S10/Ranger frames for swaping....

I think a Tech question, maybe someone else wants to know also... Why is the S10 the most utilized frame for transplanting under older trucks (and cars)?? Thanks in advance.

 

Wheel base.

 

I'm doing one right now.

The wheelbase is proper for my 50 Chevy truck.

They are cheap to buy and easy to find parts for.

They are narrow enough to fit under the cab. Lots of cars, like Cutlass and such are too wide for the cab to fit on the frame.

Decent gear ratios for highway cruising.

Good bolt pattern for wheel availability.

They sit very low without significant mods.

No major fabrication like a clip is. The front sheetmetal mounts, bumper mounts, and radiator mounts must be dealt with though. Not near as big of a deal as splicing two frames together though.

 

So, the S10 specifically is better wheelbase than the Ranger??? All other factors mentioned would be comparable I would think...

 

I'm using an S10 because I was a mechanic for the post office for years and mail trucks are based on S10 chassis. That's what I know.

Most Rangers that I would be able to afford for a donor would be twin I beam front end..

Besides, it's a Chevy under a Chevy.

 

Track width. It's more important than wheel base. Wheel base is relativly easy to change. The s 10 takes a SBC easily. Its a pretty stout frame too. The ranger has a crap frame, even if it didn't have the twin I beam

 

I sell wheels, and I know that a ranger has a higher offset
wheel compared to a s-10. Rangers also use I-beam set up
(bad) S-10's are a-arm (good) I used a long bed s-10 frame. My cab is 4.5"s off the frame and I can put the running boards on the ground. The s-10 is very cheep to build. I used a 4x4 rear they are wider then 2x4 rear. Most people use wheel adapters in front 1.5" thick. I like mine
tucked under in the front. This is my first build. I think it turned out ok.

 

Hey Onelow/Hillbilly,

I'm about to start a '50 Chevy PU on a '96 S-10 frame. Do you guys have any pics of your projects???

I was inspired by the So-What and the WZ Junk trucks seen here on the HAMB...
TD

 

what about the blazer frame as compared to s-10? are they the same?,wheelbase, etc. and what years are good for say a 50 chevy tk. thanks and later horty

 

the main issue with blazer frames, is get a 4 door frame, the 2 doors are too short, its easier to shorten than lenghten. more of a kick up in back i think too.

 

I'm using a 96 Blazer 4dr chassis under my 49 Studebaker P/U. I have a 91 S-10 chassis sitting next to it. The main difference is the kick up in the rear behind the cab. The Blazer is almost flat where the P/U has 4-5 more inches of rise. Something else to consider is that the rails on my Blazer chassis are boxed the entire length and the S-10 isn't. As far as the Ranger chassis goes, I believe (could be wrong) Ford went to a control arm setup around 96 on the Ranger and Explorer, making them a more desireable swap than previous years.

The Blazer chassis I got was a rollover. My cousin wanted the engine and trans for a project and I got the rest for $500.(The body was of the frame) The wheels alone go on Ebay for about $150-$200 a set.

My Stude cab sits on the frame almost like it was made for it. The wheelbase needs to be lengthened by about 1.5 inches (I'll shorten the bed to make up the difference). The only problems I can see having is front springs heavy enough to carry an early Chrysler Hemi, and needing to upgrade the brakes also because of the weight of the engine.

Just my $.02 worth. Hope that helps somebody. Eric

 

[ QUOTE ]
The only problems I can see having is front springs heavy enough to carry an early Chrysler Hemi, and needing to upgrade the brakes also because of the weight of the engine.


[/ QUOTE ]

the front spring will handle your Hemi, unless maybe if it weighs more then a 502 BBC motor. I say this because I have researched this for my own project, a 48 chevy 3800 series burb on an s10 frame & I have talked to a few folks who are running 502BBC motors in thier S10s.

as for the front brakes ya need to get the spindle assembly from a 1999 or 2000 or new blazer, along w/a hub assembly from a late model (2000 or so)Camaro. W/these 2 parts you be able to put a 11- & up rotor on your S10 frame, the camaro hub will fit the blazer spindle, then ya have to get the rotor ya want, I believe the late model camaro & implala are the ones ya want because the rotor comes off the hub assembly.. & then you'll have to fab up a caliper bracket so it'll clear the rotor. BUT be sure your rims will fit the new size rotors also.

as for the frames, I'm using a S10 truck frame on my burb cause it was <font color="red"> FREE </font> , BUT after sitting the body down on it I will lose about 9inches of floor space because of the kick up in the rear. This is fine w/a pick up but not a burb or panel. the best one for panels or burb is a blazer frame, because its flatter. SO ya ask, then why dont I just change it, well its a cost factor, like I said mine was FREE, so what I'm doing is cutting the rear half off &amp; will make basicly a flat frame w/a kickup at the rear axle for clearance. this way I can get the height ride I want, which is about 8 inches off the ground.... ya see this beast??? well its not mine but mine is its twin, this is a 1 ton burb/panel/schoolbus
(U take ur pick)

OOOOOOOO yea almost forgot these........joe
http://www.commerce.usask.ca/staff/hipkin/burb/frameswap.html <~~~ nice guy yo talk to

http://www.usbody.com/Install%2047%20chevy.htm <!! pick up on s10 frame

 

Toomany....Are you mounting your body directly on the frame or are you spacing yours up? My truck is mounted 3 inches above the frame and Mikey's is five. We made mikey's 5 so we did not have to fool with his floor (he had his carpet done before the swap). I like the kick up. It gives more room to get the truck lower.
Clark

 

Then there is the front suspension. The twin I-beam suspension under the front of a Ranger (the early ones that you can get cheap enough to make a donor from, at least)isn't the best choice unless you're building a desert truck. Where the S-10 has standard upper and lower control arms and plenty of aftermarket goodies like cheap drop spindles, anti-sway bars, big brakes, and a multitude of coil springs and air bag kits available.

 

Could somebody measure the width of the rear frame? and axle of the S-10. Please!

 

[ QUOTE ]
Toomany....Are you mounting your body directly on the frame or are you spacing yours up? My truck is mounted 3 inches above the frame and Mikey's is five. We made mikey's 5 so we did not have to fool with his floor (he had his carpet done before the swap). I like the kick up. It gives more room to get the truck lower.
Clark

[/ QUOTE ]


right now its about one inch off the frame, ya know the floor bracing in the back of the burb, well thats the only thing between the frame &amp; the floor right now.. I'm kinda waiting to see how LOWWWWWW it sits when it completelt together, then &amp; only then will I decide if it needs to go higher, cause I like'em lowwwwwwww, hell our 40 chevy car was only about 4-5 inches off the ground when it was done &amp; I want this to be just about as low. as for the kick up, I'm cutting mine out (remember s10 truck frame here) and I'm going to build a rear half stub that will mimic the stock frame w/basicly a C-notch for the rear end, this way I get to keep my floor space. cause in the rear I will be make compartments for the spare tire &amp; other stuff ya need for just in case, and will have a 40+ gallon saddle tank made for it so it rides in the stock s10 spot.............joe

 

Thanks for the brake info Joe. I'm not exactly sure how much the 502 weighs but the 331 is in the neighborhood of 800 pounds fully dressed (according a Hemi site I have been looking at) For this reason (and ride height adjustment) I am probably gonna run airbags on all 4 corners.

I'll go out and measure the rails and rearend tommorrow.

Eric

==========================================================

49 Studebaker P/U

 

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't feel like diving under somebody's truck in the mall parking lot.

 

OK - I'm not proud of this but...I have an S-10. It's a '96 and I can see why people would want to use the chassis under a rod/custom. The mounts are all "typical" and familiar, the dimensions are right, and teh basic chassis architecture hasn't changed since '82. There's plenty around and they're cheap. The 4.3 V-6 is a traditional SBC muinus 2 cylinders, so the motor mounts are the same, so an SBC or BBC is a virtual bolt-in (the block, anyway).

Onward to my point - these trucks are the most popular mini truck to modify. There's a teeming aftermarket for S-10 chassis upgrades and these include everything from super-high 4x4 kits to complete bolt-in airbag suspensions. My S-10 is on bags, and the entire thing was a bolt-in deal. The rear was converted to 4-link (again, a bolt-in deal using the leaf spring mount points as the new mounts for the 4-link bars) and there's as much suspension info and expertise as could be.

It's a good choice, and if anyone wants an S-10 chassis already outfitted with a 4-corner bag system and multi-switch controls (for front/back, side/side, corner-to-corner, etc.) Let me know. All you have to do is pay for the mods I've done to the truck, and you can have the whole damn thing. 10K and drive it home.

 

Don't feel bad Scotch, I own a bagged S-series too. In fact, there are a bunch of guys on here who have owned or still own some pretty bad ass mini-trucks. I could out a bunch of them because I remember a lot of them from when I was the Editor of Mini-Truckin' Magazine so many years ago. Isn't that roght Boones, Killer, Wes, and the list goes on...

 

Toomany...here's my truck it's 3 inches off of the frame. I cut 1inch off the bottom of the fenders. It does have bags but stock spindles. When I built it I set it up with the tires I was using. I took the springs out of the front and set it down on the snubbers. I did the same with the back. Then I mocked the body on the frame to find the height I wanted. I set it up to have an inch and a half clearance incase I blew a bag I could still drive it. I also made a 30 gallon tank to go at the back of the frame and acompartment at the front for my air tank, compressor battery and a tool box. I did not make room for a spare. If my tank would have been smaller it could have gone under it.
When I build my beds I make the top of the bed framework even with the top of the frame (saves a little on the depth of the bed)
Mikey's truck has dropped spindles and the body is 5 inches above the frame. With the bags down his bumper is on the ground. Maybe if you set yours 5 inches off the frame and buit a subloor at the back that kept the floor even with the top of the frame you would only loose 3 inches of height on the back floor. It would cost you the $100 to get a set of spindles.
I'd love to find a 47-51 Suburban to build. I think it would be cool to add a side door on the pass. side to make it easier for passengers to get in the back.
Clark
Oh Yeh ...I am working on a tech article. I just need to get some pics together.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaa, sowhat, where's the pic????? cause i'z knows my glasses aint that dirty....joe

 

Randy, The measurements you wanted are 48 inches on the rear axle housing (if I had to guess prolly about 54" at the axle flanges, allowing 3" each side for brakes and such). The rear frame rail measures 40.5 at the very rear. The rails don't seem to pinch or bow to much except at the firewall for the front suspension. Hope that answers your question, if not pm me and I can get the tape out. Eric

 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

S-10s are cheap and easy to find. The have an independent front suspension, and not a twin I beam.
They take to modes well, IE 4 link (without back halving), V-8 swap (prior to the Vortec V-6 GM had planned a small block), lotsa suspension upgrades available.
And as someone said they have a good wheel base. They are perfect for '53-'55 Ford. And with the z on both ends (as compaired to the Ford original) you can easily end up right down in the dirt.
We're using an S-10 chassis under the F truck.

 

Studeboy,
If you find the old mopar too heavy for the original S-10 springs bear this in mind. The S-10 uses the same suspension components as the F-Body (malibu etc) and big block springs are available from GM Performance. You can also find heavier rate springs that fit that chassis from almost all the roundy round suppliers.

 

[ QUOTE ]
Randy, The measurements you wanted are 48 inches on the rear axle housing (if I had to guess prolly about 54" at the axle flanges, allowing 3" each side for brakes and such). The rear frame rail measures 40.5 at the very rear. The rails don't seem to pinch or bow to much except at the firewall for the front suspension. Hope that answers your question, if not pm me and I can get the tape out. Eric


[/ QUOTE ]
Studeboy you only missed the flange to flange by 1/4 inch. They actually measure 541/4. I cut a 9" inch down to exact width about 5 years ago. Not that the 1/4" makes much difference. Just thought I'd save you from measuring.

 

Sorry TooMany!!!! This shot show's the height the best. It's a little higher than when I first put it together. I changed the front tires to a 205/75/15 instead of the 195/70/15. They raised it up about an inch. My back tires are 235s
Clark

 

Here's mikey's truck with the 5 inch body lift.
Clark

 

What is the wheel base both front to back and side to side. I have been toying with using the S-10 frame for a new project that I think I am going to start after my duece is on the road.