1946 Ford Rat Rod Budget Build

I decided one day to stop at a buddies for a bolt and saw this 1946 truck cab sitting in the corner, he explained that he had it for his rat rod but found a cab in slightly better shape so decided to go with that one. I asked if he would sell it and he said he would. We agreed on $300 for it. After researching I decided that the best idea was for me to mount it on a s10 frame. There are some people that say fenderless rats are ugly on s10 frames but my reason for going this route is this, I am a 20 year old college stupid that works part time so money is tight. Although I would like to build a frame I think that right now a s10 was the best bet for budget. So the search was on for a s10. Heres a pic of the cab

Nice shape! Hope you can find the funds and frame to do it up!

That's a nice looking cab and a great start for a rat.

I like that style of cab and it looks like you got a good one.
Don't rule out finding a Ranger pickup frame as they stay narrower than an S-10. Also more and more of the guys are using Dakota frames now.
Good luck hunting.

tried posting this yesterday but it wouldn't let me post pics and still won't.
After asking around a buddy of mine heard of a 91 s10 for sale, I called him and bought it, its a 4 cylinder 5 speed truck, complete running and driving. He accepted my offer and I picked it up. Body work was terrible so I had no problem junking it. Last night a few of my buddies and I took it apart. Right now it sits as a frame with motor and trans, but don't worry the motor and trans will be changed

I like the s10 since a sbc and th400 is basically an easy swap and I am a bowtie guy but couldn't beat the price of the cab

Budget builds are the best - no need doing what everyone else is.
Plus if you are careful and need to or just decide to sell getting more of your money back is an added bennifit.
Good luck, keep the pictures coming.

Picked the cab up and it's currently sitting on the trailer. Gotta finish taking everything off the s10 frame before I can start getting the motor and trans mounted.
Got a welder yesterday from Eastwood. For a inexpensive mig welder it sure can lay a good bead down. So now the sparks can fly!

There are several s10 frame builds on here for reference. I am using on for my 38. Now that I know what I know from doing mine the way I did, I would suggest a bit of surgery on the frame up front where it widens out so the cab can sit lower. Most of the cab will be fine, its just about a foot from the firewall back. Depending on where you put the firewall. If you are going fenderless, you have more wiggle room. I had to make my fenders fit over the tires, and still hook up to the cab. It was a fun puzzle.

Have fun!

PS. Nothing wrong with running a 4-banger for a while.

I have to admit to not being a fan of the S10 frame as a starting point, but I am a fan of using what you got and sticking to a budget. With that in mind I have collected a few pics that are S10 based and I think they worked out great. It's all in the proportions.

Thank you for the support. If I wasn't paying for school it would be on a custom frame but the s10 seemed the best route right now. My birthdays in a couple weeks so I plan on getting the motor mounts and start mocking up the motor and transfer that my brother gave me so I can figure out how to mount the cab. Nice thing is my buddy who I got the cab from is willing to help me out which will really help. I will post pics when the sparks start flying!

Finally got the pictures to upload. Here are two pictures of the s10 I got, body looks good from far away but body work was pretty bad so I had no problem tearing it apart. The frame only has light surface rust. The other picture is from last weekend when I picked the cab up from my buddies.

I'm building the same thing - 40' Ford PU. The S-10 chassis seems to be used a lot for these builds. I'm opting for a 1980's Chev. LUV. It seems to be a much cleaner frame when comparing the two..and when all the unnecessary tabs and brackets are removed, it's looks almost like an aftermarket chassis.
Drawback is the steering - I removed all of it and installed a rack....then welded on framehorns similar to a deuce. Will try to get a pic in the near future posted.

roddguy1 said:

I have to admit to not being a fan of the S10 frame as a starting point, but I am a fan of using what you got and sticking to a budget. With that in mind I have collected a few pics that are S10 based and I think they worked out great. It's all in the proportions.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by S-10 based, but none of those seem to use the S-10 IFS. They're all cool trucks, but not using the S-10 front end at least.

Got the frame all power washed and ready to start throwing the motor and trans in. Need to save some money and pick up the motor mounts then I can start bolting everything in and see where I can mount the cab. Will post pics as soon as I begin mounting everything.

Been a while since I posted. I am waiting for my brother to empty a spot in his garage to put the frame in. As soon as the frame is in I will be bolting the motor and trans up and figuring out what drop trans crossmember I will need. The Chicago weather has been snow free so far but way to cold to be outside chopping up the frame.