If you've never done a frame swap before you need to be aware of these "areas of concern"
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1) S-10 and other donor frames DIP in the middle where the K was mostly flat. This means that you are dropping the sheetmetal down whether you intend to or not, even without "lowering it".
2) This "body drop" means that the RADIATOR support no longer has the right dimensions. It's now waay too tall. You'll need to section it and shorten it so the hood and grille line up with the cab. Easily done after rechecking measurements.
3) The donor cowl is something like a foot or more wider than K cowl. Sure makes for interesting squeezing of clutch/brake/ gas pedal/steering/ HVAC under K dash. You'll find there is only ONE place to put these things. Cut firewall carefully!
4) Donor engine/trans are WAAY too far forward on donor frame. I routinely cut motor/trans mounts and push back 5-10". This means that driveshaft will need to be cut. Another easy job.
5) Centering front tires in front fenders is a chore. You can't correctly locate CAB until you know where front fenders will go. My experience is that every frame swap is something of a compromise between what you want and what you can do.
6) Good luck! EVERYBODY wants more power until they have to pay fuel bills. My conversions get 22+MPG.
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:36 am
Looking for a chassis swap, I have a 1948 KB-1 pickup. Seems like the S10 is a good choice. The 82-93 can happen but hard to find with a 4.3 motor. Don't know a lot about the next generation of S10s (1994-2005 I think). I know that I will have to shorten the frame. Any ideas out there ? Looking for info. Ideally a nice running with a 4.3 auto tranny power steering.