'54 GMC big block 4x4 S-10 build

[Steve@OldSub.com]

I've decided to tackle a new project. I'm going to build a '54 GMC 1/2-ton four-wheel-drive on an S-10 4x4 frame with a 454/TH400/NP205.

Now you think I'm crazy. So does my wife so you're in good company.

Today I managed to swap a Dana rear I got free and am sure I'd never use for an S-10 4x4 rear. That was the one significant piece I lacked for this project so now its time to commit and start working on it.

I've had both the '54 GMC cab and the S-10 frame (minus rear) for years. The 454 and other pieces are in a wrecked truck I've been parting out since the accident a little more than two years ago.

I'm going to use GMC stuff for two reasons. First I prefer the GMC grill and dash. Second it gives me more length in the engine compartment which will be important with the big block.

While I'll have enough torque to break axle parts I plan to drive this careful enough that doesn't happen. The front diff will be the 7.2 instead of the 9.25 in the motor donor truck. The rear axle is a 7.5 10-bolt instead of a Dana 70HD like the donor truck. I'll make up for these downgrades by taping an eggshell to the accelerator.

The GMC cab is a 5-window that is in great shape from the belt line up. However the floor, cab corners and driver's side cowl all need replacement. And its got other problems too. I also have a '54 Chevy 3-window cab I'm not going to use on anything else. My plan is to separate the top from the GMC along the seams at the back and in the cowl at the front, taking the 5-window part and the GMC dash and putting it all on the Chevy cab.

I'll probably use the top removed from the Chevy to repair a sunroof in another GMC I have.

I have an extra set of seats from a C4 Corvette I think I'll put in this truck.

Steering column will either come from a 70's Chevy van allowing leaving the ignition switch in the dash or from the '89 truck donating the 454. I need to determine if it will make any significance difference to wiring the TBI motor and will make the decision on that basis.

The wheels will be an old set of slotted mags that I've had for nearly 30 years. The wheels have a nostalgic appeal for me and seem the right choice for an old four-wheel-drive hot rod.

In some ways this is a project of opportunity. I have the major components setting around already. In other ways it is very practical. I see the finished truck as something I can drive on those rare days when it snows around here. It doesn't happen every year, but when it does it can be nasty. But also I live in a very wet area and often need four-wheel-drive to get around parts of my own place. My place isn't as big as that sounds, but moving my trailer to where I store stuff, while only a few hundred feet, can require more driven wheels. Also this truck will be the shortest four-wheel-drive I've owned in decades, and with a new fence my neighbor built I can no longer swing wide enough with my long pickup to back my trailer into my back parking area. This short truck should solve that problem too.

So there aren't really any pictures yet because all I've done is collect pieces so far, but once I start actually doing work I'll change that.

Any thoughts or comments about what I plan to do would be welcome.