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49 chevy s10 swap project booger

41K views 628 replies 54 participants last post by  Mostizzle 
#1 ·
so the 65 is winding down and I am getting itchy. its not an STD, I like having something to goof around with so I am going to put a 49 on an s10 chassis.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
― Winston Churchill

here is the 49 (very important for titling) 3600 flat bed, came with 8 boxes of original spares, but sadly no bed and no glass. Spiders and bullet holes included free though. I made a low offer because it had a 65 tag on it, and to my surprise he said "have at it!".




the front springs were broken at the rear shackles so I opted for the adult option instead of the 20 yr old lets-crawl-around-in-dirt-and-push-this-on-a-borrowed-trailer-for-6-hours.


now its home, I have to clean it out and get a couple tetanus boosters



got a couple of these, plus the one in the cab,

a couple diverter valves in the boxes, newish OEM bumpers, a refinished oem painted grille, and just loads of extra stuff, gauges, weatherstripping, etc.

scored a set of patina matching running boards today too, no more shortys.


got a bed the other week, rusty front panel but of no concern.








I actually planned to use my 98 longbed under this but my wife has an attachment to that truck, she likes being able to haul all kinds of crazy crap and do it with an automatic transmission and air conditioning. I am swapping rear end gears in my 65, so I have been cruising craplist for a disc blazer rear end. I stumbled on a guy selling a 4.3 and auto trans for a sonoma. the ad says he bought it from an impound auction, the owner rolled it and didnt have comprehensive insurance. He bought it for parts so he cut the roof off and gutted it. I get there to look at it and it is a 2003 with 79k miles. (!) I gave him $300 for everything seen below.



stuck my rallies on it so I can sell the swirls.

I verified the mileage and the startup, the rad has a hole in it so we didnt run it long but the oil is clean and the trans fluid very red. its literally everything I need and I dont have to anger the wife god by tearing apart the tremendously useful longbed I already had. I am going to rebuild the front suspension because I can tell one of the balljoints is bad.



with the 49 behind it!


its an extended cab, so I have to decide on shortening it, or back halfing it. My brother in law and sister in law both work at a steel place so I get really good deals on metal. but I dont want to have to mess with this one too much... I do have some ART arms I got from a member here



and I have the necessary parts of an airbar to make the rear work. and some cups and bags. and some manual valves. hmmm.

I bought all the lumber and chain falls for a body crane, and I have patterns for the s10/47-55 body mounts and a plasma, and I just got an engine hoist. and its spring!
 
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#4 ·
thanks, I couldnt get the money out fast enough! he even delivered it for free, that saved me $100 on a tow. he sold the fuel pump already but the guy called him and said it didnt work on his truck, so I might get it tomorrow for $20.

I have a bunch of stuff for the swap already, the aluminum radiator, b&m trans cooler, engine mounts (the engine needs to move back about 5 inches), some sweet 2014 mustang GT mufflers, all new glass and rubber seals, and the 91 s10 pedal assembly. I learned that lesson on the 65, the 1998+ pedals are aluminum and difficult to modify. the 91 pedal mount is steel.




here is why it is important to have a 49 as opposed to a 50 or later.


a 49 can be titled on a bill of sale, assuming there isnt a contested ownership that is. but a 50 and later needs a MVE inspection. and the guys who do that here in ks are pretty big sphincter cops. my 65 started out as a 62 until the MVE.
 
#6 ·
yes. the 91 pedal mount can be modified to work on the 49 firewall (because its steel) and then the tilt column will bolt to it. I need a 91 booster for the right length attachment rod and then the 03 master bolts to the 91 booster.

thinking of ditching the abs on this one. it still isnt hooked up electrically on the 65 but kylie had a real pain in the ass time relocating it.
 
#7 ·
Right on. I have mixed feelings about ABS. I'm all for it as far as the big picture goes, but there seems there always some kind of problems with it on a lot of different vehicles. I think every GM with ABS that I have ever owned has had the low speed ABS activation problem.
 
#10 ·
thats the second bed I found, the first I found by looking in the background of a craigslist ad and seeing he had a bunch of trucks.



that bed had less rust and a better floor but a big dent in the bedside and fender from a tree. this latest one, the craigslist ad was only 4 hours old and I was already picking it up. gotta move fast when you see them!
 
#11 ·
neat checking rpo codes in the glovebox, it had one for leather steering wheel. I checked and sure enough.


today I started tearing down. I am having flashbacks of working assembly of insulated flue pipe and needing flannel full length shirts. there is little bits of glass EVERYWHERE, my hands and elbows are a mess and I have to be careful not to wipe my face. but I got a good chunk done, all the vents and harnesses separate from the dash, airbags out, steering column dropped.



I will finish the firewall side tomorrow and get whats left of the cab off the frame, cut out the HVAC mounts, steering mounts, and trans bump off the firewall for use on the 49. Work smarter not harder.

I will be putting some stuff up for sale, the 03 dash/radio surround, the 03 double din radio, the leather steering wheel and airbags, and some more stuff.

also, looking at the frame a little today it looks like it may be wagged a little from the crash. when I grind the seam to shorten it I may need a new front clip. my grin is still pretty big on the price though, even if I need a front frame. there are a couple on the local craplist for 100-150, I should be able to sell at least that much stuff off this donor, if not even more.
 
#12 ·
I stripped the firewall today and removed the s10 cab.




pulled what was left of the s10 firewall and floor


started prepping to pull the 49 cab. pulled the steering wheel and column and the pedals. used the grinder and cut off wheel to remove anything stubborn like the seat frame and the shifter and the gas tank That worked so well that I just buzzed everything on the firewall that would keep the cab from lifting. that went so fast I used it to disconnect all the radiator and heater hoses and everything else. what a satisfying medieval tool. just bzz bzz your troubles away.
need to clean out the cab, thinking compressed air will do it. I dont want to suck up all the raccoon turds with my shop vac.


tomorrow I will pull the 49 cab, clearance it a bit, and plop it on the s10 frame.
 
#21 ·
well I would take the help, I always tell the gals they will regret not spending this time.

if there was anyone else I would want working with me, its kylie. we worked together on the 65, then I helped rewire his garage, and both of those projects were beyond great as far as working together toward a common goal. my wife is being understanding given how much of the addition that was actually done by me, she knows I want to get this done and sold and build the shop out back.

anyway, enough drabble about myself.

I got the firewall bits I want to use cut out



and the rest chopped up and thrown away


then I swept the "shop"


then I went cruising. today's weather was just staggeringly brilliant, so I went cruising for about 3 hours. downtown, west, east. helped my brother buy a stove, the guy had two shelbys a gt500kr and a 67 he was building as a clone. he gushed over my truck and I gushed about his cars but declined my request for a couple pictures. I did take a snap of mine in his driveway though.


he has a set of vintage thrush aluminum turndowns I would love to buy at his upcoming garage sale.



does anyone know what brand this bedcover is? its pretty roached from the rollover but looks like a high quality cover.
 
#27 ·
hell yes I am running the s10 drivetrain! it has 79k miles. I have to move the engine back 5 inches.

made a deal on a longbed rolling frame not fiiiiiiiiiive minutes ago.


it was more than I wanted to pay, but I was looking for any frame, and this doesnt need shortened or lengthened. I figure 3 hours of my time is worth the difference.

working alone, using the rattle gun to take off the body bolts, neither the wrench nor the ratchet would stay put. this worked great


my powerful spidey senses tell me the front mount isnt quite ready to let go after 84 years.



mo I have the upper drivers hinge. it has a brace spot welded to the back or I would have it off. I am out of cut off wheels. I'll get it though.



this is probably the last thing I will get done until after easter.
 
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