S-10

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.

 

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?

 

s-10

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.

 

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.

 

s10

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.:spank:

 

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.

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.:spank:

 

s10

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Im not gonna be able to do this as the a/c condenser wouldn't fit. The JTR manual shows this but my urinary meds won't let me handle the heat so I have to run air if I want to drive in the summer. Thanks for the advise and pictures though.

 

s10

I also recommend a Griffin radiator and a dual electric fan. Gives you all the clearance you could ever need up front. Works great on my 91 S-15 and she runs 180 all day at the track or the street cruises.

 

I also recommend a Griffin radiator and a dual electric fan. Gives you all the clearance you could ever need up front. Works great on my 91 S-15 and she runs 180 all day at the track or the street cruises.

What thermostat are you runnin? Do you drill a couple of holes in your stats? I put a CoolCraft radiator in my '69 Chevy truck and am very happy with it. Keeps that big block runnin between 160-175 anywhere you drive it. I run a 165 stat with an 1/8th inch hole and a 1/16th inch hole drilled in it.

 

That is a very nice lookin truck you built SnakeBit.

 

s10

Thank you...it looks better in pictures. It runs really well...lookin forward to getting the narrowed 12 bolt in it next week with the ladder bars. Perhaps then I can get some consistent launches. I really want to use the two stage NOS and spray 275 at the top end. Looking to get into mid 9's with it.

 

Great to hear someone interested in building an S-10.

I built an 89 S-15 with a 383 with a killer edelbrock MPI system, 700R4 trans, FlowMaster super 40 dual exhaust with electronic exhaust cutouts. If you need any direction, feel free to ask... i will be glad to help.

I do recommend the set back mounts mentioned earlier. The JTR manual is interesting. They do show where to cut a small hole to access the motor mount bolts. after changing, weld flat steel over the cut area. I think the best idea (which I did) was eliminate the engine driven fan for a early 90's ford taurus fan. Better cfm's than the high performance racing fans and pretty much bolts up to the corvette radiator (also recommended and did). The corvette radiator is only (I think) 1 1/2 thick and provides plenty of cooling, even in OK paired with the taurus fan. This setup provided plenty of cooling without much radiator support mods. I did clip the top of the radiator support and weld some steel across.

Have fun!!

 

First off, Thank you for your advice. I have cut the hole and got the right side mount on. I plan on doing the left side wednesday and then spot weld a flat square piece of metal over each hole, in case I ever need to replace a frame mount I can just cut the spot welds. I will be going with an electric fan setup.

 

nice project there !!!! I have a 85 S10 extended cab myself and wanted to advise you that if your going with an auto trans.. to consider Mr. Gasket's tranny dipstick set~up... it's about half the price of a Lokar,even though that's what I have now... didn't find out till after I bought it of course !!! LOL !!!

 

Thanks alot feller, i'll pick one up thursday when I go to town as I plan on settin the motor and trans in one day next week.

 

For more info than you can process at one, (or even several), sitting(s), check out v8s10.org. Most of us there would rather use the JTR manual as bird cage liner. A fan that works GREAT on S10 V-8 swaps is the 98 up 3.8 Chrysler Intrepid dual fan setup. If fits the stock 4.3 radiator like it was made for it, and also fits my 19x31 Be-Cool. There is a build thread on the above site in Member's Projects under the same screen name as here that has LOTS of pics and great ideas. I used my stock 4.3 serpentine setup and it works great. Another thing that many of us do with the serp setup is to use a late 80s Vette water pump and a Mercruiser W/P pulley for a LOT more room up front. My 93 shortbed has a 430 hp Vortec head 363 in it, with a 700R4 and a narrowed 3.73 posi Exploder 8.8 in it, Camaro LS brakes up front, and the Exploder rear discs. It's my daily driver, but it also goes high 7s in the 1/8, and tows my race car to boot,

 

Thank you, I will check into getting the Chrysler fan setup. I have looked around that site and there is a ton of info. I plan on the explorer rearend as well. Im not real sure which way Im going on the belt setup yet. What you built is exactly what I am attempting to build lol. Thanks again for the wealth of information.

 

Other Info Sources

This forum is great and you are getting good help. Here is another forum that should tag with your book quite well. Lots of good pictures. I am disabled as well so I have much more time to figure out how to do something than I have the energy to do it. Here is the site.

V8S10.ORG Board index ‹ Swap Tech ‹ General Swap:welcome:

 

This forum is great and you are getting good help. Here is another forum that should tag with your book quite well. Lots of good pictures. I am disabled as well so I have much more time to figure out how to do something than I have the energy to do it. Here is the site.

V8S10.ORG Board index ‹ Swap Tech ‹ General Swap:welcome:

im also a member there

 

Hey Blacky, that's the same forum I mentioned above, , if you're from there, you know who I am,

 

Im sorry fellers and gals, Ive been overwhelmed with "Life". It feels like its been 2 months since i've posted on here. Hopefully I am back on track and can get something done. I do have a dillemma though and need some direction on this S10 build. I have talked to my doctors and my P.T. about trying to drag race again and they all think its highly possible as my body is doing great with P.T., soooo, I am wanting to build me another Bracket car, or truck lol. I thought about buildin this S10 instead of puttin it back as a street truck but I hate to cut it up. I put it on CL the other morning as I think I have a deal worked on buyin 3 Chevy ll's to build one car out of. I have thought about savin everything I would remove so maybe I could put this S10 back as a street truck one day but I know in my heart it would never happen. Please dont unsubscribe from this build just yet as I may continue on with my original plan. Also, thanks for everybodys input and advice.

 

Well that was an easy enough decision. Im keepin my S10 and doin what I set out to do with it. After I get it finished and if my body is still doin good I will build me a bracket car. Sooo, please keep the advice coming, lol. I will be posting pictures in a day or two.

 

Sorry it's been a few weeks since I've posted any progress, been hangin out on s10racer. I changed my mind again, lol, but this time I'm stickin to it. I'm goin all out drag truck. I got a pretty good start on the front suspension, DJM drop spindles, Speedway tubular upper control arms w/new ball joints and new adjustable front drag shocks from Summit. I've got my front and mid motor plates on order and haven't decided on my front brake system, may just put new lines on and have the rotors turned and run the factory setup on the front for now. Here are some pictures with more to come
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=73961&stc=1&d=1368360592
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=73962&stc=1&d=1368360592
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=73963&stc=1&d=1368360592
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=73964&stc=1&d=1368360592
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=73965&stc=1&d=1368360592

 

I got the frontend back together. I like the tubular upper control arms and also the adjustable drag shocks. I set them on 90/10. I'm thinkin about getting a pair of cross drilled rotors, definitely new brake hoses and may buy new light weight calipers. Here are a few pictures

 

I started on the inside of the cab. My buddy needs the complete wiring harness for his 1929 truck so I'm tryin not to cut any wires. Got the steering column and some of the dash out

 

Then, after giving my body a 24hr. break, got the rest of the dash and interior out along with the firewall cleaned up a little. Next I think I'm gonna set my motor and trans in where I want it and mark where to cut the firewall and trans tunnel, get that cut out, then mock my front and mid plates up so I can weld the mounting brackets. My goal is to set the motor/trans back a little for weight transfer and also be able to get to the trans bolts pretty easy in case I need to pull the trans by itself. Anyway, here is where I am now