47-55.1 1948 3600 need ideas

[48newbie]

I bought this 3600 from the original owner in North Dakota. Not realizing what a pain the 8 lug would be. I have a GM 10 bolt for the rear but not quite sure what to do with the front. I also have a 88 S10 I could use for parts. There is no engine or transmission and it used to have a dump bed. Any ideas on where to go from here.

[48newbie]

The body is very sold except the inside A pillars are rotted out from mouse piss

[mr48chev]

It all depends on what you want i to be when you are done.

S-10 swap trucks are great low buck driver trucks with easy to get and work on chassis but they will always carry the stigma of being a "Cheap build" no matter how nice the truck is. Back when the S-10 swap thing started you could often drag a dead S-10 long bed work truck out of someone's driveway for hauling it off or for maybe a couple hundred bucks, scrap the body and use the frame.
That stigma never has gone away as far as resale value no matter how much money you put in one. On the other hand several of our members have done S-10 swaps for a real low cash outlay on the whole truck and have great driving fun trucks that didn't cost much.

[48newbie]

Just looking to build a "reliable" truck. No fancy, shiny paint. Keeping the paint thats been on it for a long time. No long interstate travels, just lots of miles in the country and local driving.

[leegreen]

Sounds like you want an old truck that is driveable. Do the minimum you can to get there.
Ignore people's advice about what the end result is 'worth' (Sorry mr48chev). It does not matter how you build it, if you sell it when done you will lose money, or at best make a couple bucks an hour for your time.

Do you have a solid cab you can use as is? Not structurally rotten?
Rear axle swap to get better gears and open driveline. Newer springs and bushings. The S10 stuff will work, but not direct bolt in.
Add shocks if it did not have them
Find a front axle someone has disk converted and swap it or look into swapping your axle to disk - I do not know details for 8 lug, spindle might be the same as 6 lug?
Swap to dual master, all new brake lines
If you really just vision puttering around with it, keep the original front drums, just upgrade to tapered bearings and self adjusting brakes if no-one before you has yet.
Swap in the motor and trans from your S10
Drive and enjoy

If you have to take the cab off to fix rust, replace bed cross sills etc then maybe look at the s10 frame swap.

[dsraven]

yep, I'm with LG. if you just wanna local driver and you have an S10 then swap in the S10 engine and trans and go with that fr power. you could use the rear axle for a better ratio as well, up to you because it won't have the same wheel bolt pattern. if you wanna keep the solid axle make sure you check it out well before you spend money on it. sometimes the kingpin hole is worn out so the new kingpin will always be a little sloppy even with new bushings etc. maybe you could find a 1/2 ton axle that has what you want and is in good shape. lots of guys rebuild them, drive them for a bit and decide to upgrade to IFS. other that rat rod guys there really isn't much call for the old axle so there are deals to find if you put the word out. a power steering upgrade revolves around if you will stay with a solid axle or not. I totally agree that a dual system brake master cylinder is a must these days along with all new brake lines and hoses. again, check what you have thoroughly and go from there. no use throwing good money on something that you will grow tired of right away.
do a thorough once over on the whole truck, from bumper to bumper. make a list of what it needs. do a feasability study on costs a couple of different ways, then decide. don't go hog wild and strip the whole thing down because thats what kills a project-it becomes overwhelming and you can't decide where to start. also, don't go buying stuff for it until you need that stuff. lots of build have new wheels and tires, stereo systems, seats etc, but the truck is still totally stripped so years down the road, when it is done, the tires are new but not safe, the wheels are out of vogue and sometimes the project was simly sold for a loss due to lack of interest after being overwhelmed with the whole thing or no budget to finish.
just saying, unless you have done a couple of builds, start with small things that make a difference and go from there. after you find out what it needs overall.
body parts needed-fenders, doors, hood, box parts, cab parts, weather seals, glass, rubber parts,
driveline parts needed-engine-trans-rear axle-radiator
frame parts needed
suspension parts needed
brake parts needed
steering parts needed
interior parts needed
wiring parts needed
tools need to do the repairs
space to do the work
time away from family-if related
tires
wheels
glass
seats
shifters
steering column parts

sometimes its a good idea to check out the patch panels available for your truck and payu attention to those areas on YOUR truck because they don't make patch panels for the heck of it. it's because there is a need big enough to merit the money spent on building the parts. same for all the other stuff a vendor may have in the catalogue

[mobileortho]

Originally Posted by 48newbie

Just looking to build a "reliable" truck. No fancy, shiny paint. Keeping the paint thats been on it for a long time. No long interstate travels, just lots of miles in the country and local driving.

I started out with the same intent for my 3600 years ago....man did that change over the years! But if you want to keep it simple, go with the 10 bolt, a lowered straight axle & dual intake & headers if you still have the straight 6. Those were my original plans but whatever you do, just enjoy the ride!