1949 Chevy with S10 swap. Beginner build with ambition!

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by joedoh

most guys dont have intimate knowledge from prior experience, most learn as they go because they arent afraid to try. thats you.

the old saying is: "He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea." make mistakes, laugh about them, even big ones. experience isnt doing it perfect, experience is learning from not doing it perfect.

Well thanks for the vote of confidence. Currently trying to wire up my universal 16" fan since I can't seem to get the temp down on the radiator. Fluid level seems ok, but I'm creeping over 190F. Currently just sitting in the garage, so there is no air running over the radiator. I guess that's kind of necessary haha

[joedoh]

every time i fill one up from slap empty it needs a temp spike to get rid of any air pockets. if you notice bubbles coming from the tube on the rad, you might have air in the system.

the way to get rid of air in a cooling system when you have an expansion tank and a two way rad cap is to put some 50/50 in the expansion tank, warm the engine to operating temp, then shut it off and wait. the air will be forced out while running and then the radiator will reverse pressure as it cools back down (not running) and will draw coolant from the tank. if you dont have a tank hooked up, it will just draw air back in and you will need to start all over.

otherwise, make sure the thermostat is opening. feel the upper and lower hoses, if one is hot and the other is cold and the engine is warmed up, the thermostat may not be opening.

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by joedoh

every time i fill one up from slap empty it needs a temp spike to get rid of any air pockets. if you notice bubbles coming from the tube on the rad, you might have air in the system.

the way to get rid of air in a cooling system when you have an expansion tank and a two way rad cap is to put some 50/50 in the expansion tank, warm the engine to operating temp, then shut it off and wait. the air will be forced out while running and then the radiator will reverse pressure as it cools back down (not running) and will draw coolant from the tank. if you dont have a tank hooked up, it will just draw air back in and you will need to start all over.

otherwise, make sure the thermostat is opening. feel the upper and lower hoses, if one is hot and the other is cold and the engine is warmed up, the thermostat may not be opening.

You were right on the money. Turning the steering a few times bled out the whining sound. I ended up setting initial engine timing by listening to the engine since I didn't have a timing light. I also set the carb similarly by listening to the revs drop and then coming back a quarter turn. No more backfires and awful noises.

It also helped to put an air cleaner on the carb for tuning. I was trying to do it without one.

Radiator had a burp at 190F that dropped the temp straight back to 150F and has been great ever since. I did setup a siphon system for now just in case. May make that permanent just cause bourbon makes everything run better.


The missing ingredients!



Putting sheet metal on the front so I can give her a first drive. I did learn that a transmission takes way more than 3qt to fill. I think I am at 9qt now and probably still need some more once I've run it through the gears.

[99 to Life]

I like the idea of the burping on the rad. I always just left the cap off and let them burp, usually works. but..... my last build when I hooked the heater up, I had the craziest air pocket I could get gone for the life of me. The day I sold the truck I was able to get it out! as for timing, def invest in a light. but a good rule of thumb is if it starts up good and shuts down good when hot, you are in the ball park. as for trans, I think they take 11or 12 qt. be an easy find on the net.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

I always just left the cap off and let them burp, usually works.

I have cats. any coolant spill is an emergency hazmat situation with the garden hose.

[99 to Life]

haaahah yeah I got dogs, so I'm always careful with coolant. I've been lucky enough to never have it spill out, I usually keep a funnel in the rad with a rag around it Just in case.

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

haaahah yeah I got dogs, so I'm always careful with coolant. I've been lucky enough to never have it spill out, I usually keep a funnel in the rad with a rag around it Just in case.

So if I took the bung out of the overflow and stuck it in my mouth cause I couldn't find somewhere to put it down...then realized my mistake with an awful taste in my mouth...

Not saying it happened, just asking for a friend. Are you saying that is bad?

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

if it starts up good and shuts down good when hot, you are in the ball park. as for trans, I think they take 11or 12 qt. be an easy find on the net.

Yeah I stuck a gallon in there after the 4 qts and got up to about 9.5qt. Looks pretty close but I haven't driven it yet to slosh everything around. I did get the car to start and idle nicely, once warm she shuts off fine. I also don't have the smog coming out of the exhaust I was having before from unburned fuel in the exhaust. In gear (Reverse or forward) the engine bogs down but doesn't cut out when I'm on the brakes. I feel confident I'm in good shape enough to get to a store and have someone set the timing correctly. Once I've done it, I can't imagine having to go back and do it again

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

here is what I did, make mounts off frame for a 1x1 frame to bolt to, it will come out. i also made tabs off that so I could bolt the bedsides to it. The bed itself was mounted to frame, but the stock strip that runs along the bedsides that connected to bedwood sits so low it had nothing to support it. I don't like welding much to the bed itself so it worked out well having the steel tubing frame inside the bed and the bed actually bolted to it and made the middle of the bedsides have support. if those bed isn't supported there it will wobble at high speeds. I have that problem on my 51' and I'm fixing it. Looking back even on this build I would have plumbed all my lines much better.

Dumb question on your picture...is that 14GA or 11GA 1x1 tube? Seems like 11GA might be overkill. Not like I'm using the bed to haul sheep around or something.

[gigamanx]

transmission tunnel finally fitted. Stole someone elses idea for building a frame around the outside so its removable. Took about 30 cuts to get the S10 tunnel fit perfectly haha. As you can see, I might have screwed up the hole for the stick a little. Nothing a bit of filler metal can't fix. I'm not worried about how pretty it is since this will be covered in dynamat and carpet someday.

I used the old floor section to trace a new one onto some 16GA sheet

I used an 8" piece of string to draw a radius for the firewall side and made it 2" thick. Matched the two pieces up and tacked them in



Took the S10 trans tunnel I had cut out previously and slowly worked it into the new location. This was made easier by the fact that the first step gave me a template I could take out of the truck and put on the ground for measuring, cutting, measuring, grinding, cutting again and then welding it up.

[OutlawDrifter]

Nice work! Looks similar to my tranny cover. I went the opposite way. Original floor plate and fabbed "upper" piece.

You are making great progress. If you're going to spend the money on a timing light, do yourself a favor and get one that has the advance dial. Then all you have to worry about is your marks matching up at TDC.

[joedoh]

looks good! I use liquid nails fuze it as a seam sealer, it makes the joint stronger and seals it!

[gigamanx]

man oh man oh man! I drove her!

First drive out of the garage and down the street. No hesitations. Shifted great. Way more torque and power than I expected.

JoeDoh, I have officially completed your suggestion of only doing things that get it driving. Now onto the rest



Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, although I think my fellow car people on this board can appreciate the potential ahead on this build. woohooo!

[joedoh]

way to go! looks good!

[NorCalGal]

CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS

[99 to Life]

congrats, that first fire up or first test drive is the best feeling. really puts some wind in the sails to finish. But..... the punch list big or small still seem to drag on even when the truck starts, runs, stops!!!

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

congrats, that first fire up or first test drive is the best feeling. really puts some wind in the sails to finish. But..... the punch list big or small still seem to drag on even when the truck starts, runs, stops!!!

Yeah once the excitement subsided I started a new list of "what do I need to register this thing for the road." Already have an order in for tail lights haha

[youngrodder]

Nice work...The first drive is always the best..

Marc

[Russell Ashley]

Congratulations. The first drive really helps to get the enthusiasm back.

[Desert1957]

Originally Posted by joedoh

every time i fill one up from slap empty it needs a temp spike to get rid of any air pockets. if you notice bubbles coming from the tube on the rad, you might have air in the system.

the way to get rid of air in a cooling system when you have an expansion tank and a two way rad cap is to put some 50/50 in the expansion tank, warm the engine to operating temp, then shut it off and wait. the air will be forced out while running and then the radiator will reverse pressure as it cools back down (not running) and will draw coolant from the tank. if you dont have a tank hooked up, it will just draw air back in and you will need to start all over.

otherwise, make sure the thermostat is opening. feel the upper and lower hoses, if one is hot and the other is cold and the engine is warmed up, the thermostat may not be opening.

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

I like the idea of the burping on the rad. I always just left the cap off and let them burp, usually works. but..... my last build when I hooked the heater up, I had the craziest air pocket I could get gone for the life of me. The day I sold the truck I was able to get it out! as for timing, def invest in a light. but a good rule of thumb is if it starts up good and shuts down good when hot, you are in the ball park. as for trans, I think they take 11or 12 qt. be an easy find on the net.

Both good tips...

Sorry about this late response, another old timer trick is to drill 1/8 hole in the flange of the thermostat. This helps circulate coolant through out the system before the thermostat opens. Less air pockets.

[morgan71]

Originally Posted by Desert1957

Both good tips...

Sorry about this late response, another old timer trick is to drill 1/8 hole in the flange of the thermostat. This helps circulate coolant through out the system before the thermostat opens. Less air pockets.

This works. I believe LS thermostats already have the hole, so those engineers learned something finally

[gigamanx]

Well that was a nice surprise. Running boards mounted this weekend. After carefully measuring, I realized the running boards are perfectly in line with the bottom of the S10 frame. So a single length of 1x2 steel did the trick for each of the mount locations.







Also an excuse for another drive haha..had to turn the truck around, so I took the scenic route through the neighborhood.

Grill and bumper are on too. I'm moving so quick I forget to post pictures for you guys. I'm not happy with my bumper mount, but I gave it the scientific "jump up and down on it" test. It will have to do for now.

[49chevy3100]

How far is your bumper off the floor.

[8man]

Congratulations! I really like the stance.

If you don't mine, PM me as I have some questions about frame height and cab height.

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by 49chevy3100

How far is your bumper off the floor.

8.5" for height on this one. I think the bumper will end up 1-2" higher when I change wheels for the 18" rims I have. Currently sitting on the original S10 tires that are 24.5" in diameter.

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by 8man

Congratulations! I really like the stance.

If you don't mine, PM me as I have some questions about frame height and cab height.

Happy to help. It took me a long time to figure out measurements and although its my first build, I'd do the exact same measurements over again.

This diagram I drew might help...