Post #12

I've since worked out how I plan on bagging the rear end of the frame. Here's some progress pics of the rear.  Obviously nothing fancy, just used mostly 1.5" OD tubing:

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Right now everything is just tacked in place.  Its a panhard bar set up with bags over some C10 trailing arms.  This is with all the air out of the bags and the frame resting on deck.

Here's a shot of the motor (I failed to show you pics of the fabbed motor mounts I made, I'll try to remember to get those in).  I modified the OEM S-10 crossmember to hold the 700R4 trans you see in this pic.

Next is to work on rear shocks.  I'll have to fab upper and lower shock mounts and find a shock that I can use, we'll see.....

Oh...before I forget, here's a scooter I motorized with a weedwacker motor.  This is what I started out with:

And here's with adding a weedwacker motor:

Above is the initial mocking up of the motor, and below is a video of testing her out (you may have to be patient for the video to load):

Well, it looks like the scooter would be fast, but the little weedwacker motor had no torque whatsoever.  So....what do you do?  You put a BIGGER motor right! 

I ditched the weedwacker motor for a 5hp power washer motor, made some custom exhaust and ape-hangers, BAM!

Post #11: 

I've been slacking with doing an update.  As of 10/20/2016, I've been able to do a few things since buying that F100.

I welded in a c-notch in the rear, although I won't cut out the inside pieces until I square it all up and after I install the future trailing arms with the original axle.

Here's a couple of pics of welding in the c-notch (nothing too exiting):


I cut a notch out of the motor crossmember (in order to lower the small block Chevy V8 within the frame to clear my hood).


Afterwards, I bent up some 1/4 inch steel to re-enforce the notched crossmember and welded that in (I know my welds look harsh....but I was using CO2 as my shielding gas....it penetrates deeper but welds ugly):

Next, I boxed the frame in the area where I plan on welding the trailing arm crossmember (in these pics below, the crossmember is merely mocked in place):

But, before I can weld in the trailing arm crossmember and set up the rear end, I have to weld in some motor mounts and fab up a transmission crossmember.....so that's what I'll work on next...

Post #10:

As of 9/28/2016.....I'm still working on notching the engine crossmember. I'll have photos and an update soon.

But in the mean time....let me report about my new truck!

I found a solid 68 F100 on the cheap!  She's beautiful I have to say.  Yes, cosmetically she's not Miss Universe but I'm sure you can see the potential!  My nephew and pops helped me out tremendously by picking her up for me (thank you so much)!  She runs and drives (390 big block motor).  Here's some more pics:




The unfortunate thing about this great find, I wont have access to her for a few months and Its going to be torture with anticipation.  So....back to work on the wagon!

Post #9: 

My Mobsteel wheels have arrived!!!!!

What is Mobsteel you may be wondering?  They are a company out of Detroit (www.mobsteel.com). They build some badass vintage steel and they also have Detroit Steel Wheel Company (www.detroitsteelwheel.com) where I ordered my 18" steelies from. 

For shoes, I went with BF Goodrich G-Force Comp 2 A/S.

The wheels look mean with those BFGs!

Here's a video of my front end's bag action (it may take a minute to load):

And, here's a couple of still shots of the same:



Today (8/27/16), I began work on shortening the frame.  Before cutting, I leveled and braced the frame with some angle iron.

I cut out 9 1/2 inches, in order to shorten the frame in order to the 110 inch wheel base the wagon is suppose to have.



Next, is to clean up the splice and measure the hell out of her, every which way, to make sure she's square before I tack her together (I don't want to drive down the road diagonally like a crab!).

Post #8:

Okay....so as of earlier today, 8/13/2016, my new Mobsteel/Detroit Steel Wheels Company wheels should be on their way to me from Detroit.  I'm so excited, I cant wait to get them!

In the mean time I think I'll do some blast from the past post(s), and relive my old enduro racing days, which were some of the most fun I've EVER had. Rich knows what I'm talking about!  Rich made it it possible for me to even enter a car in those enduro races!  I owe him BIG TIME!

Here's my enduro car (a 1970s Chrysler Cordova) shortly after I bought her from a co-worker and countless hours of help at Dick's Speed Shop getting her in race condition.  This picture was taken by my Dollface while at the track for the car's 1st trial run (even Dollface drove her a few laps!):

Here's a pic of the official Team 54 car after she was fine tuned and painted over at Dick's Speed Shop (If it wasn't for Dick's Speed Shop, this would never have happened!  Thank you Rich!):

Here's a pic of her on the track for the 1st time:

So, much fun!  There were countless hours of wrenching and many Miller Lites were sacrificed. Lots of fun and strategizing while we tailgated before each race.

Who am I kidding, it was eating burgers and dogs and downing some Miller-Lite-courage! I'll never forget how much fun we had and how much I learned in the process! R.I.P. Maxx! Thank you Liz for all the video taping and publishing you did!

Here's a pic of her after her second race (she sustained a few war wounds):

On the topic of enduro racing.....maybe one day me and my King brothers will eventually do the Baja 1000 like we've talked about (hint, hint!).

Post #7: 

So here's where the wagon project takes a different route!

Initially, I was hoping I could give the wagon a nice low profile with all the lowering components I've installed thus far on the S10 Blazer frame, and she probably would have been low enough, but only with a hood scoop (yuk).

I had been researching online what other methods to get that motor lower (so that I wouldn't have to use a hood scoop to clear my air cleaner) and I came across guys notching their engine crossmembers.  Here's some pics I found on the Interwebs:

Notching my crossmember like this may drop the motor low enough to give me the hood clearance I'm looking for.  One problem I foresee though.  By placing a V8 in the S10 frame already ruins any chance of reusing the headers the 305 motor came with when I bought it and also no chance of using OEM exhaust manifolds.  Reason being, the stock S10 upper control arms are really bulky and tall.  I would have to have some custom headers made and you know how pricey that could be.  Maybe some aftermarket tubular control arms are in order?

Where's this different route I am talking about?  Well, if I'm to use the lowering rear leaf springs and lowering blocks, I would still have to notch the rear of the S10 blazer frame to clear the axle.  BUT, unbeknownst to me before I bought the Blazer frame was that the rear frame rails were different heights (maybe to clear the fuel tank, I don't know).  But for whatever reason, the rear frame rails were different heights and would make C-notching the rear of the Blazer frame more difficult than I was prepared to tackle (especially for my 1st C-notch ever).

So I began doing some more homework on S10 frames, come to find, guys on various forums were suggesting NOT to use a Blazer frame for projects like mine, and to use older S10 regular truck frames instead (damm, I already got rid of the S10 truck that I harvested the SBC 305 and auto transmission).

Apparently, the older S10 truck frame rails are more rectangular and have no unevenness in the rear rails like the Blazer frame.

Now that, that's clear as mud, here's what I did.  I found a parted out 87 S10 long bed truck on Craigslist for $100.  Here's the truck after I paid the guy and hoisted her on my flatbed:


Once at the Speed Shop, I stripped her down to the frame:


The Blazer frame I had been working on......to the salvage yard she went.

Next, I had my new (to me) S10 truck frame chemically dipped.  Here's what she looked like afterwards:

























I decided to bag the truck (air bag suspension that is).  I hit up my brother-in-law Chris for some advice, since he's a Bag Master.  Chris steered me to the Slam Store where I ordered one of their complete bag kits.

While I was waiting for my bags to come in, I began researching tubular front control arms and I came across Michigan Metal Works.  Here's a video of a guy on-line with a set of their "flat plate" control arms:

I ended up ordering a set of Michigan Metal Works S-series control arms.  When the bag kit and the control arms arrived, I began installing the front end components.

Below is a picture of my driver's side bag and new control arms.  The black paint runs are from spraying Eastwood's internal frame coating.  The outside of the frame, I had primered in grey for the time being.

For the rear, after extensive Interwebs research, I decided to try using Chevy C10 trailing arms.  So I found a pair of trailing arms on Craigslist and I picked those up.

Below are pictures from the Interwebs of the trailing arms/airbag concept I'm contemplating doing.

This guy's frame isn't C-notched though, but you get the idea:

And here's another picture (below) from the Interwebs of using bags over trailing arms, with the frame C-notched:

But....in order to begin doing the rear, I need to have the wheels and tires that I'm going to use so I can dial in my ride height.  That's where Mobsteel comes in.....

Post #6: 

Okay...now that the Comet is sold, I needed to get back to work on the wagon.  I had picked up some universal SBC motor mounts and welded them to the S10 blazer frame engine crossmember. I welded the mounts as low as I could get, that is, leaving only a half inch clearance between the oil pan and the crossmember:

For the transmission, the blazer's trans crossmember wouldn't work, so I fabricated simple one (removable of course):

I don't have any pictures, but the motor and transmission fit like a glove.

Suspension wise, in the back I had already moved the rear leaf spring perches so that I would have the 110 inch wheel base I needed for the wagon.  I installed lowering rear leaf springs with 2 inch lowering blocks.  Up front, I installed drop spindles and lowering coil springs.

Next, I needed to get the body mounts situated.  So, with the wagon on the S10 frame, motor and transmission mounted, with just the right pinion angle, I began squaring up the wagon body with the S10 frame.

I had the wagon body channeled over the S10 frame and I had her nice and low, not slammed, but pretty damn low. One major problem....

The hood wouldn't clear the carburetor! Ahhh crap.  So, I jumped on the Interwebs and looked around for what lowest profile intake manifold and carb combo I could use to hopefully clear my hood.  I do not want a hood scoop at all costs!

I ended up picking up a Weidman intake manifold that had a pretty low profile and a Holley EFI setup.  The Holley EFI had low-ish height specs too. Here's the Weidman intake on the 305, all mounted in the S10 frame:

Well, even with the couple of clearance inches I gained and going with a lower intake and EFI setup, the hood still didn't clear enough for even a low profile air cleaner (sorry, no pics).  Crap, now what......