hey everyone , I already typed this once and lost it so I will make this quick. I am fairly new when it comes to 4 wheels but have worked a lot on bikes, I need some input on a couple of suspension mods and whether or not you think they are in newbie range. I dont have a truck yet but I want my first to be an AD chevy , and I *heart* the looks of those so-what trucks. I want to know how to get my chevy to sit that low and I want some opinions on a couple options. 1st - s10 body swap- sounds really interesting but almost too good to be true , some say its easy ( relatively ) some say its hard and not worth the effort , I know the so-what'ers are and s10s and they look amazing , so the real question is , do you think a newbie could do it? what kind of chassis mods are needed to get it to the ground? what about body mods? 2nd- stock chassis- IFS up front with bags- dont know which one is the cheapest/best, I dont mind saving up for the good shit mustang II kits but I want to know it is absolutely necessary before I dump 3 large on it. any cheaper equally as good scrapyard front ends I should keep my eyes on? at the rear I understand you can step the frame up , or c notch , c-notching obviously being the easier of the 2. but will c notching get me to the ground? is stepping a home garage kind on job or would I farm that out? with the bags on the rear , do those act as your only suspension or do the work in conjuction with leaf springs ( a little confused here) does it need to be 4 link for bags? I know this is probably pretty basic stuff but the stupidest question is the one not asked . I just need a nudge in the right direction so I can have a shortlist for researching. thanks a ton , been here a week and I have learned A LOT thanks from the new guy Ian
i would say if you want it to lay out to out a s 10 frame under the thing.thers a how too s10 swap in the tech section it seems pretty easy.andd for basg you can run bags only ,3 link it 4 link it with bags .leafs and bags really what ever you want depending on what you do.
I put a AMC Pacer front suspension under a 54 pu.The crossmember and suspension are one piece,it was fairly simple.
have you "worked on" bikes, or have you "built" a bike? one rule of thumb i use, if you have to ask if something is within your ability, it probably isn't. if you can measure cut and weld, AND complete a fairly major project, go for the frame swap.
I have built bikes , built engines, ported cylinders, done motor swaps. I'm not really afraid to do whatever, I 'm just trying to figure out what the skill level of the guys who say it is an easy swap. I'm willing to try anything, even if it takes a year to get it right. Ian
I'm doing a 50 right now, how low do you want to go? with the stock frame and a MII front, I am gonna be at about 5" ground clearance to my lowest point. The rear is really hard to get down low on the stock chassis, I estimate that I will only have 2" clearance between the rubber bump and axle using the TCI 4-link kit. Although I can still cut the bump in half to gain an inch if need be. My chassis right now has a 4 degree rake with the front lowest. I don't have pictures right now but maybe within the next month.
I built a '48 6 years ago, and it sat great. I used MII front suspension. Go to my website for more pics. http://www.nucleus.com/~agingles
Doing the S-10 swap is fairly easy. I would say it's a lot easier than doing a subframe and if you can weld a mustang II kit in you can do the swap. With a little thinking you could possibly do it with out welding anything. Hell the fuel and brake lines are already run for you. Clark
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