I am looking at a 91 sonoma. it has a 2 inch body lift and 32 inch bfg muds. It has what appears to be a tpi 2.8 with a couple of performance goodies, matted to an automatic and a 231(?). It is an x-cab on a shortbed frame with a custom flatbed.

now the q's. What would I need to do to get a tpi 350, sm465, and a dana 203 on there with a solid front conversion.

I am looking to go leaf front for teh simplicity. I can run anything from waggy 44's on up to rockwells. I plan to have at least 35's on there, possibly 38's.

who has done the early s-10 sas or a 350 swap and where is the best place to go for information?

check out s10-4x4.org, there are alot of us on that site that have done SFA and there are plenty of small block swappers

let me rephrase.

after searching I saw s-10 4x4.com coem up a lot.

I also saw the phrases dana 30 and eb come up a lot.

so lets make this more specific.

1) I want to do a 350 swap. where can I get motor mounts? what is the easiest way to go from an auto to manual (brackets and linkages)? will I need a computer if I go from the 2.8 to a 350, where can I get this if so?

2) has anyone used the ord flip kit to work as a front spring hanger? can this be safely done?

There are a dozen people that make 350 swap kits and such

are using a fuel injected 350, then you will need the comp and harness from the vehicle it came out of

what axle do you intend to use, as for ord, what width is it, what width is the axle you usin, are you going to change spring perches on your front axle, on and on, there are so many variables to these questions you gotta figure out what you want to do, you can build dang near anything if you want

I plan on running a 203 or 205 t-case, possibly a d300, so I will have a passenger drop.

I can run any axle you name, that is also the beauty of passenger drop in that I can run anything from a waggy 44 to a m715 dana 60 (damn closed knuckle) to a rockwell 2.5 ton.

I want to keep it leafs. I am going to be using waggy front springs. there are jsut too many variables with the coils.

width is not an issue for me. I would like to be up on some 11x16 michelin xl's or xml's so a 44 is cutting it thin.

moving and custom welding spring perches is the least of my worries.

I was thinking the ord flip kit would work good for a front hanger, it gives drop and I assume that it would put me level with the main frame so I could tie the shackle into the frame. (no hanger)

I was wondering if this had ever been done before and if not, would it be safe to run?

what companies make the 350 swap kits?

JTR - Jags that run
Advanced Adapters

sweet. I will go with a set of teh jtr motor mounts for $45.

what about using teh ord flip kit for a front spring mount?

I've been on S10 websites for 3 years now, and I can tell you that the ORD flip kit has never come up in conversation. You may be the pioneer in using that kit.

Also, while you are at JTR, get the book! That book should be concidered the Bible when it comes to V8 swaps into S10s. That book alone will save you hundreds, if not thousands. There may be parts of it that you don't understand. Take those questions over to www.s10-4x4.org . Mark Hall can quote that book in his sleep. From what he tells me, that book is more geared to the exact swap you are talking about.

One thing to concider... Do your SFA first. Then you don't have to worry about messing with the oil pan. The body lift will turn out to be a blessing. You will have tons more room to work with than a truck with no body lift. The only question I would have is about the fan shroud and going to a bigger radiator. You may need to custom fab a shroud.



You saw alot of talk in your search about the Dana 30 and EB's. The reason being is that Dana 30's are close to the right width, and they are plenty strong for what most guys plan on doing with them. Early Bronco axles are the same thing. They are only 1 1/2" shorter, wms to wms, than the S10. Some people go that route because they get a 44 front and a 9" rear, without having to worry too much about width.

Mark Hall's big truck was done using those axles with a 400 horse small block, coils, and 36's. If you can get a complete EB, it is just a matter of cutting everything out from under the Bronco, and welding it under the S10. No brainer, and then you can go through James Duff to get all of your lift coils and what not. I see that plan as almost ideal. As easy as coils are to swap out, you can have two sets of springs in the shop and tune the suspension for the kind of wheeling you want to do on any given weekend. A soft set for rocks, and a stiff set for mud.

Just a few more things for you to think about.:D If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. Between this site and s10-4x4, we can get you most of the answers you need. Not to mention pdaddy and Fullreversal that have already done the SFA swap!:p