s-10 frames?

Why are there so many people swapping s10 frames under cars? S10 frames were junk the day they were made. most of the frames people are replacing are far superior to the junk they're trying to replace it with. I mean i understand that they're cheap but if you already got a frame under it, it can't be any cheaper than that.

 

I agree. Although my 54 has an S-10 frame under it. I would say because they can be put under just about anything. Easy to shorten or lengthen, quick update braking system. But i'm with you, If you already have a frame.... Use it, For sure if your gonna do a fenderless Rod!!! Jus my 2 cents.

 

There Not all that bad.. The only reason I went to one is that the Original HJ frame was so badly cracked.. I wouldnt go out of my way to buy another HJ to remove the body for the frame and just for the frame... besides.. there easy to get parts for, and there like every thing else fairly new out there , affordability....

 

anybody got a picture of a guy beating a dead horse.

nice thread, but your about 5 years and 30 threads behind others that have said that.

 

oh, oh, oh, wait! I brought popcorn!

 

hahah i knew somebody had it!!!

 

This one's still my fave.....

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Hell, I put an S-10 frame under my S-15 and now it handles like an S-10. The mounts were even the same. Go figure.

 

Dude you are full of shit, The S-10 was never junk , I just replaced the front end of my 51 Pontiac frame with an S-10 section...works great.

 

Anything you said after that was a waste. You painted yourself as an ass by making it personal. So much for Southern charm.

 

Easy Scotty, don't get all worked up. I know the man is really not full of shit. He has an opinion just like everyone else. Just playing the HAMB game.

 

Power steering? Good. Power disc brakes? Good. Ignorant threads years too late to be relevant? No good.

 

Wow. I better replace the frame on my S-10. What should I use?

 

Its simple really someone did it ,,it worked,,they are junk trucks so plenty around,,and since there are so many "s-10 how to's " everyone jumps on teh band wagon and goes with it..cause its easier then thinking up something better..

come on get with the nu traditional hot rodder times

in the end who cares,,if those who do it are happy with the result,,then ...

 

I would think it would be easier to upgrade the suspension on the original frame then cut the body all up to put it on a S10 frame plus they are too narrow for some vehicles.

 

Would be curious to know why S-10 frames would be considered "junk". They might be too narrow for most vehicles, that I'll agree with that, but calling them junk I don't think I would go that far. I'd say they are actually stronger than most early car frames.

 

read ,,I said the trucks,,They all were junk,,rotted out etc,,S-10's,,S-15's.,,,hence tons of dead ones laying around to take teh frames from

 

Maybe because a 10 year old frame is less likely to be a twisted, cracked, cut up piece of junk. Some frames are beyond saving and you have to replace them with something.
Larry T

 

Its a Cop Out for those who dont want to do the Leg work to find The Correct parts or those who really dont care about Traditional or Orginality of there Car.

Replacing it because " IT MAY BE BENT OR ?? " is like replacing the frame on you 1954 Panhead Harley with one from a 1999 Yamaha... My old one MIGHT be bent or rusty... But this New one has SHOCKS on the back & Disc Brakes !!!

Man My Panhead is Gonna be So Safe & updated i could get WAYY more than if it had that Junk 1954 Frame !!

They should write a Book called " HOW TO BUILD A BETTER ABORTION "

 

My comment pertained to the OP. At any rate if a frame swap is what it takes to keep an old car on the road I'd say go for it, better than seeing them things crushed.

 

I'm not using a S-10 but I am replacing the frame on my 56 Custom Cab pickup, not because it MIGHT be bent, cracked, rusted out and half ass repaired, but because it IS bent, cracked.................

And I'm planning to use it as a daily driver, to haul parts and stuff (maybe even a Panhead), drag a trailer with an Anglia on it, so it could use better brakes, more power, etc.........

Different strokes for different folks.
Larry T


BTW, "What it'll bring when I'm finished" has never been a factor when I'm building my own cars and scooters. Sometimes I regret that. :^(

 

A Ford shoebox or F-1 frame...

That's one way to put it.

But if you're looking for an ACTUAL reason why people do it I can provide one. I haven't done it myself, but I was thinking about it for a while, and it's got it's benefits.

I know the reason why people build old trucks on s-10 frames anyway, and it's got a lot to do with road construction. At the time, they were used primarily by farmers... driving down bumpy gravel roads more often than not.

As a result, trucks were designed to drive a little slower, and truck frames at that time were designed to bend and have some 'give' to them to absorb a bit of the shock of driving on shitty roads... and obviously when frames bend and give, body panels flex.

If body panels flex on a rebuild 50-60 year old truck that's been rebuilt & body worked... then any body filler you might have used is even more prone to cracking than usual. So rather than taking body filler out of the equation, they take the flexible frame out of the equation. Since s-10 frames are narrower and have similar wheel base and track width to many 1/2 ton trucks of the day, and they're easy to come by in THIS day & age... they get used.

AGAIN... haven't personally done it... probably won't... but have done some research and (other than opening the door for disc brakes, power steering, cruise control, and making dropping a shiny billet corvette engine in there) this is the logical reasoning behind it.

I find it quite interesting... in a completely non-traditional way.

Agreed.

 

Wow, if your sorta new at this or haven't been working on cars for a while like the last 5 years or 10 - 15 years seems best to do a lot of reading and keep you key pad silent.. never thought I'd see the day car guys would be so ridged about what is cool and what is not.. I always look at our hobby like painting, and a car of any kind
is a blank canvas.. I'm not into low riders or rock crawlers or vintage pure original stuff. but I can enjoy them just because of the amount of work envolved to create a vehicle or bring one back from the dead.. I'm from back in the day 70's my brothers the 50's my Dad from the 30's and we all had our own style and taste. We also helped each other and others even if we wouldn't personaly do it "that way" we were family. and cars were the bond.... just a thought..

 

There's really nothing wrong with S-10 frames and suspension. You have to know what they are and where they come from. It is a truck application of the GM Intermediate suspension system used in Camaro, Monte Carlo, Chevelle, Astro, etc. All the same brakes, A-arms, geometry. It did what it was intended, compromise specific performance for wide utilization. This makes it a natural for any kind of transplant.
It is widely accepted and you will even find a tech thread in the Tech Archives here on the HAMB. The problem is, it has become cliche and a catch all for every newbie that knows little of traditional construction and cares even less. They want a cool ride on the outside, but have neither the money nor patience to put anything together in a vintage fashion on the inside. It is Kit Car building for the underpriviledged. The true testament to this new state of affairs is the generally poor execution widely seen today.
For example, You have an old sled or fat fendered orphan and the OE running gear is pretty rough. Restoration of the OE parts is too costly for your budget, but your heard how simple it is to do a S10 swap, or stub, or clip, or whatever.

You want your ride low, gotta have the stance. But the S10 floor is 6-8 inches higher than what you started with.... That's OK, you can drop the S10. Hmmm... That didn't come down that far. Wait, let me channel the body some.... Hmmm... Now I need to climb UP to get into my sled. Oh well, I sit kinda funny and not much head room after I chop the top a few inches, but... Uh oh. It still looks kinda tall. Let me chop the top a bit more.... I guess that's OK. Let me get some paint on this thing before I run outta money. What? Metal flake is expensive? I can make do with flat black for now... What color should I paint the wheels? I have $7.47 left over. That's enough for two cans of red Krylon! Kick Ass! I'm a Hot Rodder!


So what you get is a compromised chassis under a compromised body, with a compromised interior and compromised finish on your compromised metalwork, oh, and then you compromise the OE suspension of your S10 to make it look half assed.

Any of this making sense? You ever see an S10 chassis in Rodder's Journal? Rod & Custom? Street Rodder? Ol' Skool Rods? I figure if we keep going, eventually you get your name in lights at Viva....

One more, Is anyone ever going to place any value on a car that has an S10 frame instead of a faithfully restored original?

 

I would never consider an S-10 frame swap for a Bugatti or Duesenberg but almost all swaps involve mass produced cars. Sure some stuff is too rare or too pristine to hack up but when your dealing with a rusted hulk that has nothing left of the frame (like I am) your faced with either turning it into a part's car or using what is laying around to get the car back on the road cheaply and as safely as possible. There are well done S-10 frame swaps and badly done ones. I am sure there were plenty of very badly done hot rods back in the day that were built using traditional parts. Crummy welds and workmanship isn't something new, half-assed work has been around as long as there have been talentless lazy hacks.

I thought this was a forum dedicated to modifying cars, not a full on restoration forum The only thing that matters is the end product is safe and the owner has a big smile on their face everytime they take out their ride.

 

Thats it right on the $$,,very well put !!

and no not 'dedicated" to modified cars some are mild restos ,,some have lots of mods,,some are just original survivors..

and there is a difference in the value of an old car that was sub frame or something and a s-10 conversion

This is what most like to refer to as a "traditional hot rod site...more or less meaning modified with what was avail. back in the day

 

Ranger frames make a nice hotrod.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965...ewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item20adcd6d1e

 

yeah thats what it is..I'm to fucking lazy to make a 58 year old frame safe for my wife and grand daughters to ride in...so I take the easy way out by pulling the body off the frame, cutting a S-10 frame and fitting the front section to my 51 Pontiac frame, then because I'm just too sorry to fix up that wore out rear spring set up. I cut the coil spring rear out of a 78 Impala and weld in the complete coil setup. See this way I have safe disc brakes and a safe set of rear brakes.

 

The reality of the situation is that most traditional parts are becoming more and more scarce. Some cars have front end parts that are either simply unobtainium or are so expensive that a rebuild of the front end would cost as much as a motor rebuild. I really like hot rods built with 40s-60s speed equipment with the old school look, hence my joining this board. But I am not going to go around on my soap box telling everyone else that does something I don't care for is lazy. People building with what they can scrounge and buy for cheap is more in line with the original spirit and tradition of hot rodding than some guy spending tens of thousands of dollars to get that perfect period correct hot rod.