Thread: What is with the S10 frames

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I dont understand why all are wanting to butcher their vehicles to install S10 frames,I know getting one is cheaper then a mustang type IFS but there has to be a bunch of cobbling to get them mounted and looking right. I would think it would be easier to upgrade the original frame and it was designed for that body,I have been told many times why dont you put your 37 on a S10 but if I wanted something that rode and handled like a S10 I would buy a S10 but I dont. I guess to each his own but it seems like too much work to use a S10 frame on anything else then a S10. Jeff

I have been wondering the same thing, why not use an S-10 frame?

I agree...not many are visually pleasing. However, it is a realatively easy & cheap swap.

Don

Well, easy, cheap, looks to be a lot of info on them, kind of like the SBC 350CI motor was right? Although I'm just a young'n so what do I know.

It may be cheap but looks to be too much work and the front of the frames are too big and look to require too much inner fender and core support butchering. I will spend the money for a mustang II front for my 37 before I would ever think of butchering it for a S10. Jeff

Relax Jeff,
no one is going to talk you into putting one under your 37. Besides it doesn't fit well under a 37. It's better suited for fat fendered pick ups, 46-52. No, the frames are not too big. They're almost the same size as the originals, except the frame rails are 3" by 5" boxed instead of 2" by 3" C. I spent months researching the swap. Why should I spend thousands of $$$ for independent front suspension, power steering, power brakes, front discs, plus all the accessories to hook it up. When I can get it on one frame for a couple of hundred $$$. Butcher the body??? The only cutting I'll do is to the opening in the back at the bottom of the cab, I'll extend the opening from 38" to 40". Then a few squeezes of the tin snips on the inner fenders and that it.

I do agree with you on one point...The best frame for any car/truck is the original...Sometimes some of us feel that the original is not good enough or we just want something different.

but if I wanted something that rode and handled like a S10 I would buy a S10 but I dont.
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I don't agree with that. The chassis don't dictate how a car ride and drive. springs, shocks and tires does that. You make it ride and handle like you want it to.

When it comes to ride(suspension) there is some confusion.

The following is the ride comfort if the correct lb/in spring is used.(best to worse).
1. torsion bar
2. large diam. coils
3.leaf
4. coil overs.

Thus the S-10 should give a fairly good ride. The problem is people try to put S-10 frames under cars where there is a mismatch in the track.

Don

It's the age old thing of some should and some shouldn't. All the comments about sizing to the body dimensions hit the mark. What's given this type of swap a "bad name" if you want to think of it that way, is people thinking more about saving money than making it work right. In Lakota's case, the body is a comparable size, and with the pickup you won't have the rear floor fitment issues. Fitting the front clip, especially radiator/core support correctly can be a real issue, again more difficult for the less experienced/talented crafter.

I have a couple pictures I've posted here before of where folks haven't paid attention to spacing very well. Not only with track as Don mentioned (I don't like seeing wheels nearly sticking out of the front openings, looks goofy), but also with wheelbase.

Here's a shot of a car that may have ended up looking okay if they'd put as much attention to stretdhing the frame as they did in all the apparently nice body work they did.

There's the "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!!" one. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to handle tools.

Hey Bob, everytime you post that pic of the Sedan, I just really hope the real frame for the body is in the garage and he just set the Sedan body on that POS to move it outside!!!!

No Dave, I scooped that off ebay one day, figured it would come in handy for threads like this. Sadly the guy had a serious ad where he went on and on about how good a car it was. If I remember correctly he had a high teens reserve on it! Needless to say bidding never got near that, and I remember being surprised it got any at all. No accounting for taste I guess.

Those two photos show that now matter how cheap it is to swap a frame,if it does not fit its not worth the trouble and it makes the vehicle worth less when trying to sell. Jeff

Originally posted by junkyardjeff
Those two photos show that now matter how cheap it is to swap a frame,if it does not fit its not worth the trouble and it makes the vehicle worth less when trying to sell. Jeff

making it 6" longer or 2" shorter is no big deal.

Stortening or stetching is no biggie... one big advantage of using a S-10 chassis is the unbelievable amount of add on's out there.. if you want a ride with air ride.. suicide doors have you covered, with basically simple kits.. but i'd want to put it on a vehicle where everything looks right... the wheel base is easy to change just have to cut a little.. not a real intense job... if you have to narrow it.. I don't think i'd want to use this setup.. now If i were building a rod from scratch.. I wouldn't go this way if i was looking for a premium set-up.. cause if that' the case i'd build a frame from scratch.. but the s-10 setup is a setup that could be used on many body's with good results