Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick_R_23
What sucks is that the kits are about $2,000 to do the conversion. I could probably do quite a bit to my original frame for that amount of money, but the ride and handling probably wouldn’t be nearly as good.
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the cheapest MII front suspension is still around 1500 by the time you buy the rack and all the brakes. after spending that, you will need to weld or bolt it in, and after that you will have an uprated front suspension and literally nothing else. no motor mounts, no brake lines, no fuel lines, no column, no pedals, no rear axle, no driveshaft, nothing.
your $150 chassis will need about $600 in suspension and brakes, not upgrades, rebuilt. but if you take the truck apart you can use the fuel tank and lines, the pedals and master cylinder, the steering column, even the wiring harness. you will be lightyears ahead.
you dont need a $2000 kit, mounting the body with brackets you make yourself can be done in a long weekend. the bracket kits give you a set of instructions to follow and a help line when you are stuck. other than that, if you are handy at all and have some common sense, you can follow the how-to on this forum and save almost all of that 2k. mounting the body is the easiest part anyway, its the everything else that takes the time.
in this order:
figure out what you want. cruiser? show truck? racer?
figure out your skill. have you ever done anything like this before?
figure out your tools. 144pc craftsman tool suitcase? full automotive fab shop? lift?
figure out your space. you will need a two car garage for the parts you are currently working on, and at least a two car driveway to hold the other parts.
figure out your budget. Hussey put out a nice spreadsheet showing what he spent on his s10 swap and included what he gained back by selling. a full swap with gauges and a nice 350/auto with new rad and new lowering parts and used torque thrusts came in around 11.5k. I have done 8 swaps and I dont dispute his numbers, I save a bit by using the 4.3 auto from the s10, and all the wiring etc.
the best advice in the thread is dont listen to anyone who hasnt done it. There are guys who have done it and dont like it, too. I like it, it hits my efficiency harmonic, using a worn out AD that was headed for the crusher (I buy old grain truck cabs and come up with the rest) and a late model s10 chassis/drivetrain and putting them together for a whole worth more than the sum of parts.