Prepping Your S10 Frame

PREPPING YOUR  S-10 / S-15  FRAME FOR YOUR CODE 504 CONVERSION KIT

 

 

After you have taken the cab, box and front sheet metal off your S-10 / S-15 2WD frame there are a few factory brackets that will need to be removed when prepping your frame for your kit. Remember to always where safety glasses and hand and ear protection when working on your chassis.

 

Step (1 and 2) These are the two hardest brackets to remove from the frame. These brackets are welded on the inside of the factory bracket, cut off as much of the bracket as you can take a cut off wheel on a grinder, and run it up and down the top of the welds cutting through the weld without cutting into the face of the frame. With the extra metal that you couldn't remove on the outer sides of the weld use a chisel and hammer to bend the metal away from the face of the frame working the metal back and forward until it brakes off at the weld were you cut. This will keep you from having to grind off all that metal that you couldn't remove. The remaining weld can be ground down to the face of the frame.

 

Step (3 and 4) The front radiator supports will need to be removed from both sides of the front frame horns. If the front bumper brace brackets are still on the frame you will need to remove them as well. The lower photo will show the front driver side cab bracket, there is one located just across on the passenger side frame rail both of these brackets will need to be cut off and removed grinding the remaining weld down to the face of the frame.

 

Step ( 5 ) The rear bumper stops are located on the bottom side of the frame rail just above the rear housing most of the time these are rusted though and in bad shape they can be removed and again grinding the welds down to the face of the frame.

 

 Step (6) Carrier bearing cross brace will need to be removed by grinding off the top of the rivet heads it will be easier doing this from the bottom side of the frame. There will be (4) rivets two on each side of the frame using a punch and hammer pushing out the stem of the rivet and removing the cross member.

(TEC TIP) Clamping a pair of vice grips to your punch and holding the vice grips will help you from missing and hitting your hand when swinging your hammer.

 

Step (7) The rear shock mounts, some of the guys may not remove these brackets and just keep the shocks laying down in a backward angle that the stock S-10 / S-15 pickup had.  In the kit we have provided a new shock cross brace that would allow you to place the rear shocks in an up right position more commonly seen or used on most street rod provided. **Lower Shock Plate Mounts Included in conversion kit.**

    

 

   Step (8) The factory rear brake line tab will also need to be removed by cutting off the welds.

 

Step (9)  The factory transmission cross member will need to removed just by unbolting from the frame on both sides. This mount will not be use so it can be discarded.

   Step (10) Some of the S-10 / S-15 frames have this plate welded on, this will need to be removed by cutting though the welds and getting a chisel under the plate and braking it off from the frame, after removing just clean up and smooth out the weld.

 

Step (11) On the passenger side in the front in the cross member there is no access hole for getting to the nuts of the bolts on the engine mount. If you look at the driver side in the front of the cross member you will find a oval hole that the fuel lines came though, you will need to make a oval hole on the passenger side the same size so you can get your wrench into the cross member to remove the engine mount and be able to install the engine mount later in time from your kit.

(TEC TIP)  If you don't have a torch or plasma cutter you can drill two 3/4" holes in an oval shape running with the cross member and by cutting with a cut off wheel connecting the hole giving you an oval shape. 

 

Step (12)  The spare tire brace is the only thing that is holding the rear part of the frame together it will need to be removed.  When you receive your kit a new rear cross brace will come in the kit bolting the back of the frame together. But for right now you will need to remove the rivets from top and bottom but only doing one side at a time and placing in a bolt and nut so that the spare tire brace can be held in place keeping the frame from twisting out of square.

 (TEC TIP) Using a ratchet strap around the frame and holding it together all the rivets in the spare tire brace can be removed and putting in some temporally bolts placing the spare tire brace back on holding the frame together.

 

CLEANING YOUR FRAME

 

If you are not planning on using the OE brake and fuel lines they can be removed and discarded. Any other clips and grounding straps can be removed.

Take some time and look over your frame at all the factory welds top and bottom sometimes you will find large balls of weld left behind or weld slag this is a good time for doing a little cleanup work so that when it is time to paint or powder coat your frame you haven't left anything behind or ruff giving you a bad finish.

Also check your frame to make sure there is no damage or rust hole if so this will need to be fixed before painting or powder coating your frame the other thing to check is the frame straightness and that it doesn't have a twist in the frame from being used as a work horse in the past if so you may have to take it to a frame shop and have it pulled and straightened so you don't have your truck of passenger car setting at a tilt after installing your body but keep in mind these old cabs and bodies have seen a lot of years and road time and may need a shim here or there so don't be afraid if you have to use one from time to time.

If you have any questions when prepping your frame please fill free to give us a call at anytime.