front halving...need help and ideas
 

ok, here goes. if you have read my introduction thread, you know this already, but for those who dont, here we go. My project vehicle is a little out of the ordinary for a g-machine. an 89 s-10. i am wanting to rework both the front and the rear suspension. step one i need to get a welder...any suggestions... would like to keep it in the 400-500 range....im going to box the frame. out back i plan to fab up an IRS setup. not sure which unit i will go with, just depends on what i can find at the time. for the front end, i am thinking that my best bet is a front half. here is my logic. I am going with a Gen III v-8. this will allow me to get the engine to sit lower in the chassis, and give me more room for accessories and all that. also, i am planning on reworking the front suspension no matter what, and i think by starting with a fresh clean slate, i will have better luck. Someone on another board mentioned working it all around a corvette tubular k memeber. does anyone have any insight into this? any and all help will be appreciated. thank you

in that price range you are basicly talking about mini mig welders. most gas ready 110v migs run in the 400-500 range new (after you toss in a couple supplies) so if you can find one on sale that would work out nicely for the thinner stuff and for heavy frame welding a 220v arc welder could be handy for you for anything 1/4" or thicker. what kinda of electircal supply do you have on hand? if you only have 110v you could at least tack things in place and take your frame elsewhere to have welded or to weld yourself. a tacked up frame won't run too much to get welded up sinc eall the shop time you would be paying for is welding time and not setup and prep time.

I think you really need to do some thinking on this one. Designing suspensions, especially independant front and rears, is really easy. Designing independant suspensions that ride, corner, handle and steer well, all at the same time, is very difficult. This is what I do for a living and believe me it is a complicated job.
If you don't have the knowledge or equipment to do the job correctly you will get frustrated very early and your project will never get completed.
"Starting" with a component from another car can be done but you need to know that this "start " is short lived and, unless you copy the other cars geometry exactly, your suspension will never ride, corner, handle or steer well. Taking all of the variables into consideration, especially when you start changing control arm pick-up points has to be done, otherwise you will have a very ill handling vehicle.
Now, don't take me wrong here. I am all for the do-it-yourselfer but, when I can see that that person "MAY" be pushing the envelope of their knowledge and skill I do get worried. I am not trying to talk you out of this, all I want you to do is sit down and think about what you are getting into. If the knowledge and skill is there, more power, but if it isn't, I think you should set your sites a little lower and build something a bit simpler to gain knowledge and skill.
S10's are one of the most well supported vehicles in the aftermarket in all aspects and you can build a real corner carver with bolt on parts. Holler back and let us know what you think...
Mark

Thank you for the replies guys. astroracer. I appreciate your input. I have been mulling over this for quite some time. I am going to start in the interior of the truck. On wednesday I am picking up a 98-02 Camaro/ T/A dash and harness, and im going to retrofit it into the truck. Back on topic. What would it cost to farm this kind of job out, mainly the geometry work? Then upon receipt of the work, I'll do all of the fab work. Again, I do appreciate the help