The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop subframing a 47-54?

I am wanting to build one of these but I want to have power disc brakes on the front. I am on a tight budget and looking for the best way, subframing or s-10 chassis. I have found an s-10 lwb for 200 bucks but the kits I have seen to do this conversion seem pricey. They loook like good products, just don't wanna spend that. My question is, what are the options for vehicles to use the subframes and can you subframe the s-10 to the 47-54 frame?

You got to do your homework! Check out the tech tips and do a search. This is one of the most covered topics on the site. That said, I've done the 69 Nova subframe on my 53 3100, and from what I know and what I learned I'd do it again, only better next time. What one saves in money, you give up in time and labor. The other factor is end product, its got to be safe and reliable. Just my 2cents.

Are you just looking for disk brakes? Or are you wanting IFS and power steering, too? If you're just looking for the brakes, you don't need to subframe or do a chassis swap to get it. There's several conversion kits available that will put disk brakes on the stock I beam axle. Prices will vary, dpending on what is included in the kit. The economical way to do it would be to get the bracket kit for the calipers and master cylinder, then source out the master, calipers, and rotors from the flaps.
If you are wanting the IFS and power steering as well, you might look into using a complete crossmember form a '73-'87 C 10 pickup. That will keep the stock frame intact, as well as keeping a truck rated suspension and brakes. There have been several that have done that swap on the site.

the 73-87 chevy trucks are too wide for AD trucks! the 2nd gen nova work but are getting hard to find because they seem to end up in camaro resto's. gm a body 78-87 work well as track width is close to stock. s10 is too narrow and requires wheel spacers.

In stock form, yes. But most that use that crossmember narrow them to fit.

Use a pre-engineered front clip made for the truck. It will be safer than someone with no building experience trying to sub-frame one. It's not easy, I've done one on my 48 coupe and I spent a whole week-end measuring, cutting, grinding and fitting before I ever got the first tack weld done. It's very labor intensive, even more so if you don't know what you're doing,
Scott

Longbox,
Can you point me to a thread or site that describes the method for narrowing the crossmember? My truck has this conversion and I don't like it putting my tires outside the fenders. I also would like to raise the suspension like it was stock by putting stock spindles on it instead of drop spindles like it's running now.
THanks,
Jason

if you have the s-10 for a donor

Check here:

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...;Main=46889&Number=338344#Post338344

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561711357EzPphT

Much easier than clipping, narrowing a full-size cross member, or a frame swap (as I have been there)

Scott

If you are on a tight budget the S10 swap can be done pretty cheap but it is a lot of work. I think you could probably put the s10 front subframe on it and save some work but it won't lower the back as much as the S10 frame and the front track width is still a little too narrow. It depends what your goals are. They do make disc brake kits for the stock front axle if brakes are your main concern. I think Speedway has a kit for like $250.

For an idea of how much work the s10 swap is check out my build thread:
http://www.killbillet.com/showthread.php?t=16296

technically if your on a budget, you should not be trying to restore or modify a vehicle.

being in the middle of both an S-10 frame swap and a stock frame/cross member build, I can tell you that they cost more than anticipated.