First-Gen S10 Corner Carver

[novanutcase]

I was going to say the same thing! Try and set back the engine more for Rad clearance but now you may have to cut up the firewall!



John

[abadsvt]

Wow i just read this whole thing. Great work so far!! Keep it up!

Josh

[greencactus3]

for rad clearance? move the engine as far back as possible anyways!

[Jim Nilsen]

Your truck looks great !

I can't help but notice your floor . Is that real terrazo floor is is that vinyl tile? If that is real terrazo floor ,how much did it cost per sq/ft? It is something I have thought of but never priced.

Keep up the good work.

[jerome]

Jim,

Haha no, its just cheap, crumbling floor tile that they used in the early 70's. I'm not 100% sure that terrazo is what I'm thinking of, but we have done concrete where you mix in nice rocks, let it dry for a little bit, and then rinse the top off with water. The professionals use a chemical to make the top concrete dry slower, and they let the bottom cure, then wash the top treated layer off.

BTW, don't take my comments in the HHO thread personally, I was not attacking you.

[jerome]

cab propped up ready for frame to roll under






interference with bellhousing


header fits in no way shape or form...the cab is still 2 inches too high in this pic


finally on there, resting on bellhousing still...took til nighttime, I did all putting the cab on by myself


some of the cutouts necessary for transmission clearance, showing cardboard mockup for firewall (clearanced for bellhousing)


closeup of firewall, little bump bottom left for clutch bracket on bellhousing that i'm not using


distributor goes in without the cap, but putting on the cap is a problem


but I can't cut too much out of the cowl, gotta clear the windshield wiper linkage


even with the cowl cut, still don't clear the wiper motor, need to rotate the wiper motor to clear distributor

[jerome]

hole to clear seat track


seat in...it's pretty big, no room for anything in the cab but two seats


my dad, he had work belt w/ suspenders so I took a pic of him "strapped in"

Jerome

[syborg tt]

I love the last picture.

The truck is looking awesome.

[novanutcase]

I gotta say that this is one of the coolest garage builds I've seen in a long time. Ditto on the last picture. Always good to see Pop into the build!

John

[jerome]

ITS FINALLY ON THE GROUND!!!!








Gas pedal is too low, and brakes are too high, so I am making a "stage" or "pedestal" for my heels, basically a raised floor under the pedals, raising the gas pedal with it.


shifter is a little bit too far back, but I'll probably just get used to it.


Goddamn its sexy. Finally after a year or two of planning, I see the monster of a rear suspension I've been planning. Can't wipe the smile off my face

[dusterbd13]

that is looking good, man. any side shots so we can see the approximate ride height?
and that rear suspension looks great. i hope it works well enough to justify all the effort youve put into it.

alo, on the shifter. i know the new mustangs use a rail style that moves the stick away from the tranny and bolts it to the floor. maybe you could find one that works with the T56 and move youre forward? you could also consider making your own stick to go in it, where you could position it anywhere in the truck.

last question: you hoing to paint it this summer, or blow it apart after its on the road to do it?

Michael

[syborg tt]

truck looks awesome. I can't wait to go for a ride one day

i've attached a picture of my pedals just to give you reference since it looks like we are both about the same height 5.7

[jerome]

I'm gonna make everything fit, do all the sheetmetal, and then blow it all apart again for paint.

Gotta:
sheetmetal distributor clearance
sheetmetal center firewall inset for bellhousing
sheetmetal driver seat track
sheetmetal passenger seat track
sheetmetal both big holes I made to clear exhaust
sheetmetal old heater holes and all other holes on firewall
reinforce firewall mount for brake/clutch assembly
make pedestal underneath pedals
mount heater
mount radiator and fans
do all brake plumbing
do all coolant plumbing
wire the car
mount fuel pump and filter
measure for driveshaft and order it
finish weld rear suspension tabs
mount rear swaybar bushings
make front steering stops


It is only a matter of a few inches, so I think a new stick could fix the problem, and shouldn't be too hard to make.

yeah, I was in a hurry, just snapping pics, I'm gonna get some better ones today or tomorrow.

Marty: thanks for the pic. kinda confirms that I need to make some sort of platform. My problem is that the pedal assembly can't be mounted any lower because it has to clear the steering column, and only my toes reach the pedal with heel on the ground instead of ball of foot. Combine that with the gas pedal being so low, the platform really makes sense, because the gas pedal can be brought up to the level of the platform.

Thanks for the comments guys

Jerome

[GMracer]

way cool project man! good to see another trucker!

[greencactus3]

goddamn im jealous.

i cant wait till mine is rolling too.

either your dad is tiny or our trucks actually have a lot of room in them without any interior lol

is your brakes all a kit from wilwood? balance bar etc?
when did that go in?

[jerome]

Ryo, everything is from wilwood, go to their site, click products, pedal assemblies. balance bar and everything is included, you just buy the three master cylinders that you need. And read below...you won't be jealous anymore hahaha.

------------------------------

I made a big mistake...a HUGE mistake. When measuring the center of the wheelwell on the bed, relative to the mounting holes, I transferred the measurement to the frame backwards. As a result, I inadvertently shortened my wheelbase 4 inches. This is a huge problem, and I have two choices I can make.

1. Redo sheetmetal by cutting off front of bed and moving it forward, need to rework the frame mounts for the bed to move them forward. Cut off a couple inches off the back of the frame. This will shorten the overall length of the truck and leave the wheelbase 4 inches short.

Advantages: better turning radius and response, better weight distribution, can reduce gap between cab and bed

Additional Cost: $100 in metal for bed brackets, sheetmetal, seam sealer, cutting wheels, etc.

2. Redo rear suspension, moving front susp. crossmember back, getting a longer upper link made, cutting off battery mount and putting battery somewhere else, moving shock tabs and crossmember back, getting a 2-piece driveshaft instead of a 1-piece (b/c too long for 1-piece), box frame further back.

Advantages: 1/2"-1" more axle clearance in bump, car looks normal
Additional Cost: $80 for upper link, $200 additional for 2piece shaft, $100 in metal to redo brackets


Can anybody tell me the advantages/disadvantages of a shortened wheelbase other than the obvious turning radius and better weight distribution?

Right now, I like #1 cause of the advantages (i think?) of a shortened wheelbase, no additional work now, lower cost, and less work.

However, I am not decided cause #2 (redoing it) is clearly the "right" way to build it. I am just hoping this is a "lucky" mistake...

So which should I choose, guys?

Jerome

PS...a bit confused on wheelbase numbers...when I measure, I get 113, but a S10 is quoted at 108??? That would mean I lengthened the wheelbase, but I know I shortened it. The front is stock lower arms, SPC uppers, AFX spindle...I don't see how that could move the wheelbase that much. Either the quoted wheelbase is measured differently, or I am very very confused/wrong.

EDIT: man, do I feel like an idiot...I have a longbed S10...who woulda thunk it...greencactus, we can be longbed buddies now. (except I may be shortening it...I know...I know...) And if I shorten it, it gives me a wheelbase of 113 vs. 108 of a shortbed and 117 of a longbed. So getting a shortbed won't help either.

bonus option #3 put the bed on backwards, everything works out cause thats the way stupid me measured it.

[MrQuick]

I'd cut it 6" before the rear suspension crossmember and add a 4" section to it...maybe "Z" it for more low low. Or add 2" to the frame front and rear of the cab and raise it 1 3/4". Drop cab.

[Twentyover]

Jerome- we were chatting last night-

If you shorten the box, the frame will still be the same length, sticking 4" out past the box.

Another complication

[greencactus3]

ohhhhhh **** dude.

not sure if it applies but since i thought of it, 2nd gen longbeds use 1pc aluminum driveshafts. that can get shortened a bit and you can benefit from the slightly less rotational mass.

changing the wheelbase does everything you mentioned, but since you designed the geometry for a specific wheelbase, your numbers will be thrown off from how you designed it.. how much it gets off i can't tell ya.

but LOL at you having a longbed. how could you not know?

at this point i think you should think lopping off the rear couple inches from the frame and workign the bed on.

cutting off everything, rewelding, etc AGAIN will make your attention suffer, and even if you dont mean to you might lose focus and rush, etc etc
you got too close to being 'done' that going that far backwards may hurt your quality.
not to mention all that extra heat going into the metal.

[jerome]

yeah, haha how could I not know I had a longbed, right? I'm laughing at the mistake now...the problem was staring me in the face. It's ok though I've thought most everythng through, and the mistake was actually kind of fortunate, because a longbed wheelbase isn't the best for something like autocross. I'll still be longer than a shortbed, but not as long as a longbed.

I will work on getting everything driving, and then I'll put the bed on and see how much to lop off the front of it. I don't think it'll look too funny. Wheelbase is still 5 inches longer than a shortbed. This way, I can cut off just enough to get a good bed to cab gap like marty did with syborg tt. I can call it a "custom shortened wheelbase" haha.

I have plenty of room for suspension adjustment, I just need to plug in the numbers into the code I wrote, and it's pretty easy to figure out which hole to put the bolt in.

As for cutting off the back of the frame, that is no problem. There is a section that is straight, just have to drill a hole to put a bolt through to the bed, and cut off however much. I have a roll pan, so bumper mounts are not a concern. Limits my selection of bolt-in trailer hitches, but hey, don't think that was a concern in the first place.