My Project: 46 GMC on S10 Chassis with LSx Engine

[JasonBird]

great job so far!! it'll get there slowly!

[cayoterun]

First time to post on this forum. Congrats on the new daughter. Great truck build, will be a regular watcher. I'm learning from what your doing to make everthing fit. Been real helpful. Just now found it.
I've just started on a '46 to '84 GMC 2500 frame. My goal is a little different, but will have similar problems to iron out.
Thanks for leading the way.
Cayoterun

[99 to Life]

subscribed.

The first build is always the hardest, but learning as you go is fun. Your set up is unique and if it was easy that means everyone would do it. The s-10 set up is great for many things, sour for some others but I think you will like it. I would just suggest an additional plate inside your sectioned frame then box it, just to be safe.

Did you try moching up your driveshaft yet? Seems like you should have room, but depending on how high or low the engine is that can effect your driveshaft.

Looks great. If I had this truck, I would leave the patina, I think it has a ton of character. Oh and don't worry so much about being out classed. Do what you want and what you feel comfortable with. Atleast you got that lift to work with, alot of us would do many things to have one!!

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

subscribed.

The first build is always the hardest, but learning as you go is fun. Your set up is unique and if it was easy that means everyone would do it. The s-10 set up is great for many things, sour for some others but I think you will like it. I would just suggest an additional plate inside your sectioned frame then box it, just to be safe.

Did you try moching up your driveshaft yet? Seems like you should have room, but depending on how high or low the engine is that can effect your driveshaft.

Looks great. If I had this truck, I would leave the patina, I think it has a ton of character. Oh and don't worry so much about being out classed. Do what you want and what you feel comfortable with. Atleast you got that lift to work with, alot of us would do many things to have one!!

It's my first build, but my father's been a mechanic for the last 30 years, and has lots of fabrication experience. It is his first ground up build though.

We'll definitely be boxing around the frame where we shortened it, whenever we have the fitment finalized and do all of the finish welding.

The patina definitely has character, but it'll be going away.

And yes, the lift is certainly a luxury, has me spoiled

I couldn't imagine doing a project like this, with lots of test fitting, without the lift.

Hopefully we'll be back to work on it soon, unfortunately I'm at the mercy of my father who works full time, goes camping with my mom every couple of weeks, and is 70% done with a very extensive master bathroom remodel.

And I bought an '01 Isuzu Trooper, in great condition, that needs an engine rebuild, that we'll be working on next (didn't want to, but paid $400 for it).

Maybe August we'll get back in the swing of things

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by cayoterun

First time to post on this forum. Congrats on the new daughter. Great truck build, will be a regular watcher. I'm learning from what your doing to make everthing fit. Been real helpful. Just now found it.
I've just started on a '46 to '84 GMC 2500 frame. My goal is a little different, but will have similar problems to iron out.
Thanks for leading the way.
Cayoterun

Glad I could help. I know there's some 41-46 chassis swaps out there, but I have yet to find a truly detailed thread about it (and I've spent hours looking)

[69trk]

What's the latest on this? This is what i would like to do to my dads 41. Did you guys look at any of the custom frames that they make for these trucks?

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by 69trk

What's the latest on this? This is what i would like to do to my dads 41. Did you guys look at any of the custom frames that they make for these trucks?

Nothing new right now, and no I didn't look at any custom frames, or mounting kit, decided to use my money elsewhere.

[shaunatk]

When I purchased this truck, it didn't have a title. In the state of Ohio, it is pretty much impossible to get a replacement title for a classic vehicle, so I had to take matters into my own hands.

Needless to say, this truck is now going to be known as a 1947 first series GMC

[67chevy1series]

nice! anymore pics??

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by 67chevy1series

nice! anymore pics??

Hopefully progress willl be made soon, I have finally got my dad back out in the barn, we're rebuilding the engine in my 01 Trooper right now, hopefully by March we'll get back on track.

[69trk]

hurry up already

[502ms]

Congrats on the baby.....
Hope everything is well!
Posted via Mobile Device

[Da88burban]

Any updates?
Posted via Mobile Device

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by Da88burban

Any updates?
Posted via Mobile Device

Unfortunately not. My build partner (my father) has abandoned me for other projects that take forever.

I just want to finish getting the body mounted and get it running and driving, and at that point I'd haul it to my garage and get the chassis all painted and start doing some body work.

The body isn't bad at all, minus the fenders (which are pretty rough). If I can get a friend of mine to fix the fenders for me for free, I may just take the truck to a shop for the body finish work and paint.

[05snopro440]

Is this project on a permanent hiatus?

I just got my '46 GMC on the road this fall. It's on an S-10 frame with a 455 Buick. I have a build thread on a different forum.

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by 05snopro440

Is this project on a permanent hiatus?

I just got my '46 GMC on the road this fall. It's on an S-10 frame with a 455 Buick. I have a build thread on a different forum.

Unfortunately! Like I have said, my father is the one with all the talent (and the lift, and the expensive tools, and the workshop), and after we stopped working on it due to my first kid being born, he decided to do a luxury bathroom remodel that took forever, then he had a torn meniscus he had surgery on, and he's had a couple car projects, and then decided to do an extensive kitchen remodel, and now that that is complete his other knee has a more severe torn meniscus, so he's having that fixed in the next couple of months. And my grandmother in Tennessee is in poor health, so my father's going down there once or twice a month.

And I bought a new, more expensive house on June 31st, and ended up getting laid off on July 23rd, and am still looking for a job, and my wife is having another baby on November 29th!

So who knows when we'll get back to working on it. When I think about the way the project was pushed to the side, this is what I feel like

Where's your build thread, I'd love to see it!

[99 to Life]

hey man, don't give up. When I built my first truck, it was on a whim. I never did anything but change my own oil before that. I've learned everything as I went, had to buy all my own tools, work in the worst garage ever but hey I'm still learning and have tons of projects sitting waiting and a couple I'm currently doing. This site and the net are almost all you need. If you have access to spot, there are lots of things to do without money, but ultimately that is what keeps a project going at some points. The tuffest thing isn't knowledge, cause its easily available, its taking time away from fam and money. Both of which these things take up. I'm lucky to support my fam, work 100 miles out of town and split my week up and still get one day on the weekend to really work on my stuff. For some odds are always against you (story of my life) but its how you face the adversities that make what you have worth so much more. thats something nobody can take from you.

[05snopro440]

Originally Posted by shaunatk

Unfortunately! Like I have said, my father is the one with all the talent (and the lift, and the expensive tools, and the workshop), and after we stopped working on it due to my first kid being born, he decided to do a luxury bathroom remodel that took forever, then he had a torn meniscus he had surgery on, and he's had a couple car projects, and then decided to do an extensive kitchen remodel, and now that that is complete his other knee has a more severe torn meniscus, so he's having that fixed in the next couple of months. And my grandmother in Tennessee is in poor health, so my father's going down there once or twice a month.

And I bought a new, more expensive house on June 31st, and ended up getting laid off on July 23rd, and am still looking for a job, and my wife is having another baby on November 29th!

So who knows when we'll get back to working on it. When I think about the way the project was pushed to the side, this is what I feel like

Where's your build thread, I'd love to see it!

That's unfortunate it's still on hold. I didn't have too many detailed photos on my build thread, that's a long story why I no longer have them...

The thread is here at another site. I need to post some better pics, I've changed some things since the last ones I posted there.

But the basics are this:

-1946 GMC 3/4 ton body, with the box and running boards shortened 9.5".
-1985 S-10 regular cab long box frame
-1992 S-10 Steering column, booster, diff (3:42), seat.
-1975 Buick 455 with Comp cam, Edelbrock intake, Demon carb, TH400.
-Northern radiator aluminum rad (direct fit for Hemi 'cuda).
-16" Flex-a-lite 2500CFM Pusher fan, 14" Flex-a-lite flex fan.
-31x10.5x15" Rear tires, 225/65/15 Front tires.
-Custom built Wheel Vintiques Artillery wheels, 15x8" front reversed with 3.5" backspace, 15x10" rear reversed with 3.75" backspace.

By the looks of it I set the front wheels further forward in the wheelwells than you did. It was just what looked right to me. Hopefully you get time and resources to work on yours soon!

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

hey man, don't give up. When I built my first truck, it was on a whim. I never did anything but change my own oil before that. I've learned everything as I went, had to buy all my own tools, work in the worst garage ever but hey I'm still learning and have tons of projects sitting waiting and a couple I'm currently doing. This site and the net are almost all you need. If you have access to spot, there are lots of things to do without money, but ultimately that is what keeps a project going at some points. The tuffest thing isn't knowledge, cause its easily available, its taking time away from fam and money. Both of which these things take up. I'm lucky to support my fam, work 100 miles out of town and split my week up and still get one day on the weekend to really work on my stuff. For some odds are always against you (story of my life) but its how you face the adversities that make what you have worth so much more. thats something nobody can take from you.

I hear ya. If it was a stock body, in good condition, being mounted on a stock frame with a mustang II front suspension, I'd feel pretty comfortable doing most of the work myself.

Mounting the truck on a different frame was an absolutely tedious thing to do for the two of us working on it with a lift. I couldn't begin to imagine doing it myself without a lift.

Most of the body is mounted, but we ran into an issue with the back, as I was making decisions about how much to shorten the frame based on measurements I found online, but when we put the bed on we realized we were still about 6" too long. So, I either need to do a 4 link setup so I can move the rear end forward (more $$$), or shorten the frame some more.

Plus we need to figure out how we're going to mount the S10 column, and how to handle the steering shaft. And since it's an LS engine with custom motor mounts, getting the steering shaft to fit around the manifolds could be a nightmare.

And the cab of the truck is in terrific condition, only a couple of small patches needed where the fenders go over the cab. However, the rear fenders are a mess, and the front fenders have a ton of bondo in them, and I don't think I could ever get it right working on them myself.

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by 05snopro440

That's unfortunate it's still on hold. I didn't have too many detailed photos on my build thread, that's a long story why I no longer have them...

The thread is here at another site. I need to post some better pics, I've changed some things since the last ones I posted there.

But the basics are this:

-1946 GMC 3/4 ton body, with the box and running boards shortened 9.5".
-1985 S-10 regular cab long box frame
-1992 S-10 Steering column, booster, diff (3:42), seat.
-1975 Buick 455 with Comp cam, Edelbrock intake, Demon carb, TH400.
-Northern radiator aluminum rad (direct fit for Hemi 'cuda).
-16" Flex-a-lite 2500CFM Pusher fan, 14" Flex-a-lite flex fan.
-31x10.5x15" Rear tires, 225/65/15 Front tires.
-Custom built Wheel Vintiques Artillery wheels, 15x8" front reversed with 3.5" backspace, 15x10" rear reversed with 3.75" backspace.

By the looks of it I set the front wheels further forward in the wheelwells than you did. It was just what looked right to me. Hopefully you get time and resources to work on yours soon!

That looks awesome. And I hear you on the front wheels, that's my biggest fear, whether or not we made the right choice. There's really no turning back after you place the front wheels! I think once the sheetmetal is all lined up, they will appear to be more towards the front. If I remember right, we don't have all of the bracing in the fenders yet.

[shaunatk]

And as you can tell by my "inspirational" truck, shoddy body work isn't something I could live with. I have decided to scale it back some whenever we do get back to work on it. Mostly stock body with a roll pan on the rear, keeping the door handles, wood bed floor, and will probably end up painting it a color that doesn't have metallic in it.

I really wish I could desire to own a Rat Rod (and I do respect them and understand why they are liked), but ever since I was a little kid, the look that I am hoping to obtain for my truck is what I've wanted.

[99 to Life]

your truck is far from a ratrod, nothing wrong with a nice patina, or contrasting old with new, but hey if paint is your goal than do you. Thats whats great about building, its your vision coming to life. Your bringing back a piece of the past and thats whats important. You don't see these everyday so its about having something unique, whether its traditional, stocker, drag, gasser, custom, hot rod, ratrod, streetrod,bomb and whatever other term or style you wanna throw out there, its a piece of art.

Personally, here would be my approach. Cutting frame is not a big deal, and shortening/lengthening bed and running boards are options too, lot of people do it. Its just metal and to get the wheelbase right, front is most important, back has more room to play with. Steering, my opinion s10 columns stick out like a sore thumb, just don't go with the interior, but thats me. It is easy as pie to use and shorten the original tubed column or make your own. Just shorten it, get yourself a roller bearing to fit in the bottom, have your shaft coming out of the bearing, square off the end, get a used or new ujoint to mate to it. There are lots of heim joints and ujoint rigs out there that look like a puzzle to work.

fenders, and body work def eat up time. Less filler the better, but if you got the patience which alot don't. Learn some hammer and dolly work and smooth em out, plenty examples online and heck you can do that on your back porch at home. if you gotta replace some patches thats another thing, but doing and learning that is like anything else.

there are always hurdles to jump through man, if you want it bad enough it will happen. Some guys go years and years before completing something, others can do it in months. End result is getting the thing on the road, heck run the patina for a bit, get it on the road and then paint it later, options are endless. What I'v learned in life so far, depend on as little people as possible!

[05snopro440]

Originally Posted by shaunatk

I hear ya. If it was a stock body, in good condition, being mounted on a stock frame with a mustang II front suspension, I'd feel pretty comfortable doing most of the work myself.

Mounting the truck on a different frame was an absolutely tedious thing to do for the two of us working on it with a lift. I couldn't begin to imagine doing it myself without a lift.

Most of the body is mounted, but we ran into an issue with the back, as I was making decisions about how much to shorten the frame based on measurements I found online, but when we put the bed on we realized we were still about 6" too long. So, I either need to do a 4 link setup so I can move the rear end forward (more $$$), or shorten the frame some more.

Plus we need to figure out how we're going to mount the S10 column, and how to handle the steering shaft. And since it's an LS engine with custom motor mounts, getting the steering shaft to fit around the manifolds could be a nightmare.

And the cab of the truck is in terrific condition, only a couple of small patches needed where the fenders go over the cab. However, the rear fenders are a mess, and the front fenders have a ton of bondo in them, and I don't think I could ever get it right working on them myself.

Using measurements you found online isn't a good idea. First of all every truck is different, and when it comes to an S-10 swap, your cab is in a different location than everyone else's. Measure, measure, measure, then cut where it needs to be. I assume you say it was tedious because this might have been your first frame swap? My dad and I did mine with a skid steer loader for mounting the cab, and it really wasn't that hard, but this wasn't our first.

You're worrying too much about mounting things, you just need to dig in and it becomes easier. I have a 455 Buick in mine (wider than the LS by 2-3") and used the stock S-10 column, and it was rather easy. My engine is set back a lot as well. I had to cut the welds holding the bottom mount (bolts to floor) for the column, and move it way up (I had to make a notch in it for my neutral safety switch). I used the brace beetween the dash and firewall for the S-10 that the brake booster and steering column bolted to, modified it slightly to mate to the dash, and used it to mount the booster to on the '46 and welded some 2x2 square tubing to it, which the column is bolted to. The shaft between the column and steering box is the S-10 piece that was lengthened slightly. The solutions to these issues are pretty simple, you just need to think outside the box.

Originally Posted by shaunatk

That looks awesome. And I hear you on the front wheels, that's my biggest fear, whether or not we made the right choice. There's really no turning back after you place the front wheels! I think once the sheetmetal is all lined up, they will appear to be more towards the front. If I remember right, we don't have all of the bracing in the fenders yet.

I even would have liked to take my cab back another inch or so, just because the shape of the wheelwells makes the wheels look further back than they are. I'm happy with where mine are though.

Originally Posted by shaunatk

And as you can tell by my "inspirational" truck, shoddy body work isn't something I could live with. I have decided to scale it back some whenever we do get back to work on it. Mostly stock body with a roll pan on the rear, keeping the door handles, wood bed floor, and will probably end up painting it a color that doesn't have metallic in it.

I really wish I could desire to own a Rat Rod (and I do respect them and understand why they are liked), but ever since I was a little kid, the look that I am hoping to obtain for my truck is what I've wanted.

My truck gets called a Rat, but I don't consider it one. I built it to look like it could have been sitting as is in a barn for years. The only thing "Ratty" is the body, and only because it hasn't been painted. It was as well built as if it would have had paint, and is much better built than a lot of painted cars around these parts. It even has a fully finished interior, and is better insulated and weatherstripped than most new cars! In fact I probably have more time into it because I wanted to preserve the patina and make it look like certain things had been done for years. Regardless, you'll have so much fun with your truck. I love that I can take mine bombing down a gravel road, and not have to worry about chips in the paint. I have vehicles with shiny paint, and this is a refreshing change.

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

your truck is far from a ratrod, nothing wrong with a nice patina, or contrasting old with new, but hey if paint is your goal than do you. Thats whats great about building, its your vision coming to life. Your bringing back a piece of the past and thats whats important. You don't see these everyday so its about having something unique, whether its traditional, stocker, drag, gasser, custom, hot rod, ratrod, streetrod,bomb and whatever other term or style you wanna throw out there, its a piece of art.

Personally, here would be my approach. Cutting frame is not a big deal, and shortening/lengthening bed and running boards are options too, lot of people do it. Its just metal and to get the wheelbase right, front is most important, back has more room to play with. Steering, my opinion s10 columns stick out like a sore thumb, just don't go with the interior, but thats me. It is easy as pie to use and shorten the original tubed column or make your own. Just shorten it, get yourself a roller bearing to fit in the bottom, have your shaft coming out of the bearing, square off the end, get a used or new ujoint to mate to it. There are lots of heim joints and ujoint rigs out there that look like a puzzle to work.

fenders, and body work def eat up time. Less filler the better, but if you got the patience which alot don't. Learn some hammer and dolly work and smooth em out, plenty examples online and heck you can do that on your back porch at home. if you gotta replace some patches thats another thing, but doing and learning that is like anything else.

there are always hurdles to jump through man, if you want it bad enough it will happen. Some guys go years and years before completing something, others can do it in months. End result is getting the thing on the road, heck run the patina for a bit, get it on the road and then paint it later, options are endless. What I'v learned in life so far, depend on as little people as possible!

There are always differing opinions on the steering column. I much prefer the modern tilt, and they look just fine in there in my opinion, but I'm also not a fan of the original style columns. I don't know why, just the way it is. To each their own.

[shaunatk]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

your truck is far from a ratrod, nothing wrong with a nice patina, or contrasting old with new, but hey if paint is your goal than do you. Thats whats great about building, its your vision coming to life. Your bringing back a piece of the past and thats whats important. You don't see these everyday so its about having something unique, whether its traditional, stocker, drag, gasser, custom, hot rod, ratrod, streetrod,bomb and whatever other term or style you wanna throw out there, its a piece of art.

Personally, here would be my approach. Cutting frame is not a big deal, and shortening/lengthening bed and running boards are options too, lot of people do it. Its just metal and to get the wheelbase right, front is most important, back has more room to play with. Steering, my opinion s10 columns stick out like a sore thumb, just don't go with the interior, but thats me. It is easy as pie to use and shorten the original tubed column or make your own. Just shorten it, get yourself a roller bearing to fit in the bottom, have your shaft coming out of the bearing, square off the end, get a used or new ujoint to mate to it. There are lots of heim joints and ujoint rigs out there that look like a puzzle to work.

fenders, and body work def eat up time. Less filler the better, but if you got the patience which alot don't. Learn some hammer and dolly work and smooth em out, plenty examples online and heck you can do that on your back porch at home. if you gotta replace some patches thats another thing, but doing and learning that is like anything else.

there are always hurdles to jump through man, if you want it bad enough it will happen. Some guys go years and years before completing something, others can do it in months. End result is getting the thing on the road, heck run the patina for a bit, get it on the road and then paint it later, options are endless. What I'v learned in life so far, depend on as little people as possible!

All I have of the original truck is all of the body panels, as well as interior panels. Original frame and suspension doesn't exist, and the steering column doesn't exist.

I'll hopefully be back to work on it this spring.

[05snopro440]

Originally Posted by shaunatk

All I have of the original truck is all of the body panels, as well as interior panels. Original frame and suspension doesn't exist, and the steering column doesn't exist.

I'll hopefully be back to work on it this spring.

Are you back to work on it yet?