My version of the s10 swap

[nikwho]

I have a question for you. :-) You used the cheapie universal radiator and a 19k lb. gvw B&M tranny cooler. Is that adequate to keep your tranny cool? I'm considering going the same route. Will that cool as much as a radiator built for an auto tranny? Thanks in advance! Nik

I was planning on ordering these, but I am trying to figure out if they will work well for me.

Jegs radiator:
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/52005/10002/-1

Flex-a-lite tranny cooler:
http://www.jegs.com/i/Flex-a-lite/400/3826/10002/-1

[BlueJeep]

Transmission is shifting fine now, must have had some things sticking from sitting for 6+ years. I'll use a bottle of Trans X and then change the fluid in a couple months.

Put about 100 miles on the truck Sunday to pick up my latest craigslist purchase. The road trip reminded me of several things I need to do:

1. I do need gauges. Right now, when my electric fan turns on I know it's at 195* and I put gas in it when I get nervous about how far I've gone.

2. I need to make a transmission tunnel. My right leg gets good and warm with the hot air blowing up on it. I had been working on version 1.0 of the tunnel, but it's not aesthetically pleasing to me so it's time for version 1.1.

Here's the purchase:






I think it's about as perfect of a fit as I could have hoped for:


Now I can actually keep some things in the truck. Before, I had been worried to put things behind the seat because the cab corners need to be replaced, so anything that rolled toward the sides would be gone. It needs a quick coat of flat black paint to "tone" down the bright white, but that'll come.

[enick72]

Looking good, nice build. I'm in the debate stage of doing an S-10 swap or MII. I think I need to just drive it stock some more which always puts a big grin on my face.

[BlueJeep]

Finally it's getting a little cooler at nights, which brings additional motivation to get something done on the truck. I got this filler panel from Infanti on the board here, it is a prototype filler for 49-54 gas holes in the cab. Here's his website: www.infantimachine.com

Gerry had asked that I install the filler and provide him with my feedback on fit and finish of the panel. He's got it dialed in, because the filler didn't need any additional fitting by me... all I did was clean the area, index it so that the contour matched my cab, and proceed to tack, tack, tack. Here's the pictures:















I'm very happy with the fit and finish of the filler, and I'd say it's a great product that's ready for market.

[NORMSCOLORADO]

excellent work! hoping to do a similar swap for my canopy just gotta get somethin that will fit the wheelbase....

[Groyd]

This may be a dumb question, but do the brake lights run through the wiring harness in the ABS system you deleted? If so, how did you wire up brake lights? I've been contemplating my brake situation and it looks like you did exactly what I want to do, I just am not sure how to do it. Any instruction would be helpful.

[mrchevy1950]

Excellent work and great info on your project. Do you know when an dif that filler patch for the gas hole will be available?

[BlueJeep]

Originally Posted by Groyd

This may be a dumb question, but do the brake lights run through the wiring harness in the ABS system you deleted? If so, how did you wire up brake lights? I've been contemplating my brake situation and it looks like you did exactly what I want to do, I just am not sure how to do it. Any instruction would be helpful.

Nope, ABS has nothing to do with brake lights. There is a separate computer and some leads going to the ECM that have to be cut or removed...I removed them entirely and de-pinned the connectors. I used all the existing wiring going back to the taillights themselves, and used the s10 brake switch on the pedal, just re-mounted it up higher so it isn't visible. The brake switch on the pedal is what controls the on/off of the brake lights.

For the gas filler panel, you'll want to contact Infanti directly.

[Groyd]

Thanks for the quick response. I may have a few more questions for you in the future though, so heads up.

[BlueJeep]

Some more updates. I'd been driving it around thus far without a front bumper, mainly because it was going to take some re-engineering of the brackets and that was a bigger project than I had time for. I finally made time for it. I had to re-build the front bumper brackets because the "rise" in the original ones was too much for the curve of my frame and the swaybar. I made some new center brackets out of 3/8 x 2" strap, and haven't made kickers out to the outer bolt holes yet because I ran out of steel. Those will be much easier. I wanted to get the bumper as close as possible first, then add some adjustability to get it just perfect.

Here's the pics:

[BlueJeep]

I also have grown really tired of the glasspack and turn-down that was in the s10 when I got it. I kept it initially because it was free and it was there, but after driving a couple hundred miles this way I decided to change it. It was loud, and it resonated under the bed with the turn-down, and it made the axle tube hot on the side where it dumped.

So, I ordered up the cheapest muffler Summit had along with a couple 2.5" U-bends and two sticks of 2.5" tubing, and got to work. I re-used all the original s10 exhaust hangars and relocated the back one to the side of the frame rather than under it. I wanted the exhaust to be tucked up so I can lower it more in the future if I decide to, and I wanted it to dump out behind the right rear tire under the fender where it would be barely visible. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and I'm very happy with how much quieter the inside of the cab is now.

The Y-pipe back just behind the oxygen sensor is the OEM s10 pipe, from there back it's my creation:















And walla, here's what I had envisioned from the start:



It's all basic aluminized tubing which I scuffed and painted with engine paint so the welds won't rust.

One of the next projects is finishing up this:

[72-c20]

looks even better in person

[WIDESIDE72]

NICE BUILD!!! I am usually on the 67-72 forums, but yesterday I picked up a LWB S10 roller for $400 and this weekend I am going to look at a 55 1st series 5 window, so I will be in this forum more often.

[BlueJeep]

Well I FINALLY decided which gauges I wanted to go with. I've been driving it around for three months now with no gauges, so it's about time I did something about it. It was a tough decision, but I like the route I went.

Here's the old which will soon come out:


And the new (note the turn signal indicators, hi-beam indicator, and check engine light):


And the window quad...this was what sold me on the New Vintage Woodward series gauges:


I love the old school look and the domed glass lenses. I probably would have ordered the black ones, but my wife said the beige looked better so here we are.

I also picked up this from a guy I met at a local show. It's a little scratched and scuffed, and the 2nd and 4th bars are dented and I'm in the process of trying to straighten them:

[Warrens69GMC]

nice work!!

[Infanti]

Chris,good job on your project.It's coming along nicely.Thanks again for testing my prototype gas hole filler panel.Great pictures by the way.
Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year, Gerry

[BlueJeep]

Originally Posted by Infanti

Chris,good job on your project.It's coming along nicely.Thanks again for testing my prototype gas hole filler panel.Great pictures by the way.
Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year, Gerry

Thanks Gerry!

[BlueJeep]

OK, for the new year here are some updates. My wife said that in order for her to ride in it, and later drive it I had to do a couple of things. First, I have to get rid of the dead mouse smell in it. To do that, I figured the whole thing needs to come down to bare metal and have some fresh chemicals sprayed on it to kill the deceased rodent smell. Next, I had to get rid of the blind spots. Now, I had grown quite fond of the 3 window cab look, but leaving it alone wouldn't gain me any experience in metalworking. Here's where I'm at as of tonight, a VERY rare 4 window cab! Over the next couple of weeks I hope to get more done as I have a date with a sandblaster on 1/15 provided it isn't snowing that weekend.

Here's where I started:


And taking a look to see what's behind the gutter:


I think I can do this, here's what I've got to work with:


No turning back now:


This should save me some welding:

[BlueJeep]

Now I can see progress:


Another angle:


After some more welding and grinding:




So there we have it, the only 4 window cab I've ever seen:


I need to do some re-arranging in the garage so I can start in on the other window, and I need to locate some POR 15 before I weld in the inner panel. I think this just might work!

[Fat Mike]

Looks very good so far! Can't wait to see how it comes out!

[1lo67]

Great job.....nice metal work on the corner glass.
keep it going.

[BlueJeep]

Originally Posted by 1lo67

Great job.....nice metal work on the corner glass.
keep it going.

Thanks! I'm learning....

I love your Suburban. I'm thinking the interior of this truck will be newer Chevy pewter, which may be similar to the color of yours.

[OKGMC4]

I love those gauges. Just curious, how much extra did the indicator lights cost over the regular price?

[BlueJeep]

Originally Posted by OKGMC4

I love those gauges. Just curious, how much extra did the indicator lights cost over the regular price?

About $200 more. It was like $15 per light and the rest was an artwork charge from the company they outsource printing the faces to.

[WIDESIDE72]

Did I miss it?
Where did you get the gauges?