Same old question... Swaping out my front end on my 1950 3/4 ton Chevy. Do you know of any build threads or advice on stunning an s10 front stub or 1974 nova? Any advantages to either? Thanks for any help.
Not a fan of the S-10 Swap. Others will disagree. Nova, Camero, Firebird are by far the more truck compatible options. Measure 15-20 times before you cut your frame. Make sure everything is square before tacking in place. Measure 15-20 times again and do the final welds. Lots of YouTube videos on the procedure. Educate yourself and rock on!
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily) ‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence) “I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
Camaro clips can be a bit wide for the 3100 series. You might need to do some measuring for your 3/4 ton. Or, plan on what you'll need to do to make you happy. My plan from the start, for my 3106, was to install narrow A-arms. It worked out well for me and I'm happy.
Having participated in many front subframe changes on round track race cars due to wreck damage, read and heed Martin's advice! It's vitally important to get everything straight, square, and level before doing anything beyond tack welding. We had the advantage of having several chain anchor points in the shop floor, so the chassis and the front frame clip could be anchored down and leveled, using screw-type jack stands that were intended for bracing travel trailers in a campground. Any error you build into the frame will be there forever- - - -"the gift that keeps on giving" handling and alignment-wise! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Have done dozens of these swaps and can state NOVA is the way to go. S10 too narrow, Camaro/Firebird/Trans Am too wide. Nova just right. Advise you level frame of donor car and write down the caster, camber, and anti dive angle. The camber will stay pretty much the same but the caster and anti dive can change according to the angle the clip is attached to the AD frame. To position the ifs the same as the factory axle and save lots of measuring run a pipe/bar/angle out from the top of the cowl with a cross bar that has two plumb bobs hanging exactly the width and wheel base as the straight axle. Hard to find but 1974 and older Novas had rear mounted steering boxes and 75 and newer have front mounted. Steering shaft easier on rear mounted.Pictures are on a 49 Studebaker but procedure is exactly the same as an AD.
Have done dozens of these swaps and can state NOVA is the way to go. S10 too narrow, Camaro/Firebird/Trans Am too wide. Nova just right.
I have observed the same. Virtually all S10 guys run wheel spacers to get their wheels out far enough. And Gen II Camaro guys are limited in their wheel selection due to excessive width.
Agree with Evan. Attached is a truck I looked at that was for sale locally. A Camaro sub was used. I took it for a test drive. It rode like a standard 60's/70's truck with IFS....comfortable with a roll in the curves. The front tires rubbed the fenders if you hit a dip or pot hole. It definitely needed narrower tires in the front. The second picture is a shot taken of a photograph and the image is not very clear.
Last edited by buoymaker; 06/08/20214:55 PM.
"Adding CFM to a truck will only help at engine speeds you don't want to use." "I found there was nothing to gain beyond 400 CFM."
Why have a hassle with a Camaro/Firebird clip when a Nova FITS. The all red AD has a Camaro clip with shorter A-arms. Fits fender nice but the shorter arms required coil springs with a higher rate so rides rough. The red/black AD has a Nova clip that fits like a glove and rides and drives great.
