Hello all-
after an extended absence, I have come to the conclusion that I can't part with my stovebolt (1963 C10 250 6/ 3 speed shortbed stepside) for love or money (especially since I haven't seen any for it), so I am thinking of building it.
My questions-
1. Been looking into swapping one of the various 73-87 crossmembers onto my frame to give me disc brakes, better ride, stronger frame, etc. Thought it would be just as cheap to buy someone's old truck and then junk what I don't need. I also could get the metal bed floor and weld it in in place of my completely- rotted wood bed floor. I was looking around craigslist, and found a 1989 reg cab SWB, minus engine and tranny. I was wondering, could I just move my old body onto that frame, with minimal mounting modification? What is the wheelbase of each vehicle like (I can't find a measurement online for the 1989 SWB). It would give me discs, a limited-slip rear, and all 5-lugs (instead of 5 lug front from a newer truck and stock 6 lug rear), already run brake lines, no suspension geometry to fool with,etc? Help, ideas, and the collective voices of experience here would be appreciated.
2. I want to keep the 6 cly, but the 3-on-the-tree non-overdrive is killing me. I was looking into doing the t-5 swap from a 4.3 s10. Found a t-5 on craiglsist for $50.00, but it's electric speedo (will have to modify a stock floor shifter to make it look quasi-factory). I can live without having the speedo hooked up ( I could install a tach and calculate it that way), but I was wondering, if I swap frames, will this transmission behind a inline 250 be enough to pull the truck? Not looking to go to the strip with it, but I was thinking of a 2 carb manifold and split headers....
Thanks guys; ya'll are the best bunch of gearheads I have run across in a long time.
Alex
