The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs S-10 frame under a '57 GMC panel?

Well, now that i've had a little more time to look her over, I'm going to need a frame. (1st item on a long list)

I have an '89 S-10 standard cab/ longbed 2wd with a junk motor I've been considering setting a '53 5 window on, but now that i have my panel...

Are there any major differences in the bodies that would make this not work? Or not practical, would be the question? I have access to a large selection of donors, chevy trucks, vans, s-10's, etc if something else would work better.

Previous owners have butchered her so bad, there's not much left original.... engine, trans, steering column, seats, trim, rear axle, all gone.
Rather than see her rot, or try and match parts together, this 1 is going to be my hot rod, saving what original stuff I can. (sorry purist-types, check my '56 pickup for restore progress )

take care folks, jon

I have a friend that put his 54 1/2 on a 70's 1/2ton vintage 4x4 frame. He shortened the frame 11 inches, and all he had to do was put the cab mounting brackets off the old frame under the cab and weld em on then add spacers and bolt it up. I think he tweaked the back mounts and the cab was mounted. He used the tilt column out of the later model. He also used all the wire loom and fuse block etc. Just food for thought------
resto44

Well, I dont know if it's karma or what, but this morning I purchased a 1985 chevy caprice 2 dr, hit in the right front.... Seemed a good deal, especially with the fresh 305 (less than 10,000 mi) and a recent TH350, all for 200.00.

yes, i'd rather it was a 350, but.... price was right.

SO.... the parts have fallen into place- I have a '57 gmc panel body, an '89 s-10 pickup to donate the frame, and now the caprice for a drivetrain. Throw in my wrecking crew (3 sons, pre-teen and teen) and We have the makings of some fun!! I'm thinking something along the lines of the little rascals project, low tech, low-buck and a lotta fun.

I'll start gathering stuff and taking pics in a week or so, thanks in advance for all the help

thanks, jon

Hi Jon,
Hopefully, you have the space to keep both donor vehicles around until your project is at least near completion. It's great to have "choices" when it comes to steering collumn, pedals, motormounts, fasteners etc. You can do a lot on the cheap if you apply a little imagination to your 'recycled' parts. TooManyToCount's Large Marge project was a wakeup call for me to grasp just how straight forward such an op can be. One big swap and you get newer tech driveline, suspension, brakes, steering, etc. What vehicle is easier to find parts for than a 88-99 S10? The truck in my sig line was a shell, but with 10-20 hours of labor to rip into the donor vehicles, and test fit things, it's coming along surprisingly easy. I have three weekend i it so far. If your donor is a 2wd S10 you will most likely need a wider rearend. I used a AWD GMC Typhoon rear, which is essentially a the same as 4wd & AWD S10 trucks, and is approx 4 inches wider than the 2wd rear. Rumor has it that the C/K pickups are another 4 inches beyond that. You may be able to get away with putting leaf spring perches on the Impala rear. "Tape measure Please!" My garage is not heated and my bones can't take the cold weather, so my work stops pretty much in the winter time and I sit at the PC and get fat <grin>. All the best. Keep us posted on your project! Mike V - NE Ohio