Old School, New School: ‘49-’55 Chevy Truck S-10 Frame Swap Kit
By Kevin Whipps
In 1947, Chevrolet introduced a new line of trucks with what they called an “Advanced Design,” which led to the ‘47-’55 1st-series trucks being named the AD Series. The popularity of this style has spanned the years, even popping up in Old Navy stores across the country as a display rack. But if you compare the truck to today’s standards, the design doesn’t seem advanced at all, with its leaf-spring front and rear suspension. Funny thing, though: A standard-cab longbed ‘82-’05 Chevy S-10 has a very similar wheelbase to the AD trucks, and with a few modifications, you can do a total frame swap.
In fact, with a little hard work and a few beers, you could swap the frame and drivetrain from an ‘84 longbed S-10 to your AD truck, and drive it the next day. Really, it’s that easy. And Advanced Design Engineering has made this mount kit to facilitate the swap. It includes all the right spacers and brackets, so you can bolt everything up just the way you like. It’s available for two- or four-wheel drive trucks, and they’re even working on a kit for the Suburbans too. Time to start checking the AutoTrader for a donor truck.
S-10 Frame Swap Kit [Advanced Design Engineering]
