hello everyone. im mike and im just getting into coes and have a few questions... first, ive been looking around here for a few days and i love seeing all the custom coes on here !! im looking at buying a 51 gmc and im trying to get as much info as i can before i jump into another project -would you recommend a 2000ish s10 or silverado for a donor?? -std cab short bed for donor?? would that frame need any modification to get a 6ft bed to sit nice on there? -what size beds are you guys running? and can you post a pic of it?? id like a shorter bed. 6ft but not 8ft im going to try and keep as mush as the factory wiring from the donor so i can run ac, abs, obd2 port, ect. thank you mike
I would recommend you advertise and buy one that runs and drives and put your touch on it... its quite a project and there seems to be a lot around... Not to many Fords tho.... Mine is available, hufr@msn.com
Maybe it's just me but the only thing I'd put on an S10 frame is an S10. Not that their bad, but I want my trucks to actually be equipped to haul ****. If you're thinking Silverado but want a six foot bed you'll want to go with a standard cab short bed. Even at that, you're going to need to do some work so it won't look awkward. Look at the side profile of a Silverado and the side profile of your COE. The cab sits significantly further forward than the Silverado does, so you will need to close the gap somehow. I think an eight foot bed might look better and be less work anyway. Also, how good are you at ECM and wiring harness mods? If you just said "HUH?" then go with a MUCH earlier ch***is than a 2000. The LS engine is great but you'll need to seriously modify the wiring harness just to get it transplanted from the Silverado to the COE. If you're looking for simplicity stick with a carbed engine and auto trans that don't require computers. Then again, if you're looking for simplicity don't get into this build without some previous experience. Like Verde said above, find a completed truck and make it your own. You'll be time and money ahead, guaranteed.
Maybe you already have, but my suggestion is to go to shows and find a COE and look it over carefully, see what fits where, and why, then do as I did, sit down and do some accurate sketching to get the look you want. When this is done, you can start looking for a frame that fits your build. Rome wasn't built in one day! I got lucky and found a silhouette of my cab so I could incorporate that into my drawing. There was a ton of info on Willysbill's website, anyone know the address to it nowadays?
thanks for the replies guys, daddio i use an s10 now as a daily driver and dont haul too much as it is, but its nice to have the ability to haul something lol i basically plan to just replace the s10 cab with the coe cab. so as for wiring, i would relocate it all and do a lot of extending wires and finding ways to incorporate the new warning lights into the old style gauges and dash. i know its not just that easy lol but it will take a lot of planning to make it look/work right. since im not the good with wiring, relays ect. i figure this would be the easiest way for me to accomplish the my goal. steve, i know what i want in my head. i want to try and match the look of pics ive seen and see what i have to do get there. lol mike
Makes sense Mike, but something else to consider is how narrow the S10 is compare to the COE. An old COE fits on a fullsize truck ch***is pretty well, but the S10 is probably 8-10 inches narrower. There's going to be a sizable gap to fill. You could probably do it with negative offset wheels, but you're probably looking at 10 or 12" wide wheels at that point. Wide wheels put a lot of undue stress on bearings and suspension components.
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