S10 Swap how to

[hoppin5478]

Originally Posted by joedoh

to add to that, all 2wd s10 trucks and blazers use the same front frame half and different rear frame halves that are longer or shorter (or a different shape in the case of the blazer) to make the different wheelbases. there is a factory weld joint where the rear section is slipped inside the front section, its roughly under where the door was, and you can grind the factory welds and slip it apart, cut off the extra, and slip it back together and weld it. a slip joint is a little easier to keep square and weld strongly than a butt joint.

This is an awesome site and especially thread! I'm just finishing another project and starting my 51 short bed. I've been doing my homework, taking inventory and trying to locate a S10 for a reasonable price. Unfortunately the single cab long beds don't seem to be nearly as common as they use to but being able to look out for the longer chassis will give me more options. That slip joint will make life a lot easier if I go that route. Thank you for the info.

[steve aleve]

I just ordered a set of 20" Ridler 695's with a machined lip for my 54 that's on an S-10 frame. The specs are below.

Fronts:
695 - 2861g
20 x 8.5 (4.75 backspace)

Rears:
695 - 2161g
20 x 10 (5.5 backspace)

I have a 4wd blazer axle on the back and I wanted to check with anyone who has used this setup to see what kind of spacers will be needed if any (front and back). I have seen a few that have 2" spacers on the rear axle but it has been on 2wd axles. any info will be appreciated!

Thanks

[skymangs]

you will need 2" spacers or the front and none on the back.

[steve aleve]

Thanks Chris!

[skymangs]

you bet.

[joedoh]

yeah depending on what model s10 it came from there can be a lot to hide but the only really extra thing is the HVAC and radio wiring, everything else gets used.

[motorhead153]

I took every ones advice and managed to successfully shorten my extended cab short bed frame! It went smoothly and I plan on starting my own build thread soon, but for now here are some pictures.

[ThadandDad48]

Doing this swap on an S10 short wheel base which I moved the rear end back 8" on. Everything has been going as planned but just ran into a snag and hope someone else may have already solved this. The gas tank will not fit under the cab and front of the bed because the cross-member it mounts to is about 8" farther forward than it should be. Has anyone else run into this problem and is there an easy solution? Really don't want to spend $400 on a gas tank and then lose the ability to have a spare carried under the back of the bed. Thanks for any insight you guys may have.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by ThadandDad48

Doing this swap on an S10 short wheel base which I moved the rear end back 8" on. Everything has been going as planned but just ran into a snag and hope someone else may have already solved this. The gas tank will not fit under the cab and front of the bed because the cross-member it mounts to is about 8" farther forward than it should be. Has anyone else run into this problem and is there an easy solution? Really don't want to spend $400 on a gas tank and then lose the ability to have a spare carried under the back of the bed. Thanks for any insight you guys may have.

the gas tank crossmember is held in with rivets, and the front strap is bolted in. you can drill the rivets in the crossmember and slide it back in the frame, and redrill new holes for the front strap bolts. you shouldnt need 8 inches, only a couple inches to clear the top of the tank where the stepdown is. keep in mind, the further you move it back the higher it will get. I did this on my 65 which was a std cab stretched the same as yours, because the gas tank hit the floor (it was the stock s10 floor) when I moved the cab back. in the original position the floor did not hit the tank.

this is also pretty common to do on bagged s10s because the gas tank hangs ever so slightly below the frame.

I would double check the height of your body mounts, if you are mounting the body super low for a slammed stance, you will have this problem even with a longbed truck.

[ThadandDad48]

Originally Posted by joedoh

the gas tank crossmember is held in with rivets, and the front strap is bolted in. you can drill the rivets in the crossmember and slide it back in the frame, and redrill new holes for the front strap bolts. you shouldnt need 8 inches, only a couple inches to clear the top of the tank where the stepdown is. keep in mind, the further you move it back the higher it will get. I did this on my 65 which was a std cab stretched the same as yours, because the gas tank hit the floor (it was the stock s10 floor) when I moved the cab back. in the original position the floor did not hit the tank.

this is also pretty common to do on bagged s10s because the gas tank hangs ever so slightly below the frame.

I would double check the height of your body mounts, if you are mounting the body super low for a slammed stance, you will have this problem even with a longbed truck.

I am not going really low so that should not be a problem. I will go look at how far back I need to go. I measured when I found the problem and the frame flattens out before you can get 8" back so cannot move the cross member back 8" but like you said may be able to go back less. Thanks

[kirsch11]

skymangs,

Can you provide details on how to fit the original Steering wheel with the gearhead enterprises steering column you discussed.

[joedoh]

I think it just looks like you might have the bed floor higher than you actually need it, I usually set it up so the floor sits on that high point of the frame over (what was) the center of the axle. its a good place for a floor if you are bagging the truck though, where you have it, because you need just the tiniest of a notch to lay out and the pumpkin will actually hit the floor where I set it up.

[skymangs]

I've done that on several of my builds. check out sean s -53 Chevy, cecil. basically you gotta buy a new horn retainer, drill 2 5/16th holes in it. be sure to align one hole with the factory feed wire, put the other hole about opposite the first. then you'll need to cut a small tab of 18ga. bend it in a 90deg angle, then weld it to the lower plate in such a way as that 1 piece sticks through the second hole not touching the upper plate. when you put it on, plug the ground into your welded tab. you see on the new column is energized on the top plate and grounded through the bottom. The original column energized the lower and grounded the top. we just need to find a way to reverse it. you will have to take about a 1/2" off the back of the wheel, you can use a grinder, it's just bakelite. I've tried used retainers 3 or 4 times, they never work. clear as mud, huh
for the wheel just shave it flat. I don't have a picture... then I go to the plumbing section of my local hardware store and buy a black rubber 4" pipe cap, to cover the guts of the column. here's some pictures.

[skymangs]

this is what I do with the steam tubes. I just hook a hose straight from the tubes to the back of the wp. I use a 1/8" tap and a 1/8" 90 degree brass elbow with 1/8 NPT threads, never cap the steam tubes, they pull condensation from the heads. they are especially important in the winter!

[KRFitz]

Hi Guys, I'm exploring my options to do an S10 swap and was wondering if many have left part of the S10 cab floor, firewall, brake assembly and blended the old cab to that? I'm using the stock 4.3 motor and know its recommended to move it back, but if you could use a push fan in front and leave the motor and firewall, it would sure make for a quick swap. Thanks,

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by KRFitz

Hi Guys, I'm exploring my options to do an S10 swap and was wondering if many have left part of the S10 cab floor, firewall, brake assembly and blended the old cab to that? I'm using the stock 4.3 motor and know its recommended to move it back, but if you could use a push fan in front and leave the motor and firewall, it would sure make for a quick swap. Thanks,

Welcome to the forum KRFitz.

The S10 swap dimensions and mounting points revolve around the center hub of the front wheels. The front fenders need to be centered over the wheels. That then dictates where the radiator and cab are situated in relation to the fenders. Unfortunately, those requirements also mean the engine can't stay where it is. I tried, I failed. Oddly, the moving back of the engine and getting a different drive shaft isn't even the hard part of the swap.

You'll find a few build threads on here, including mine, where parts of the firewall are used from the S10. The brake booster and pedal are also used to make the swap much easier. Definitely read some build threads on S10 swaps. I learned almost everything just from reading the builds here and I now have a running driving truck.

Best of luck with the build!

[KRFitz]

Thanks for your reply Gigamanx! I totally understand. Is it possible, or advantageous to use all the fire wall with brake/booster,electrical parts, etc, from the S10 and fit onto old cab?

[joedoh]

i have done it, saves a lot of time. this is the result on the latest 41

IMG_7071 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

IMG_7798 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

IMG_7808 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

IMG_7810 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

IMG_7831 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

53903435651__00F3FF95-B2F2-4A50-83B6-5E7D8B59F402 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

IMG_8262 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

IMG_8360 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

[KRFitz]

Great. Thanks for the photos. So really the only portion of the fire wall worth using is where the brake booster and pedal mount?

[Black93GT]

Originally Posted by joedoh

i have done it, saves a lot of time. this is the result on the latest 41

Oh man I wish I did that. Drilling and grinding the firewall to match was time consuming.



Fitz
The rear end selection is a balancing act. Know your transmission gearing. Make a flexible decision on wheel and tire combo... Then a target cruise RPM based on your goal of acceleration vs highway speed. At that point you can calculate what rear end gearing and width you'll need. You can order a custom rear end, but for readily available junkyard parts you may have to change a few decisions.

It may be sacraligeous but I'm running an explorer rear end in my truck. It's the right width for my wheels and the 3.73 ratio I needed to give me a comfortable RPM to cruise 75-80mph on the freeway.

[skymangs]

depends if they are 5-4.75 or 5-5. 5-4.75 is the bp on all mid sized GM, `and is the most widely used bp on the market. 5-5 is what the big GM's used. that's your fullsize cars. a little more difficult to move, but still very saleable.

[steve aleve]

Originally Posted by skymangs

depends if they are 5-4.75 or 5-5. 5-4.75 is the bp on all mid sized GM, `and is the most widely used bp on the market. 5-5 is what the big GM's used. that's your fullsize cars. a little more difficult to move, but still very saleable.

They are the 5x4.75.

Great info thanks! That will help me when I list them.

[8man]

I'm collecting parts for my build. I was wondering if this was a correct rear axle for the S10 conversion for an AD truck?

Description:
Rear Axle Assembly
4.3, AUTO, 4X4 3.73 RATIO (OPT GT4), LOCKER
Fits:
2000 Oldsmobile Bravada
(3.73 ratio, opt GT4)

Also, the S10 frame is a 85, do different years matter for the rear axle?

Thanks.

[joedoh]

the bravada axle will be 2 inches wider per side than a 2wd, so yes that will work.

year of s10 does not matter, there are only small differences over the run.

[KRFitz]

Need advice on lowering chassis. I have set my box down onto my 2001 S10 chassis. It looks like the box needs to drop down another 6"- 8". Other than a 2" -3" block to drop the leaf spring, what else can I do to make up the rest? Would be nice to keep from having to raise the bed floor up. What is the tallest (functionally acceptable) lowering block?