Ok, just bought a 1949 chevy truck..Going to use it for a school hot rod project..My cl*** will be doing most of the the work...after all I am the teacher...so what I say goes...we are going to put it on a early 90s short bed S10 frame...already read the how to...and putting a corvette LT1 with a 4sp auto in it..any advice on rear ends and radiators would be great!..Thank you
First of all, quit calling it a rat rod, or you'll get hammered on this site... I can here the popcorn packages opening up as I type. Call it a hot rod. An 8" would be fine, I don't think a s10 rear would hold up to the lt1 for very long....
why dont you teach them how to build a hot rod , rat rods are **** and why dont you get the rearend and radiator out of the donor car you got the engine and ****** from???
ok....sorry..Hot Rod it is...sorry about the fuel injection also...I got the entire set up for free...hard to complain with that..Im not here to knock any ones style..just for advice to make this project go smoothly..keep in mind that 25 16-18 year old students will be doing the work.....Thank you
You the man for getting an old truck for a cl*** project. I've got a ford f-1. Consider using the original radiator. Also, get out your measuring tape, but check into an early 90's Explorer rear end.
I've looked at the photos of trucks that have had the S-10 ch***is put under them and unless you don't have a decent original frame to build the truck on I would vote against the S-10 setup. The reasons are The track on the S-10 is several inches narrower than the 49 and without thick wheel spacers the wheels will sit way back in the wheel wells. you might get away with running very deep reverse wheels but even then I just don't think it will look proper. The swap requires new mounting brackets, ( the only kit I know of is 1500.00) you end up with a setup that looks like a body lifted 4x4. The cab sits up several inches off the frame. Yes you and the kids can build your own brackets and mounts but that alone will probably eat up a quarter of shop time unless you have them 3 hrs a day.. You will spend more (as in too much for cl*** activity) time getting the cab, nose and bed aligned. You will also have the issue of making bumper brackets hook up to the S-10 frame. All of the issues I mentioned aren't a big deal for a guy working in his garage at home but when you have 15 or more teenagers who's attention span isn't all that long and will loose interest if they don't see progress being made with their efforts. I'd suggest doing what I intend to do with the 48 this go around. Original frame with one of the aftermarket Mustang II style crossmembers and Mustang II suspension. Using Original Mustang pieces isn't that spendy and rebuild pieces (bushings, ball joints and rod ends) won't kill the budget. The weld in cross members can be had fairly inexpensively and if you went with a bolt in they aren't that pricey and are quick and easy to install. I would suggest building a tube crossmember to replace the factory crossmember/trans mount as the rails will twist to the outside with the weight of the cab applying pressure on the ends of the cab mount stub off the frame. Something that will bolt in and keep the rails square to each other when it is driven. For the rear end I would suggest something at least an inch wider than the 74 Nova/Ventura rear end I have under the 48. Standard back spacing wheels won't work with the Nova rear. The reason I make these suggestions is that the truck will go together a lot faster and a lot nicer. Cab, nose and bed will line right up especially with new mounting pads and bushings. It's a couple of cl*** periods to bolt the cab back on not 15 or 20. You won't have to hack up inner fender wells or swap radiator supports and radiators to make things work. I may come off as a bit negative on this but I spent 13 years as a high school vocational auto mechanics Teacher. I found that long term projects were extremely hard to get finished. I've also owned and played with my 48 Chev pickup for most of the past 34 years and in that time I have probably caused myself as many headaches switching things around as I did fun things on the truck. When you are doing a project such as this that has both time and most likely budget constraints it is better to keep it simple.
that was well said and thought out mr48 , but if you really need to use the S10 frame and the original frame is toast there are several threads that can be found on this site using an S10 frame with a 49 chevy cab.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=153719 heres an excellent example..
I think your cl*** project is great. Teaches the kids they don't have to buy everything. They can be resorceful and use what is availble to them. As far as the injection goes....why not use it. You have it. It may not fit in here but neither does the HEI distributor I run. I keep the hood closed an nobody knows. Radiator?? There's lots of options. We've done several of these trucks and have used everything from a box truck radiator to a stock one. I've used the 64/65 Ford AC Mustang radiator in several other projects and it might be a good choice for you. They are small, cheap and have the outlets in the right place. Rearend??.. My truck has a 9 inch ot of a 60's Galaxie. It's a little narrow and needs deep dish wheels. Other trucks we've done have used 10 bolt rears out of Camaro's or Nova's...early seventies. If you have any other questions just PM me. I'd be glad to help you and your cl***. Clark PS ....welcome to the HAMB
Thank you Clark and everyone else so far...I dont think its going to be too difficult...but things change
Chad, We actually had an S 10 rear behind the mill in the Pusher for awhile, the mill in the Pusher makes considerable more zot than an LT1. the 10 bolt S truck rear is the same as a 3rd gen Camero/Firebird. The ring gear has a few chipped teeth and we had to replace the carrier bearings before we put it in a 454 powered '80 Cutless. its still behind the big block that's been somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 years ago. That said I would probably opt for a 9" Ford. That are easier to work with and pretty stout. You can get the chuck right out on the table for setup so it would make a better teaching aid as well. Just my thoughts on the whole deal. For all its worth.
The stock S10 rear will be too narrow if you have a 4x2. If you have a 4x4 rear, it is wide enough. As to the brackets, don't worry about the AD Engineering kit, it is simple enough to make following Clark's instructions or just by fabbing up using some tube stock or angle iron. My front cab mounts are 8" hunks of 4x4" square tubing cut like a step. My rear mounts are the stock shackles bolted into the frame. I've got about $100 in my set up so far. If you are looking for a young man's perspective on this, ask my son. Thread 137385 is about his truck and we just came home from making the motor mounts. We are a little slow but we don't have a shop cl*** to do it in, it is in his grandma's garage when she goes south for winter! The rear end we are using came from a '68 El Camino and is just a standard 10 bolt.
if the rearend is still attached to the frame you are using i would just put the bed on and see if it fits..or break out the tape measure..
Here is another S10 swap link for you to check out. This guy used the S10 rear and put 10" wheels on it and looks great. As for the front just get some spacers. If you want a wider rear you could always get a Nova, Camaro or find a 4x4 S10 rear they are 4" wider. Also you might have to extend your ch***is. I believe that most people that do the S10 swap use a longbed. http://talk.cl***icparts.com/showthread.php?t=6871
I'm in the middle of a '48 Chevy on longbed s-10 ch***is swap right now. Got the body mounted today. We used the rear cab mounts up front and I made a cross member to mount the rear of the cab. My '48 has a rubber mount center of the rear cab, not shackles like in a lot of the posts I've read on here. We almost got done with the steering today, were using the stock column, not s-10. I've been taking pictures of most everything as we go, might post them up in a few weekends when it moves under it's own power. Mounted the cab 1" above the frame, it's real low.
For starters, don't take this the wrong way, but how much experience do you have with this sort of thing? It helps if you teach something that you aren't doing for the first time yourself. Is there any reason that the project can't go on beyond one years cl***es? why hurry, it only creates junk... Late model crossflow radiators tend to be too wide. You can get a new 47-53 radiator in several sizes and in copper or aluminum. Or find a decent used one at a swapmeet or salvage yard or try putting a wanted ad on craigslist.org Or th 64-66 Muskrat could be made to work, as suggested. Try Speedwaymotors.com or Ebay. Second, use a long box or extended cab S10, not a shorty if you can help it. If the ch***is is too short, you will be doing alot of extra frame work unecessarily... unless you plan on tubbing it, you'll need a 4x4 S10 rearend, as others have said. Not sure on the years, but the later S10's with a 4.3L V6 had an 8.5" ring gear in them instead of the puny 7.5". Good luck
you don`t need any kits.. here is mine. it is also on a shortbed frame with the stock s10 rear with spacers.
I have done a 34 olds coupe-, a 37 ford, and a 36 chevy sedan....plus tons of dirt track late model race car fabrication...Everything is a learning process..nobody is an expert when it comes to hot rods and how to build them
i used stock rear cab mounts. and made my own front mounts out of 2x2. it sits about 5 inches off the frame. i have air-ride so i wanted my runnung boards level with the bottom of my frame so when its laid out-everything is on the ground. i used the stock radiator as well. i built the s10 several years ago so, i already had engine and trans in place with v8 swap mounts. it kinda puts the engine too far forward in the engine bay. i worked it out though. it might have been done different if i was starting with a bare frame. i also chopped the top 6 inches and cut my bed 6.5 inches. i think the proportions worked out great. everyone that has seen it in person has agreed.
One technical measurement question for those who have these trucks mounted. What is the angle of the hood supposed to be? We bought pieces to build the truck from so we don't have any reference to start with and the cab we are using for starters has some damage. I don't want to have too much slope to them. I've got an angle finder so if anyone could tell me the relationship to like the door window opening to the center of the hood, I'd appreciate it!
Danimal...best thing to do is bolt the front sheetmetal together and check the gaps on the hood. Clark
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