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About a year ago I purchased a '49(ish) Pilothouse. The body is in great shape, motor turns over but doesn't run. I've wanted to do a project like this for years but I've never done anything like it before. I am pretty comfortable with fabrication, currently practicing my mig welding, and good with mechanical stuff (but again not a lot of car/truck experience). My Wish-list: A Pilothouse that I can drive to work and back (50 miles round trip, potentially on the highway) daily. Modern suspension and brakes A/C (I live in Florida) Sorry to those this may offend, but I am not a Mopar purist. I love the style of these trucks and I want to keep the outer appearances in-line with that era. But as far as the "guts" go I want to use what ever combination of make/model/year that helps me achieve my goal without spending a fortune or a lifetime. Considering this is my first build I am thinking about doing the S-10 swap (maybe with the code 504 kit). My question is: Can I just keep the existing S-10 motor/transmission/accessories and fit the dodge body over it? I see so many posts about swapping motors with these s-10 conversions but it seems like for a beginner the simplest path would be to just reuse the s-10 powertrain. Am I missing something? The other option I see is keeping the original frame and swapping out the front and rear ends for something more modern and building up a new powertrain but that seems a little daunting and I don't want to bite off more that I can chew for my first go. Any advice for the newbie? Thanks, - Jason

I am in the process of getting a 1951 Dodge Route Van up and running. So what are your thoughts on restoring the 230cu and using the van as a daily driver? Can the rear end ring and pinion be switched out for better freeway speeds? If so which gearing is best? Thanks, Richard