49 chevy truck booger

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There are a bunch of different ways to do it but all are probably more expensive than they are worth in your case. 1 way is Quad 4 rods makes bell housings to put your S10 T5 behind them. Kiesler makes adapter plates to put pretty much any SBC bolt pattern trans behind them. The fly wheels are kind of pricey that way though. Supposedly the H3 and Colorado / Canyon 5 speed is the same trans as the soltice or sky but you need to swap bell housings to a soltice or sky. Here is a decent thread on Pirate about it all.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/suzuki/604219-ecotec-converisons-2.html
 
yes labor of love is one thing, but I like a nice firm bottom.....


line haha.

no unnecessary spending, really its more of the native american "use every part" mantra, I dont like getting rid of something perfectly useful from a donor if I am just replacing it with the same "part" with a different shape or performance.


I have been cleaning out the garage to move the 49 in, making good progress, should have something to show tomorrow or tuesday. I dont think my toolbox has ever been as empty or organized. haha
 
really? how much?

though, the adapter and engine cost... thats a pricey way to make a point. the saturn twin cam is a great motor though, I would love to have it in a truck.. something to consider when I run out of 4.3 donor trucks haha.

Last time I looked the adapter to put any RWD trans on an ecotec was about $900.
 
hmm, $900 bucks just for the trans adapter, not even the engine trans or harness. yep, thats staying in stock for the maker!


no progress on the 49 yet except I cleaned out all the accumulated junk in the cab and bed

still cleaning the garage. but almost enough room for a truck now!
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we got the weight bench moved to the basement today, and some other stuff. I ordered some LED shop lights from home depot, they work a treat. still a pretty big mess to organize though.
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eagle eyed viewers will spot the vintage benetton steering wheel and the 4 YSR50s
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beeps likes the mazda, she calls it emmas yellow truck! (with the exclamation point)
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its outside now and all the remodel/moving stuff is GONE. got a nice welding table off craigslist for $40
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got a nice high table for a solder station too, thats whats behind it.
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didnt mess with a lot of the boxes for good reason. look near the center of the picture, about 2 o clock
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oh I was looking for these haha
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picked up some new jacks from cardboard freight, doubled what I already had, a 1.5 ton aluminum and a 3 ton low rise. the aluminum jack is more steel than aluminum now. its even an inch or so shorter.
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still has the old jack on the box
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should be all clean and ready for the 49 tomorrow, moving the fridge to the other side of the wall and putting that 4.3 4l60e on a cart to free up my wheel dollies. tie up some hanging wires, sweep, organize tools again. its funny, I found every single small funnel I have "lost" over the years and all my tools magically fit in my tool box.
 
got my wheel dollies back, I was using two of them to hold the 4.3/4l60e. I bought this cart months ago for just this purpose and finally got around to popping it on there. It rolls so gently that I have to be careful not to park it on the outside half of the garage, there is a gentle slope to allow water to run out the door and the cart just starts rolling by itself!
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built a one man lifting frame for my engine hoist. almost ran to get a center bolt and found an eye bolt long enough. waste not want not!
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my one man setup was one man short. :( The front wouldnt balance to lift, I didnt really expect it to, but figured I could lift it slightly with the 2x6 and pull the cab singly. nope. so tomorrow I will pull the front clip I GUESS. wasnt looking forward to all new bolts but cest la vie.
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I have my super fancy 50s bomb cart set up for the cab, it has 4 1800lb wheels with shocks so I think it will hold a cab
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imminent progress, the garage is waiting for rolling parts of the truck and I just filled my welding bottle! Short work week, thanksgiving and all, but I should make good progress.
 
I didnt get to work on the 49 yesterday, I hauled the 248 gmc to a guy 100 miles away for not much more than scrap and gas. still worth it to see it used.
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I used to be more optimistic. I would spray down rusted fasteners with acetone and tranny fluid or penetrol days before trying to loosen them. I have learned, that is a lot of work for fasteners I will never reuse. now I either hit em with the grinder/cutoff wheel or just get on both sides of the fastener and TIGHTEN. They give up immediately, its super fast.
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so today the front end came loose in about 30 minutes
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everything goes in for the thanksgiving day party, but it all rolls now. I think I will fix the floors first, you can see the new ones hanging on the wall
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Great progress. Does your little helper have bare feet. When mine were little they would come in the shop bare foot and get metal slivers in their feet.
 
yes, but I havent cut anything and just swept the floor. I wont let her out there with bare feet once I start cutting, she just popped in to say hi and visit her motorcycle.
 
"everything goes in for the thanksgiving day party, but it all rolls now. I think I will fix the floors first, you can see the new ones hanging on the wall"
Everybody who comes to my place just has to do the best they can to find a parking place [ddd
I've got a 50 that is a twin to yours only 1 years apart :cool:
 
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Old Iron, we always have about 20-25 people for thanksgiving (and other holidays) so even the yard gets parked in. Show me some pictures of your 50!


Of course, I notice the old Stanley Garage door opener instead of all the cool things in the garage.

there are two of them, they are in confidence with each other though because neither works. The left door doesnt open at all and the right door opens but only shuts if you hold the button, and if you hold it a second too long it opens all the way again. I am doing a veneer on the metal outsides to make carriage style overlays, so I might change the openers if they are too heavy to open by hand any longer.
 
picked up some arms, got a good deal on someones measure nonce, order twice!
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now I can save the ART tube arms for the next one. these are extended 2.5 inches so the wheels will sit outboard without spacers, and have the spherical balljoints and machined cross shafts.

workbenches and toolboxes got cluttered up, all free space is at a premium. wife thinks free space is a place to play jenga and if you touch one thing it all falls down.
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cleaned up quick though.
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that bomb dolly is great, rolled the cab outside and stripped the firewall
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picked up the last of the parts left over at kylies, the guy who did the body mounting on the 47 GMC
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everything fits back in, it will only get roomier as the chunks become one part. Ordering steering parts and trans mount today!
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those LED shop lights sure work well, its very bright in what used to be very dim with one bulb. I built some brackets to hold them up on the roof instead of hanging with chains which caused hot spots and shadows. I still need to tack up the wires out of the way.
 
soo...when are you going to put a trolly on that I beam you got hanging there?[cl
 
by

by the time I put up a trolley and hang a chain fall on it, I will be able to lift the cab about an inch! :)
 
cleaning up the frame to weld on body mounts and found the VIN. I have taken about 6 s10s down to their frame this year and this is the first I have seen a VIN on one, so I guess they do exist. it was right where everyone said, right under where the passenger door would be.
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matches the bill of sale so thats good.
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got some mag switch type welding magnets, if you have ever had a welding magnet just covered in steel shavings, these are for you, and really its nice to get them in position and turn on the magnet rather than the magnet grabbing everything out of position including the welding table.
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dead batteries in the welding helmet so I stuck with tacks.
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having a wire feed issue, tried new tip and its still not feeding right so tomorrow I will pick up another spool of 0.030. The spool in there is at least 7 years old.

mocked up
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also I think I will grab a pressure washer tomorrow and some muratic acid to clean the front part of the frame.
 
fixed my wire feed issue finally. combination of dirty drive wheels, dirty gun, basically 7 years of sitting still. works nicely now though.

got the front body mounts tacked on for a test fit, I will do the rear mounts tomorrow and dig out some s10 rubber mounts to test fit the body.

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I have motivation now because...

I bought this today

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I went expecting the worst for the asking price, and was pleasantly surprised, there is only rust through on the tops of the running boards in a couple places and on the bottoms of the front fenders. the rest is VERY solid, and I kicked! I still have that white 98 blazer I put a motor in a few months ago, and the 1991 longbed TBI truck I got in partial trade for the 65, so this is just the next logical thing.

it was kismet, meant to be. he pointed in the bed of the truck and said "there is the rear bumper for it" :lol: hey I needed one of those! (its a 47-55 bumper, brackets, and splash pan)
HOOCHSUCKS
 
Time was when I would borrow a trailer and beg some help and spend hours crawling around on the frozen ground to save a couple bucks. I have gotten smarter, hell even walmart oil changes are a bargain if you use good oil and double check the drain plug. So I ordered a tow, 130 bucks and a total bargain. Because the truck bought on the statement that it rolled, didnt, the brakes were frozen solid. and the tires were flat on widowmaker rims. I cant even imagine how hardcore I would have to be to attempt this with a borrowed trailer.

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time to shake it off, no not the taylor swift joint, he literally had to use the hydraulics to shake the truck off the flatbed. I was so fascinated I forgot a vid but he put it right where I wanted it. if you pay attention, the wheels havent rotated at all haha. not regretting the tow x100
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wife aggravate, activate! actually she loves this one, this is her favorite of them all.
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I couldnt get the doors open when I looked at it, the seller jumped in the window to try and get the doors open but I lack the svelte physique. rather than looking like the truck was birthing a large baby (I have a hilarious story about climbing in a sunroof I might tell sometime), I fiddled around with the door latch, easy because the drivers window is off the track. and viola!
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Then I shut it. HUBRIS! no amount of fiddling opened it again. I finally got the can of penetrant and was able to duplicate my accidental success about 10 hours later.
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it came with a spare passenger door, so I have to assume there is something wrong with it. If not, I will sell the extra door!
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More on the 49 soon, this was a fun distraction but I actually have progress on the 49.
 
Time was when I would borrow a trailer and beg some help and spend hours crawling around on the frozen ground to save a couple bucks. I have gotten smarter, hell even walmart oil changes are a bargain if you use good oil and double check the drain plug. So I ordered a tow, 130 bucks and a total bargain. Because the truck bought on the statement that it rolled, didnt, the brakes were frozen solid. and the tires were flat on widowmaker rims. I cant even imagine how hardcore I would have to be to attempt this with a borrowed trailer.

IMG_1781_zpsjdiwstgb.jpg


time to shake it off, no not the taylor swift joint, he literally had to use the hydraulics to shake the truck off the flatbed. I was so fascinated I forgot a vid but he put it right where I wanted it. if you pay attention, the wheels havent rotated at all haha. not regretting the tow x100
IMG_1783_zpsp4dtil8v.jpg


wife aggravate, activate! actually she loves this one, this is her favorite of them all.
IMG_1785_zpsh0vlmhpj.jpg


I couldnt get the doors open when I looked at it, the seller jumped in the window to try and get the doors open but I lack the svelte physique. rather than looking like the truck was birthing a large baby (I have a hilarious story about climbing in a sunroof I might tell sometime), I fiddled around with the door latch, easy because the drivers window is off the track. and viola!
IMG_1787_zpsqi77khrn.jpg


Then I shut it. HUBRIS! no amount of fiddling opened it again. I finally got the can of penetrant and was able to duplicate my accidental success about 10 hours later.
IMG_1792_zpsm0coo52o.jpg


it came with a spare passenger door, so I have to assume there is something wrong with it. If not, I will sell the extra door!
IMG_1786_zpsciaf6yzb.jpg


More on the 49 soon, this was a fun distraction but I actually have progress on the 49.

Looking at these photos, I think that the entire box (not just the fenders) is from the newer truck. Not a big deal to some. They're a bit different dimensions but fairly close.
 
I counted the bed boards and I think you are right, 7 boards for 46 and this has 8. but I will be on the lookout for a whole short bed anyway.
 

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