s10 conversion why do it ??

[AusRs]

I have read about the s10 front conversion many many times ,i would honestly like to know the main reason for even considering the swap
ok we have 4 stud rims ,changing those 4 studs to 1/2 inch would make it as strong as 5 7/16 studs

is the only reason for the studs to get a better rim/tire selection ???

[ColinOpseth]

Well, that and the fact you ditch those crappy solid front rotors (my '72 came with solid front rotors) and can run larger brakes.

Also, brake parts for stock setups are getting scarce. You can use off-the-shelf parts for the S10 swap.

I'm also from the school of thought that says it's stupid to upgrade your motor without upgrading your braking.

Take care,
Colin

[greg72]

I am upgrading because of the off the shelf parts availability that Colin mentioned.

S10 ball joints and brake parts are VERY easy (and inexpensive) to obtain here stateside. H-body parts are, in some cases, getting cloes to obsolete.

Even if you factor in shipping to your corner of the world , s10 parts will probably end up being less expensive , and more durable as well.

[AusRs]

ok so first couple of posts
main reason to convert is availability of parts and crappy brakes

i have a 79 so crappy brakes are not that big an issue (edit mine are at least vented)
i have a set of new upper and lower ball joints so thats not an issue (for another 30 years )
complete calipers are available (reco) so thats not really an issue

i am not really interested in shipping a set of s10 spindles to Aus ,if i were going to convert i already have Au bits that would fit and work at least as well as he s10:)

i was just curious as to why it was done by so many people

just appears that changing to the s10 bits creates its own geometry problems with wheel alignment settings and turning circle

[Bacchus]

I don't think because you have a '79 you have "no braking issues."

[spyder_xlch]

I have read about the s10 front conversion many many times ,i would honestly like to know the main reason for even considering the swap
ok we have 4 stud rims ,changing those 4 studs to 1/2 inch would make it as strong as 5 7/16 studs

is the only reason for the studs to get a better rim/tire selection ???

Yes, Steve, I would say that's the most common reason for the swap. If 4 on 4 14" and 15" rims were common I don't think you'd see as many spindle swaps.

[monzamess]

It all depends on what you expect and what you're willing to trade off.

Assuming you don't want to do the upgrade just to get 5-lug wheels:

GM was confident enough in their brakes that they shipped factory V8 Monzas with the stock brakes. Lots of guys here still have original brakes with their V8 cars. If those are good enough for you, stick with them.

They'll probably be fine for normal street cruising and some passes down the drag strip. They won't feel like a modern braking system, and they won't stop as short, but they will be good enough.

If you do a lot of heavy braking (driving like a maniac ), expect the stock brakes to overheat, fade, and possibly warp. Then you'll be scrambling to find stock Monza replacement parts.

If you do any road course racing or even non-competitive track days / racing schools, the stock brakes will die, and even the S-10 brakes won't hold up. This is true for most stock brakes except maybe those on the Corvette Z06, BMW M3, etc.

Having the S-10 spindles makes it a lot easier to get better brakes, but with the geometry trade offs.

For me, personally, I mainly wanted the 5-lug wheels. Also, my Monza currently has a braking system almost identical to that in my S-10 (except no ABS), and I know that the braking system holds up -- just barely -- in the heavier S-10, so it should be fairly good for the Monza.

[cjbiagi]

The late H-Body brakes with the vented rotors and 9.5" x 2" rears are a vast improvement over the earlier solid rotor and 9" x 1 1/4" rears. So, it depends what you are startng with. I did upgrade my 75 to the later H-Body brakes way back in the late 70's before anybody even heard of the internet to gain any info. I did upgrade to the 5 lug in the rear but still have the 4 lug in the front. For normal driving, I have never felt they were deficient. Granted, they are small compared to some of todays cars but it's also a relatively light car. I agree that for more aggressive driving their shortfalls may become more evident. However, compared to most 60's cars with all drum brakes they are pretty good! So it all depends what you want. If you keep the stockers, get some good pads and parts and they will be fine. If you want to go to 5 lug, then swapping to S-10 stuff and gaining the bigger brakes is the way to go. I may do this someday if I ever find some matching wheels for the front, but I am happy with the way it is. I didn't realize that the S-10 swap caused that many geometry problems though, is it that bad?

[heinz057]

i did the s10 swap last year. i heard all the stories good and bad . i put all new bushings and ball joints in the control arms also. i have no alignement problems. i did make sure nothing was bent. i set it at -1/16 camber and + 1 1/2 caster with 1/8 toe in. i used v/6 ac springs with my v8. i did all this for 2 reasons 1 wheel options and 2 if i need a brake part the s10 stuff is easy to find.

[NixVegaGT]

That's a good point about availability in Aus, Steve. The stock early BJs and associated parts are getting more and more scarce here too. AND what's left is VERY expensive by now. I looked into new LBJs on my Vega before I started the process and they were $129! JEEZ.

SO did I spend that much converting? yes. More. BUT I did get to upgrade in the process and have piece of mind that future maintenance will be assured. We have so many parts that are becoming unavailable for us. I figured I'd head that off here. That was my thought process.

I should also say that I'm hoping to do some Solo class racing and I thought an upgrade in brakes would help me a bit. Mostly for cooling. The old solid discs were not likely going to do it.

It's a good idea to bring it up, Steve. I think it's something we should all seriously consider before going through the process. I did a good share of fabrication to convert the lower control arms and it couldn't really be classified as easy work...

[cjbiagi]

You were able to get + 1 1/2 positive caster? Hmm, that's better than I thought would be possible with our limited adjustment. How does it steer? Mine is very light with almost no automatic centering after a turn. Something I'd like to work on.

[v8astregt]

I did it for many reasons. 5 lug was the primary concern for me, as 4 lug can NEVER look badass.

Also, for the cost of just the upper balljoints, I was able to get the S10 brake stuff, as well as upper S10 balljoints to retrofit them. I had stock spindles as I put 2" drop spindles in my blazer.

I moved my upper balljoint over some so I have no alignment issues at all. Turns very easy, I use one hand even when parking.

[chevyart]

can anyone give me a specific brand front brake pad name for the 75 4lug rotorthat will give me the best stopping power, maybe even a custom made setupthanks chevy art

[cjbiagi]

Art, there isn't a lot of choices for the early solid rotor brakes. The prices on those parts have really skyrocketed too. I did some checking and looks like I found some ACDELCO semi metallic pads for the early cars. If it were me, that's what I would go with. You can contact me if interested. cjbiagi@yahoo.com

[AusRs]

can anyone give me a specific brand front brake pad name for the 75 4lug rotorthat will give me the best stopping power, maybe even a custom made setupthanks chevy art

Hopefully in the USA you have local brake parts stores ....in Aus you can take your old backing plates for the pads and get them remade with new material

so it appears so far that the earlier cars with solid brakes are the best candidates for the s-10 swap

and rim choice does play an important part of the conversion
Clyde
i would not like the feel of steering not self centering

as for 4 lug not looking badass ??? i have what i think is a great set of 4 lug 15 inch rims for my car ......they have a cap that covers the nuts !