does anyone have any ideas or experiences with 1938 chevy truck put on an s-10 frame and is there a year that works best? thanx for reading and hope to hear some ideas....newby here
I put a 37 chevy on a 2011 s10 with a honda moter and allison ******. Its fast as hell and looks very traditional,I got my ideas from a book by ed roth. go buy a 2010 s10 and then the most expensive honda/hunday moter you can buy and your all set. good luck let us know the outcome
the best frame for a 1938 chevy truck , is well a 1938 chevy truck frame, ! and you all ready got one . why all this ,i can beat the system ********, and install a s 10 frame thing ??? it won't be or look right if you pull it off anyway. and a nipon motor ????????????? give us a break, that ain't old school ? thats no school !...man...
I bought a 37 PU a while back that was sitting on an S10 frame. PO gave up on it and unloaded it. Cab is too narrow for the frame. He had cut big notches in the outside of the frame so the front of the cab would sit down over it. Luckily I got the original frame with the deal. First thing I did was to set the cab back on the original frame and sell the frame to someone else who heard that the S10 frame will fit under anything.
surprised you got away with no intro! have to agree with the crowd on using a s10 frame for this truck.
The S10 frame is like a car frame in that under the cowl it gets much wider - not quite a perimeter frame, but the same general shape as the frames GM used under all their body on frame p***enger cars. Now up front they are also wide, with a cross flow radiator and a steering box on the frame rail, making it just about impossible to hang the even more narrow front end of a '30s truck on one. As such, there is no S10 frame that easily fits a '38 Chevy. Nor is there any reason to use one except sheer laziness. There are dozens of easy ways to upgrade the existing frame. I just can't understand the leap in logic that some people make that it's easier to fabricate all new body mounts from front to back, than it is to change a rearend and swap in another front suspension setup, when for a lot of these early cars and trucks there are literally bolt-in kit options out there.
Agree with those recommending an S-10 or anything other than the original frame. Getting the front sheet metal aligned right and getting the gaps halfway even is enough of a challenge using the stock frame, any other frame and it will be a real nightmare. Ch***is Engineering makes everything you need to mount upgraded suspension and just about any popular engine/trans combo you want. Even if you fabricate your own engine and trans mounts, etc., it will be less work that making body mounts to put a '30s truck on an S-10 frame.
Good thing this thread popped up before embarking on the swap for me. I too have a '38 Chevy truck, and just bought a '89 S10 for the swap. I guess I wont be going with this after all. Whats a good front and rear end to swap the original 38 components with? I see that Mustang II kit on ebay, is that a good choice? or what else is? Also, is a typical Ford 9" still a good bet for the rear?
I'd go with a Mustang II way before an S-10 frame. Just an easier way to go all the way around. Personally the ride of a straight axle doesn't bother me but to each their own.
i'd bet dollars to donuts it's just as much or more work to do the s10 ch***is as would be to just throw a mustang II and a 9" on the original frame.
I looked into this a few years back for my own '38 1/2 ton. I decided that the S-10 would not work just by looking at a frame and doing some measurements.....I really did not want an S-10 under my truck as I can't stand an S-10 "anything" (hate S-10s with V8 conversions the most....but that is just me.... I looked around for a year and found a nice '38 frame on Craigs, drove 7 hrs one way to get it, and am happy now. Mine will have a8.5 10 bolt, TH350 and 327 along with a lifted straight axle front.....just starting on it now... Tom
Here's a good reason for using an S-10 frame: THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!! Parts are dripping off craigslist and they are CHEAP!! I've got a 55 dodge with a locked up plymouth engine, why rebuild that old and rare turd? I could care less if anyone ever looks at the engine, my plan is to have a reliable shop truck. oh, and one that rides well! Now if the frame isn't gonna work then it just isn't gonna work, I've never looked at '38 frame or cab too close.
Since Kettle Falls is about 50 miles beyond the end of the known world he probably hasn't figured out that he needs an intro. Hotrodbri I would have to think that the guys explained it pretty well. It isn't a good fit on a stock S-10 frame because the frame is too wide for the cab. I'm with the others in that it will end up working a hell of a lot better on the 38 frame with a Mustang II style crossmember and suspension under it. You might want to do an intro and then tell us a bit about the truck as it sits now and why you are contemplating a frame swap rather than using the original frame and modifying it.
Way more when you start fighting with sheet metal alignment on the front end. Plus the AD truck guys usually space the cab up several inches off the frame so that the runningboards will work right.
Ya know, If you take that S-10 and a 55 gallon drum of bondo, you could make it look kinda like a 38 Chevy, and the weight will lower it too!
The S-10 rear end may be just about right to go under your truck if the gear ratio is in the ball park of what you want. Measure it and see how it compares to the width of the original rear end.
Don't really understand why such negativity, sarcasm, and self imposed forum nazi's need to surface all the time, but after you waste time cutting through the ********, there is actually some really good information here. Let's stay on topic people. The HAMB will be a better place without the excrement.
Loppy (and the OP) The GOOD S-10 Frame Swap List http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274702 The BAD First post S-10 frame swap http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=609838 FNG S-10 Clip/full frame ? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=614516&highlight=10 FNG S-10 frame VIN question http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=577207 FNG S-10 V8 swap question http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=567612 FNG 1946 Ford S-10 Ch***is http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54336 FNG frame swap http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=618853 FNG S-10 Frame swap question http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=596254 FNG S-10 Frame swap question http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=607351 The UGLY Fixing a frame swap http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=601933 This is roughly within the past year. Many are closed. If you spend some time looking around and gauging the room and listening (reading older posts) before asking a question, you might not get the kind of replies you see here. It has been a rite of p***age here for many years. Ask a question that shows you have just rushed in and not paid any attention, and you get some grief. Ryan has laid a lot of this out in the READ THIS FIRST post at the top of the "New to the HAMB?" page http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44274 BTW, the other one that will get this kind of response is asking about getting a ***le for something you already bought. That varies by state, and is something that should have been thought about before purchase. There are a bunch of posts on how to do this, and it changes each year. It can often change depending on which clerk handles your issue.
Yeah this was entirely my line of thinking. I plan on driving it as a DD, and need something very easy to get parts for, and easy to fix. I figured with the asinine amounts of aftermarket following for S10's, that would be a good idea. Too bad it seems like SO much work. Stupidly enough I never considered swapping the whole front end. Thats probably the easiest path right there. agreed
The HAMB will be a better place when we have no more S-10 frame swap threads. This is the new rat rod fad, the new Flat Black with Red Wheels. Get off your ***es and learn something about king pins, banjos and wishbones. It's about Traditionals Rods & Customs, folks. Go back to page one and read the Charter. Think I'm being a forum Nazi? I can live with that.
I have a Chevy S-10 frame...under my Chevy S-10. It is my daily driver. The frame fits great! It get's great mileage while I haul all of the parts I need for my Hot Rod around. It look especially good when it was hauling my early hemi in the bed. I got more thumbs up when I hauled the un-rebuilt hemi around in the bed of the S-10 than when I drive my hot rod!
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