helpful and not typically covered in build threads... Thanks!

[Nebo49]

I'm doing an S-10 swap but have a couple questions for anyone that would offer advice...I have a 95 longbed frame but don't know if that frame will work after researching a few other builds. I think that it may be to long at 205"....Also what rear axle ratio works better with a SB V8? I'm trying to find an S-10 4x4 rear end that is longer or a Ford 9"...Any advice is greatly appreciated...thanks

[Nebo49]

Scratch that 202" measurement. That's the overall and not wheelbase.

[skymangs]

Uncle Jimi; i build a tunnel. I'll cover that in this thread as well.
Nebo49. The important measurement is the wheelbase. Should be 117". The 95 frame will work. On rear ends, 4x4 S10 is the easiest swap. They are usually 3.42 ratio, and work nicely with a 700r4.

[skymangs]

I'm out of the net till 6 July. I'm participating in Peterson's 4wd "Ultimate Adventure"

[skymangs]

Sorry it's been awhile. I was 4 wheeling my way across the mid-west. I just finished up the promised motor mounts today. I also managed to mock up a 350, without cutting the firewall, using stock Malibu exhaust manifolds, and a mechanical fuel pump.

First I cut some 1" O.D. 11ga tube to fit inside the S10 4.3 motor mounts (I put new ones on every build). Then 1/2" x 4" bolts and lock nuts. I bolt the tube on the motor mount, then mock the motor up where I'm happy. Next I use posterboard to template my "legs". Then I trace them on 1/4" sheet, and cut them out. Once it's all mocked up and I'm happy with the placement, I tack them in (several places) and pull the driveline to seam weld the mounts.