project <RedmptioN>

First and foremost, thank you to everyone who has helped with this truck. (s10planet)
Thank you Mike (white00s10 on s10planet)) for offering up the truck to the VIP's first and holding it for me as long as you did.

re·demp·tion - the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil

After the complete failure of the last truck I have something to prove. Never again will one of my projects get cut up for scrap.

Time for pics to show what I'm starting with then an outline of the plans.

Front Suspension and Brakes:

* 2" drop spindles
* Tall upper and lower ball joints
* Stock LCA
* Tubular UCA (UB Machine)
* Steel bushings
* Hellwig or ZQ8 sway bar. Later, NASCAR style sway bar
* VariShock double adjustable coil overs or hidden weight jacks and VariShocks
* Custom end links with heim joints
* ZQ8 steering box
* C5/6 Calipers with Z51 brackets
* C6 Z51 rotors
* Ed Miller or bad94 C5/6 conversion brackets and hubs.

Rear Suspension and Brakes:

* Backhalf designed and built by me. Narrowed 4" total to fit 335/ 30 18!
* Offset 3 link. Upper link is offset to the right to help cancel out drive line torque.
* Lower bars converging in plan view.
* 1.5", 1/4" wall DOM tube link bars
* 2' Johnny Joints
* Frame mounted Watt's link with aluminum link bars and QA1 heim joints.
* VariShock coil overs
* Stock brakes with stock rear. Ford Explorer brakes once the 8.8 swap happens
* Blazer fuel tank mounted behind axle
* NASCAR style sway bar.


Back half



The layout of the 3 link



Random

Body Mods and Repair:

* Cab corners
* Rockers
* New bed (hopefully a step side)
* Flush mount bed cover (home built aluminum)
* Roll pan
* License plate box in tailgate
* New front bumper without impact strip
* Poly body mounts
* Non slider rear window
* Rear handles from four door Blazer (no locks)

Seats and console (not bolted in)
The blue and brown will go back to a graphite color.

Right on!
What are ya gonna start on 1st??
Do you have a projected budget?
Are you using stock engine/trans/rear?

Front suspension is first on the list then it will be the backhalf. I'm going to take care of some little BS odds and ends while I save a little and wait on parts.
I'm going to use the stock drivetrain for now to keep costs down. Do want to go with a LSx, 6 speed and 9" someday.
As far as a budget....spend as little as possible while still keeping it safe.

This will be a good build. I'm not surprsied on the stepside decision haha.

What are those seats out of?

I've got a full window sitting in a "parts truck" in my garage... but I'm not terribly close.

The seats are from a 1989 4 wheel steer Prelude. The seat pan isn't as deep as those in 2ws Preludes.

I do have a thing for bubble butt's...lol

The window is going to wait. Body work is last on the list of priorities. I might even try trading, this is a very nice slider (CRL, great company). I'll probably do little thing here and there if I end up waiting for parts.

can't wait to see some progress.

Working on getting it running first.
It needs a fuel pump, battery and idler pulley (missing) that I know of. Just waiting on parts.
Messed with the seats. The tracks had to be sectioned to bring them down some and then the carpet had to be cut out over the floor brace behind the forward, inner, seat mount.
I need to figure out a way to get this thing out of the dirt and level. Can't do concrete because, has to be temporary.

How do you like those seats? Comfort? Lateral support?
Does the side bolstering interfere w/ the door openings? Are you able to move them far enough back so you aren't banging your knees on the steering wheel?
I'm 5'11" and 200lbs.... I'm right on the border of being a little cramped for elbow room. I got a bench seat outta a Ranger sad3 .... needs to go.
I was looking at miata seats ($$!). They have a really low profile for the back rest.

I have had these seats since 98 or so. They were in my Cutlass and my other S10, yeah I like them.
The are very comfortable for me. They fit perfect with the console in there. Nothing hits the door or console. It took a lot of work to make them fit, the tracks are a combination of Prelude and S10 tracks that also had to be sectioned. PITA but worth it IMO.

The blue is gone, these pics are a little light because of the flash. I'm done with the interior for now. Might have someone trading me consoles so it has to stay brown for now.

very nice selections on the suspension, this could just as well be called project baseline, as it should provide exactly what one should aim for in a "pro touring s10" without being excessive or insane.

looks good man, much better.

Gray interior crap has to go. It's poop. Going stock.

Ordered the steel bushings for the lowers today. Also modded the sway bar bushings with grease channels and zerks. I want pillow blocks though.
Here's my plan for dealing with G body lowers (front bushing is smaller). I'm drunk and don't feel like posting it

http://www.s10planet.com/forum/showpost.php?p=258821&postcount=116

if you didn't live so far away I'd say just come over or send them to me and I'd open them up for you, but you are in fact just a wee bit far away for that to be worthwhile. Should be interesting.

The main reason I decided against opening up the bushing is if they ever need to be replaced they would have to be opened up again. This way I can use off the self parts.

This is how I'm modding the frame. (paint skills suck)

Blue = frame
Black = bushing
Red = reducer bushings
White in center of bushing is the new smaller bolt hole (1/2")

The bushings came in for the lowers today. The reducers came in yesterday and no I just have to find 1/4" thick washers then I'll start pulling the front end together.

The Howe lowers are ordered. $55 a pair on ebay for stock height. The taller studs are $28.50 from Howe. Still less then the fullsize swap without the work. I am going to try the full size lowers on another set of spindles some day just to see if it would work.

I started making a frame brace to go between the rad support body mounts that ties into the engine cross member. 2x2x0.120 to go between the frame rails and 1x2x0.120 to go back to the crossmember. I know G bodies flex there and even though it's a shorter distance on our trucks it still seems like it should add rigidity. No pics but it's just cut pieces of metal right now.

Have to wait to order the UCAs. Still waiting on my vacation pay. Might get some drop spindles or the hubs and conversion brackets for the C6 swap.