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S10 to Pilothouse bolt on frame swap kit


Htchevyii
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I ran across this the other day: http://www.code504.com/bolt-on-s-10-chassis-swap-kits/

It looks pretty interesting and might take a whole lot of trial and error out of a frame swap. It looks like they are still working on the Dodge version.

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Your name has chevy in it, you want to use a chevy frame......why not just buy a chevy ?

Actually, I like and own many different vehicles, 2 Dodges, a Chrysler, 3 Fiats, a Jeep a Ford and a Chevy. I am not loyal to any make or model, if a part is better, I will use it. That's why I have a Ford 9" in my Nova. If the Chevy frame is the quickest and easiest way to transform the truck into something that can pleasurably be driven every day, then I'm in, and obviously I am not the only one. Oh, and I do love the 55-57 Chevy trucks, but they are beyond my budget. If you have any CONSTRUCTIVE input, I'd like to hear it

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While I am glad to see someone actually making something for the vintage line of Dodge trucks, the S10 track width is a bit narrow unless you use wheel spacers and an offset wheel. I think you will find track width of the 1st generation Dakota chassis is a better fit for the PilotHouse trucks. There are several builds on here and the HAMB using the Dakota chassis that worked out well. Are you too far along with the kit design to consider a Dakota based kit? Even the S10 kits for the AD Chevys look too narrow to my eye. Maybe make a Dakota kit for them as well. This IS meant to be CONSTRUCTIVE input. Hang around here a while and you will learn a lot from some very talented people. This is not to say that you are not talented as well. I'm sure designing and selling a frame conversion kit is no easy task.

 

Scott.

Edited by cavisco1
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I have nothing to do with the kit, I just found it online. I still have not decided which way I am going on my truck, but I don't want to put a bunch of time and money into the stock running gear just to find out that I can't stand driving it.

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I've seen great s10 conversions, and horrible ones, and I think it's the time and effort into gettin the body to fit right and worry about rad and firewall later. I've seen a pretty bad Dakota swap too on a 52 PH, wheel were too far ahead in the wells IMO. I'm glad there is a kit now to choose from, and anything can be made to work with some effort!

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the quickest and easiest way to transform the truck into something that can pleasurably be driven every day,

Guess the term "pleasurably driven" means different things to different folks. Have you driven this vehicle in its current condition? There are many forum members who drive these vehicles daily in an as they left the factory condition and are quite happy with them. Can you better describe what your goals are? If you want a tire smoking vehicle that performs like a road course racer then perhaps a complete frame swap is in order. But if you want a dependable vehicle that will turn heads everywhere you drive it than staying factory might be the best option. You have mentioned nothing about your skill set and resources other than budget constraints. I have seen a lot of folks who go for the frame swap and find that they are in way over there heads both financially and mechanically and the vehicle ends up in the crusher.

 

 

 

 

 Can you better describe

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Hi Don,

I'm still in the planning stages right now, I've got too many other irons in the fire at the moment. My current build is a 57 F-100 that is getting a 302, AOD and a Sid's dropped axle. I will adapt a front sway bar to it. It is being built to flip. If I am happy with the way it performs then I may try a similar approach in the Dodge. My drive to and from work is 45 miles with a 65 MPH speed limit, if that helps. My wife has also expressed interest in driving the truck, which further complicates things. I don't need it to drive like a muscle car or sports car, I already have those, but it needs to be able to go 70 MPH and stop quick enough to avoid the ding dongs. I'd like to be able to hook up to a small camp trailer and hit the road for the weekend. I've only driven it down the street as it is non-oped at the moment. It is pretty worn out. I've probabily got a year before I start on the Dodge, my intention was just to share info that I found that others may be interested in, but if their kit is well thought out, it might take the difficulty out of some of those swaps.

Here's the beast, I do have the proper front panel/grill for it.

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post-6894-0-74335800-1440978098_thumb.jpg

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Edited by Htchevyii
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I have 4 wheel disc brakes on mine so it will stop quickly. The steering and suspension is stock but it works nicely. Would my wife enjoy driving it? Well with the armstrong steering and the partially non synchro stick It is definitely not a chick truck. It is just too ....analog . So that is a big no. And that is just fine with me. I didn't build it for her. It is all mine.

It will do over 70 but it helps if you have some stones....... :lol: I am generally not in that big a hurry.

 

Jeff

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The flattie runs pretty smooth, but does seem to smoke some after it warms up. My wife loves to drive the Fiat Spiders and has no problem in the Chevy II, (manual steering and brakes), but I think the non scyncronized transmission is a deal breaker.

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Making the truck comfortable and making it what you want is what matters most, and although there is a group,of hardcore believers that these trucks are just fine as stock, that's just an opinion and one you don't have to share..as I sure didn't. I would change a lot of things if I could start from day one on my truck, but it's definitely useable the way it is now. I fixed the steering issue with mounting a rack and pinion to the axle, the speed with a Cherokee rear diff and a T5 transmission....but it's still a flathead under the hood and it might be just me, but I wouldn't take off on a 1000 mile drive with it...that's where it's limitations are. That and the stock suspension isn't exactly a pleasure cruise on bad roads........did a cruise yesterday on some of our lovely beat up provincial highways and I was tracking like I had about 10 beer in some spots, and my suspension is tight.

Make it what you want, and don't build it for what anybody else wants

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Making the truck comfortable and making it what you want is what matters most, and although there is a group,of hardcore believers that these trucks are just fine as stock, that's just an opinion and one you don't have to share..as I sure didn't. I would change a lot of things if I could start from day one on my truck, but it's definitely useable the way it is now. I fixed the steering issue with mounting a rack and pinion to the axle, the speed with a Cherokee rear diff and a T5 transmission....but it's still a flathead under the hood and it might be just me, but I wouldn't take off on a 1000 mile drive with it...that's where it's limitations are. That and the stock suspension isn't exactly a pleasure cruise on bad roads........did a cruise yesterday on some of our lovely beat up provincial highways and I was tracking like I had about 10 beer in some spots, and my suspension is tight.

Make it what you want, and don't build it for what anybody else wants

I certainly agree that because it is your truck ....it is yours to do with as you choose. And yes some mods do need to be made in order to make one of these trucks safe to use on today's roads. Brakes...gearing...seat belts....lighting etc. But is the basic package so flawed that it can't be kept relatively intact? Definitely not. If you take your time and go about the rebuild and mods carefully you can have something that is perfectly useful in today's world.

And it will still retain all the character of what made it interesting in the first place.

 

Honestly I am not a purist. I have made a ton of small modifications to my truck and will probably never stop tinkering. But then I have a deep appreciation of the past and am happy to take what my predecessors left me and make it work today. There is plenty of good characteristics in that original package to work with. It may be a real challenge at times but if you go about it properly it can be quite nice. If you end up going in the other direction all you will really have is another kit car. It won't be a Pilothouse no matter what you choose to call it.

 

Jeff.

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It seems so odd to me that replacing the entire chassis with something that, really is not that close to start with, is somehow better than putting in a Dakota Gen 1 clip and Explorer axle....must be just me...but what I have seen over the years is exactly what the OP stated: he, and many others, can't afford the shiverlay he likes so he buys a Dodge and tries to turn it into one...

Apparently this approach is popular with lots-o-shiverlay folk who are on a budget.

 

 

Your money, your car......

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Like I said before, I don't care if its Chevy, Dodge or whatever, I just want it to drive decent. I've done the drill before on the Chevy II, trying to work with the factory stuff and fix the shortcommings, update the brakes, etc and by the time I was finished, I would have been better off just buying an aftermarket front clip. Hot rodders have been mixing and matching components forever. Even if I had a Chevy, I'd still be in the same boat. I guess I'll save this forum for the stock stuff and post the modified stuff on the HAMB. And, really I was just trying to share something that I thought might be of interest to others, I don't know it I will go that direction or not.

Edited by Htchevyii
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Anytime I see a frame swap kit, suspension swap kit or similar, I would really like to take a look at the instructions to determine the extent and difficulty of work involved. If they are really clear and complete. it could be a step by step process that any number of people seem to need when they contemplate a swap, rather than do the calculations and measurements themselves. As has been seen on the forum here any number of times, difficulty in following directions in numerical order when troubleshooting a problem and responding clearly, I foresee an equal percentage of botched swaps and resulting scrappers as a result. I'm sure a number of swaps will get completed and will look like a Pilothouse on an S=10 frame.

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Like I said before, I don't care if its Chevy, Dodge or whatever, I just want it to drive decent. I've done the drill before on the Chevy II, trying to work with the factory stuff and fix the shortcommings, update the brakes, etc and by the time I was finished, I would have been better off just buying an aftermarket front clip. Hot rodders have been mixing and matching components forever. Even if I had a Chevy, I'd still be in the same boat. I guess I'll save this forum for the stock stuff and post the modified stuff on the HAMB. And, really I was just trying to share something that I thought might be of interest to others, I don't know it I will go that direction or not.

My comments were made so you would not be under the assumption that it is all bad and needs to be replaced. Dodge actually did a very good job with this design. The ride quality and steering on mine is pretty much just fine as it is. Maybe not in all of them but a lot of that depends on what all was done....and how well it was done. As an example they got the turning radius spot on with the original design .....my 3/4 ton parks easier than my wifes honda civic.

I have always had Chevys...until this truck. And like you I wanted a Apache but couldn't afford it. But you know what these old Dodges had a leg up on those other trucks.....you just have to work a bit harder and smarter to find it. :) .

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I appreciate constructive comments such as yours with valuable info. Truth be told, I will probably be fine with the stock steering and suspension, but I'm not so sure about the power train. It is a pretty unmolested stock truck, so I hate to cut it up.

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Stock steering and suspension were designed for the stock running gear, that's where dropping in more HP in my mind means upgrading the rest. It's too bad you won't have a chance to log some miles as is, that's what will tell you if you like the stock form.

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I appreciate constructive comments such as yours with valuable info. Truth be told, I will probably be fine with the stock steering and suspension, but I'm not so sure about the power train. It is a pretty unmolested stock truck, so I hate to cut it up.

You are welcome. Just wanted to make sure you knew it was not all bad news.

I will add one more thing. Putting one of these old Dodges back on the road in good order is not as simple as doing a chevy of similar vintage. You can't just pick up a catalog and order new parts for everything and anything. You probably already know this......but it needs to be mentioned. And if you do move forward with it the people on this site will by far be your best help. :) 

 

Jeff

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Ya, I've noticed that parts can be challenge. I bought a whole truckload of Chevy parts to get the fender and grille panel that I wanted for the Dodge, (package deal). You do get spoiled being able to buy anything that you want either stock or upgraded off the shelf. When I built my Nova in the early 90's you couldn't even buy patch panels, now you can almost build a whole car from a catalog.

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