[Camaro_Nut2001]

The time has finally came to start my S10 build. I am building this truck for my daily driver. A friend I used to work with bought this truck new in '88, drove it for several years, then got it a little to warm and blew a head gasket. He parked it about six years ago with the plan of having it fixed. I did try to buy it a couple of times with no luck, then one day about a year ago, just out of the blue, he called me and said if I wanted it to come get it. I didn't waste any time, lol. The truck is a factory A/C truck with a 2.5, which is now locked up, and a 5-speed transmission. My plan is to pull both of them and replace with a vortec headed 350 and a TH350 trans. I have built the motor, done the head porting myself, and my buddy Turbo built my TH350. I'm going back with the A/C, a serpentine belt setup if I can find one and if not, just go with the V-belt.

I am taking my time on this one, my body is telling me to, lol. Also, I am biding, EBay, on a used copy of "Chevrolet S-10 Truck V-8 Conversion Manual" by JTR. for some ideas that might make this easier on me, not to mention work out a little better than what i've come up with. I am now into physical theraphy again due to my legs going completely numb Jan. 29th of this year and a short stay at UT hospital. One real positive thing that came out of that experience, other than me being able to walk again, is I quit smoking. Anyway, here is where I am as of yesterday
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/atta...1&d=1363528748
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/atta...1&d=1363528748
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/atta...1&d=1363528868

[snakebit68]

Glad to hear you quit smoking and that you're up and around again. There are some serpentine belt pulley systems out there for a v8 s-10...a little pricey, but doable. I may be able to offer some help along the way as I have a S-15 (GMC) with a 383 stroker in it. I've pretty much worked my way through every obstacle, so if I can be of help I'll certainly share any knowlege I may have acquired. Looks like a great project! Keep plugging along and before you know it you'll be rolling down the road having a blast.

[Camaro_Nut2001]

Originally Posted by snakebit68

Glad to hear you quit smoking and that you're up and around again. There are some serpentine belt pulley systems out there for a v8 s-10...a little pricey, but doable. I may be able to offer some help along the way as I have a S-15 (GMC) with a 383 stroker in it. I've pretty much worked my way through every obstacle, so if I can be of help I'll certainly share any knowlege I may have acquired. Looks like a great project! Keep plugging along and before you know it you'll be rolling down the road having a blast.

Thanks feller. For me, quitin smokin was nowhere near as hard as people have told me and I am startin to feel better. I am so thankfull to the good Lord above that he saw fit for me to keep on keepin on. I dont know what or how I would have done if the feeling didn't come back in my legs. I do know I had already talked to a buddy of mine, while I was in the hospital before feeling came back, about building some ramps and dropping my cabinets down in my garage so I could move around in a wheelchair. I thank you for offerin your help and I will sure be takin you up on it I am quite sure, lol. I have an ad on Craigs List lookin for a serpentine setup or A/C brackets for a v-belt compressor and also a 4.3 radiator. I'm gonna wait till I get a list together before I order the 2.8 frame mounts. I have the block mounts, shorty headers, but I may go a different route on the exhaust, and a LOKAR floor shifter. I'm trying to decide how I want to make the access hole or holes to the transmission bolts. If I ever need to drop the trans. I don't wanna have to pull the motor. Did you cut access to your trans. bell housing bolts?

[snakebit68]

I actually mocked it all up and drilled holes in the floorboard to access the bolts. Just used rubber plugs to fill the holes. Makes access alot easier if you ever need to drop the trans. Its nearly impossible to get the bolts out with the engine in place...unless you are a contortionist for the circus. I also cut away the firewall and floorboard seam where they join and just ran a weld acrossed it. Otherwise that lip causes alot of grief on engine install and exhaust and wiring routing.

[Camaro_Nut2001]

Originally Posted by snakebit68

I actually mocked it all up and drilled holes in the floorboard to access the bolts. Just used rubber plugs to fill the holes. Makes access alot easier if you ever need to drop the trans. Its nearly impossible to get the bolts out with the engine in place...unless you are a contortionist for the circus. I also cut away the firewall and floorboard seam where they join and just ran a weld acrossed it. Otherwise that lip causes alot of grief on engine install and exhaust and wiring routing.

That is one of the ways I had thought about doing it. Did you set your motor back an inch or so or just cut the seam for added clearence? My grandmother is not doing to good, 89yr. old and 90lbs. and in the hospital with fluid on her lung, so I haven't touched the S10 in a couple of days. I did get the JTR manual and have read a little bit. I am gonna probably do several mock-ups, lol, before I actually install everything for good. Thank you for the pointers and I hope to post more pictures in a day or so.

[snakebit68]

My prayers are with you, your grandmother, and your entire family. Lets all pray for the best.

Yes, I set my engine back 1". I recommend mocking everything up first if at all possible. You can only go so far back before you begin to have issues with the exhaust headers. There are some great headers out there designed to fit around the frame rails of an s-10, and they look great too. Mine are Hooker headers that are pieced together around the frame...although they function well, they make removal impossible with cutting them out. Never again on the "piece together" and weld ones! I'll get the ones that wrap over the frame and exit on the outside of the frame rails rather then on the inside. Just a few tips to save you some of the headaches I've encountered over my build.

[Camaro_Nut2001]

Thank you very much. I am probably going to stick with the headers that wrap over the frame. I also read in that book the rear-end is setting forward by 3/8th of an inch of the center of the wheel well and you can buy, or make your own, plates that set the rear-end back and centers it along with not having to cut my driveshaft. Like I said, Im gonna be doin several mock-ups lol. Hopefully my grandmother continues to be stable and I can get out in my garage and get the 2.5 out along with clearing my head a little. Almost forgot to ask you, did you use the mount that allows the 2.8 frame mount to stick through on the passenger side? The mounts I have don't have the hole for that.

Originally Posted by snakebit68

My prayers are with you, your grandmother, and your entire family. Lets all pray for the best.

Yes, I set my engine back 1". I recommend mocking everything up first if at all possible. You can only go so far back before you begin to have issues with the exhaust headers. There are some great headers out there designed to fit around the frame rails of an s-10, and they look great too. Mine are Hooker headers that are pieced together around the frame...although they function well, they make removal impossible with cutting them out. Never again on the "piece together" and weld ones! I'll get the ones that wrap over the frame and exit on the outside of the frame rails rather then on the inside. Just a few tips to save you some of the headaches I've encountered over my build.

[snakebit68]

I actually cut the old ones off and welded the set for a 350 to the frame. Keep in mind I also had to cut out a section of the crossmember just to get the oil pan to drop into the engine compartment. It has to be notched pretty good. If you use a set of motor mount adaptors I believe your engine will sit up higher in the engine compartment and you may not have pan clearance problems. But then, you have to deal with the seam from firewall to floorboard. Always going to be one thing or another. Keep me posted as you get started.

[Camaro_Nut2001]

I finally got the old motor and trans out yesterday. I plan on pressure washin everything and start on the modifications that has to be made Tuesday but it depends on how my body acts. I think I have enough POR-15 left from my '69 SWB build to do the front portion of the frame and the complete frontend, after repairs of course, lol. The upper control arm bushings are dry rotted pretty bad so I plan on replacing them along with any other bad parts that I find. Also, i'm gonna give the complete brake system some attention before I go back with my v-8. Unless I find a bad spindle I'm gonna leave the stock ride height, just new shocks. There are more things I plan on doing before I put the new motor in but for now here are a few pictures

[runn141]

S-10 Truck V-8 Conversion Mounts, S10 V8 Conversions, Stealth Conversions
only way to go in my opinion.

[runn141]

here is an idea you can do with 2 trans cross members that i done. makes running exhaust alot easier under these trucks

[runn141]

using the S-10 Truck V-8 Conversion Mounts that are in the link i posted. you will have to modify the frame for the fuel pump to be able to be removed when needed. because the mounts allow you to slide the motor more to the passenger side for more driver side exhaust clearance.

[runn141]

here is what i had to do get clearance between the fan and radiator. i had to do this because the mounts allowed the fan to slightly rub the radiator on the drivers side at high rpm.

[Camaro_Nut2001]

Hey feller, thanks very much for the photos and the advise. I am gonna do this as my exhaust guy Jackie will really thank me.

Originally Posted by runn141

here is an idea you can do with 2 trans cross members that i done. makes running exhaust alot easier under these trucks

[Camaro_Nut2001]

Thanks for the info. Im runnin an electric pump on this truck but I may go ahead and do this in case I ever want to change to a manual pump.

Originally Posted by runn141

using the S-10 Truck V-8 Conversion Mounts that are in the link i posted. you will have to modify the frame for the fuel pump to be able to be removed when needed. because the mounts allow you to slide the motor more to the passenger side for more driver side exhaust clearance.