just wondering how did you rig up your tow points in the back? the frame in the back there is the weakest piece of crap i ever seen on a truck, mine are all bent up just from bearly getting pulled out.

Personally, mine used to be a long-bed, and I shortened the wheelbase and fit the short bed back on it. I used the thru-the-frame shackle bushings and attatched big military d-rings in there. The bushings absorb some of the shock and allows the tow rope or chain to be... not so straight behind the truck.

2x4x.250 crossmember with 2x3x.250x12" long diagonal braces back to the frame on each end. Then I milled these, beveled both sides, and welded the hell out of them. Its not going anywhere.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL81/1991351/8209696/239045666.jpg

No real good pictures, but this will give you an idea. I agree that without a hitch or something back there, your frame will be dead in no time if you're jerking on it.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL81/1991351/8209696/233069323.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL81/1991351/8209696/250476502.jpg

And eventually I put a hitch tube on there too.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p200/knaffie/maiden%20voygage%20-%20Badlands%208-4-07/Badlands8-4-07045.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p200/knaffie/maiden%20voygage%20-%20Badlands%208-4-07/Badlands8-4-07021.jpg

I cut off the end of the frame square, welded a large piece of angle to reinforce the frame, then mounted my custom 4x3" tube bumper to that with (4) 1/2" bolts per side. I've pulled been pulled for years and that damn bumper just doesn't move :D If you're hooking directly to the frame then your probably asking fer trouble.

when I had an actual bumper, we tied a receiver hitch into the custom bumper and reinforced it (inside the bumper). it was bolted to the frame after that. zero issues after 3 years of use with many pulls on it (at all angles)

now I have a flatbed and really no rear bumper. there is a receiver hitch attached to the makeshift bumper and that works well too.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/1TFROT/badlands%20pics/flexinuphill.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/1TFROT/badlands%20pics/IMG_2679.jpg

i like the metal 2x4 idea. my frame is pretty much toast now, last time out i manged to slide sideways between to trees and backing up into the tree 20 times bent the hell out of it. ill just take off the stock bumper and do that square 2x4 thing.

just wondering how did you rig up your tow points in the back? the frame in the back there is the weakest piece of crap i ever seen on a truck, mine are all bent up just from bearly getting pulled out.

I boxed the rear of my frame, then used some 3x2 .250 tube about 6" long to insert into the frame and is secured with six 9/16" grade 8 bolts as well as a A frame back to my new crossmember it is completly removable if need be.. My d-rings were cut from 1" steel and drilled and tapped for two 1/2 bolts throught the rear bumper and supports and then welded everywhere.. hopefully this "sweet" pic will help:laughing::laughing: I can't believe I took the time to make this hahaha

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j200/redder22/Bumper-1.jpg
this is about the only pic I have of it (before the d-rings and dents)
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j200/redder22/Zesty010.jpg

on my 91 i removed the crap rotted out original sorry excuse for a bumper and 6011 stick welded on a heavy C-channel stock using the original bumper brackets and a pair of factory late model chassis-cab lights


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/fast68/randys%20vehicles/1991%20s-10/rear2.jpg


not done yet though,
still have many things to do yet to get it to where its really useable like welding on chain pull loops,
torching off the extra metal stuff on the C channel,
painting it all,
and so on..

the last truck i had as a daily driver and with no bed on it i got pulled over by the state po-po and got a warning for not having a bumper, hehehehe

so i welded on a really thick heavy wall 5" steel commercial building storm downpipe on it real quick

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/fast68/randyspastvehicles/88yoyorear.jpg
good luck

I took a reciever hitch from a different truck, modified it to fit my s10 frame and tucked it up close to the body, and made some loops coming off of them for my D rings, and it has seemed to hold up just fine.
~Kenny

ha thanks for the diagram redder, i went over your build alot when i was making mine for a bunch of ideas on the steering and spring hangers. i still havent messed with it, maybe tomorrow.

2x4 steel tube.. made some D ring tabs Welded them flush with HIGH HEAT ! when i welded mine on i used a Lincoln power mig 200 on its highest setting.. ive jerked on a fullsize bronco so far with no issues..

so heres basically what i ended up doing. took some huge angle iron, bolted it to the frame using grade 8's of course, ran a bracket across the bottom of it to kinda box it, welded that to the angle iron and to the frame and ran two support angle iron rods going from that back crossmember to the new bumper. so its like a hillbilly rollpan i guess.

was going to put a pindle hitch in the middle but figured its stronger with the tow hooks bolted directly to the frame and the pindle hitch stuck out way to far

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/abig84/DSCF0066-2.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/abig84/DSCF0065-2.jpg

so heres basically what i ended up doing. took some huge angle iron, bolted it to the frame using grade 8's of course, ran a bracket across the bottom of it to kinda box it, welded that to the angle iron and to the frame and ran two support angle iron rods going from that back crossmember to the new bumper. so its like a hillbilly rollpan i guess.

was going to put a pindle hitch in the middle but figured its stronger with the tow hooks bolted directly to the frame and the pindle hitch stuck out way to far

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/abig84/DSCF0066-2.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/abig84/DSCF0065-2.jpg

really REALLY REALLY bad idea using those tow hooks. Those things are terribly weak. They'll break at the threaded hole every time.

Gotta love the s10 guys. Simple question like this and out comes the pics of the awesome sas'd rigs... So envious of the orange one...

a few years ago, I had an 83 model 2wd to 4wd convert. and I also wheeled it without a rear tow point... bad mistake... so, I took a 4X4 piece of tubing, capped off the ends, and bolted it through the rear frame rails. I then bolted some front tow loops from (I'm sorry about this) a 2000 F-250 to it in addition to a 2" reciever. It worked great, and the loops were strong enough to drag my 44" tired S-10 through anything I managed to get it stuck in... (I also managed to get a 6" wide strap wrapped around a tire and broke the shakle before the hooks)... Hope this helps you.

really REALLY REALLY bad idea using those tow hooks. Those things are terribly weak. They'll break at the threaded hole every time.

really? i used to have these tow hooks on my k5 and a suburban and had the shit yanked out of them many of times with out incident. i did break one of those crappy autozone chrome specials before

i do have a set of excursion tow hooks which are inclosed basically. only problem is im going to have to trim the edge of the tailgate. ill go ahead and throw them suckers on as i really dont care about body damage

really REALLY REALLY bad idea using those tow hooks. Those things are terribly weak. They'll break at the threaded hole every time.

You aint kiddin. I broke both of mine trying to pull out my friends 4-runner. I have hooks from a 3500 Chevy up front now. Bolted in and welded to the frame.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i31/wrekd96/nanticokeIP002.jpg

Chris is correct. they will either break or straighten out. either way it's a bad thing ;)

You aint kiddin. I broke both of mine trying to pull out my friends 4-runner. I have hooks from a 3500 Chevy up front now. Bolted in and welded to the frame.



isnt that the same hooks i have on there now?

i had one of these hooks on my other 85 s10 and it ended up tearing the frame off behind the shackle trying to pull out a H2 :laughing:

but yeah im taking your guys advice, im going to throw them big enclosed tow hooks back on, i just have to notch the tailgate a bit

why not just loose the tail gate?

isnt that the same hooks i have on there now?



No, they look like stock s-10 hooks to me.

i would go with a set of D rings on tabs.. here's what i did
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/Muddinguy/Trucks/Project%2089%20s-10/100_0181.jpg

i would go with a set of D rings on tabs.

only reason i dont go that route is my welding is so so and for something that important i dont want to do myself. i have tabs like that on the front of my truck cause i bought the bumper premade

why not just loose the tail gate?

i was thinking about that but really see no point, i have a giant tool box back there basically the same size as the gate so i really dont gain any visability and this way i have some more structual support. this thing is falling apart as it is

No, they look like stock s-10 hooks to me.

these are the ones that came off like the mid 90s suburban/z71 type trucks. ive known a few people who ran and run these and never broke one.

these are the ones that came off like the mid 90s suburban/z71 type trucks. ive known a few people who ran and run these and never broke one.

The way they bolt on is how I can tell theyre different from mine. My bolts come in from the side. They look to have the same bolt pattern as the factory s-10 hooks.

The way they bolt on is how I can tell theyre different from mine. My bolts come in from the side. They look to have the same bolt pattern as the factory s-10 hooks.

they might be different. i dont remember what exact year they came off of (couldnt find a picture using google) but i know they are chevy style. i actually got them at a offroad store. they had a bunch laying around from putting fog lights on and picked them up for 5 bucks a piece. but yeah they are definitly not the stock s10 ones. i threw one of those on my 2wd daily driver just for the heck of it