Hot Rod Forum banner

1956 chevy pickup, chassis swap ?

27K views 23 replies 12 participants last post by  wave1957 
#1 ·
I just got a 1956 chevy p.u. my boyfriend wants to do a chassis swap. to a 1987 chevy el camino is this possible and what will i need? first timer and new comer to all this. any advice would be appreciated. thanks Miss Jamie
 
#3 ·
In my opinion, the only thing tougher to pull off successfully than a frame swap is a body sectioning job. I've done clip swaps and frame swaps, but never a sectioning job. I'm just trying to make the point that a frame swap is next to the toughest thing you can do to a vehicle. If I were you, I'd tell my boyfriend to whack up his own '56 Chevy and leave mine alone.

Any improvements you need or want to make to your pickup can be easily accomplished with the stock chassis in place. Everybody and his cousin makes parts to fit these trucks, including bolt-in or weld-in independent front suspension systems with rack and pinion steering and power disc brakes. 9" Ford differential housings can be had, narrowed for wider wheels and tires and with the spring pads already welded in place for a "bolt-in" fit on your Chevy.
 
#8 ·
like tech says, keep the stock frame and modify it.
my 58 is on a stock frame with a mustII ifs up front and an 86 trans am rearend mounted on stock springs.
it is my opinion that most frame swaps end up going to the scrap yard when the owner realizes how far over their head they are

here is a link to ogre's 58 truk build. also the most popular 55-59 chevy truck forum that i have found

 
#9 ·
Here is a thread on a truck site that I started on this very subject. S10 or other frame "swaps", why do this? Pros-cons - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

The whole frame "swap" thing is going a bit crazy for me. Is there a time to do it, heck yeah, but it's the first thing anyone thinks of these days. There are lots of options and lots of reasons to do it or not do it.

I see no reason in my world to even think about it, but that is simply my opinion and there are lots of them.

Brian
 
#10 ·
martinsr stirring up dookie over there.
again, some of those builds start strong; i'm gonna do this and gonna do that, and then they just fade away when they realize it wasn't the 30/60 day project they had planned, after the next 3 years of weekends are shot
 
#11 ·
I didn't do it to ruffle feathers, I did it to hopefully educate the newbe. It's like this poster here, they are flying with an idea tossed out there all over "frame swap" like it's putting a SBC where the 235 was, crap, with the steering box in the say THAT'S hard enough, it's not an easy engine swap as engine swaps go.

But the frame, the FRAME that is a HUGE undertaking. And I just wanted to toss out there all the legal issues too, and the money "savings" we just don't see things as we should sometimes when it comes to money. I wanted a good discussion on the subject and I think I have gotten it.

Brian
 
#13 ·
c'mon boys, i need all the help i can get. i appreciate all the help and input. everyone has there own styles and ideas i guess i will have to find my own. i'm sure we will make tons of mistakes (hope not though)

NEWBEE
\

Go to the forum I posted the link to, there are a bunch of guys doing them there. Read that thread though, read what others say, there are VERY good reasons not to do it too.

Brian
 
#14 ·
Here is the best reason. I had friend did old truck, frame swap. Worked ok for him until he went to sell it. He had people lined up with bags of cash to buy that truck. As soon as they seen it was not an original frame they all ran away.
He was stuck with that truck forever trying to sell it. He did sell it but he took a beating on the price. No one wants a mucked with frame swap.
 
#15 ·
I moved this to basics. This is a basic question that has been asked a lot, most of these guys know it ain't easy. Tech has been into the drag racing as an inspector, Martin's been doing this type of thing for years, you really need to think these things out. Like how are you going to bolt up the front sheet metal, the body, the steering, linkage for gas, tranny and brakes? How are you going to make everything square so it doesn't look like a dog shot in the arse when it goes down the road? How far down on the frame is the body going to sit so the front end will match up and it doesn't look like someone just dropped this out of the sky? I've a friend that does the Mustang 2 applications, he's done about 40 of them. They're not easy. He can do one in about 3 days. He's also fixed a 55 Ford Pick up after someone hacked a front clip on it. Took him 2 weeks to make it right, using another clip. Width is also something a lot of guys forget about, you can narrow a rear end some what easily, but get the front end to fit under the fenders, uff da! Narrow the front frame, there goes your tracking geometry, motor mounting, steering, a major pain. Got a welder and the skills? You'll need them in every step.

Now, do me a favor. If you decide to do this, start a journal and show us how it will be done. I'm 61 years old, can you finish this in the next 10 years or so, I want to see it. I hate to be a party pooper but I also hate to see good iron go to waste. Good luck with your project.
 
#18 ·
thanks so much. i will let him know to keep some kind of journal if he decides to do the swap
Make a journal no matter what you guys do, we would like to see the build. And the "What did you work on today" thread in the lounge is also a fun place to post when ever you do anything.

Brian:thumbup:
 
#17 ·
I decided to keep the stock frame on my '50 chevy truck for a lot of the reasons listed above. If you're not doing anything too crazy the stock frame works fine. The body mount points are all laid out, everything just kinda fits. I have a v8, th350 auto, ford rear end. All went in just fine. The ifs set ups will run about the same $$ as fixing the stock front suspension depending on condition and desired ride height. If you swap rear ends I would grab the rear with the leaf springs and all fab new mount brackets and get new shackles. A four link is easier to tweak driveline angles if you find you set that wrong down the road. LMC truck is your friend. Make your own wire harness if you're not doing anything too crazy. The $200 hotrod/marine heaters from jegs are sweet if you don't need the original look. I think you get lucky and hae much better door latches with the 2nd series truck. If not I used the Atman bear claw kit. Expensive as hell but well worth it. When you buy bolts buy them by the box. Use nylock nuts and washers for everything you don feel like hearing rattle later. I mounted my master cylinder on the firewall, infinitely better.

You don't have to do all that stuff but I built my truck from a bare frame and those problems were friggin painful for me and that's only a short list. Get a MIG welder and a hardware store. Good to go.
 
#19 ·
I have done many clip's or mustang II front ends on both cars and truck's.. As far as the ride goes.. You will not beat the difference between the old and new front end... The easy's thing to do is the Mustang II front ends.. Clip's next,,, As far as the frame swap's.. I'm not into that.. To easy to just build a nice frame for the same or less work and you can make it fit right as you go..


I seen to many frame swap's that just stuck out BAD.. You can see it miles away...The money you spend on a Mustang II front end is worth EVERY dollar you will spend..

Now as far as them getting put behind the shop and not finished,,WELL sometime people just give up, Or other things end up coming first.. I have seen people that just couldn't finish them,, And some was well able to finish them and didn't.. I really don't see it being the work at all... Everything worth having is worth working for...

Nothing comes easy at all on re-doing a hot rod,, Be it stock Or hot rodded..
The harder it is to build,, The more you will be part of it when it all done... You start it !!!! You make sure you see it out to the end !!!!
 
#21 ·
As mentionned a lot, there really is no reason to swap frame. Unless your boyfriend is a master fabricator/welder and he likes a challenge... Anyway, I really cannot see how a frame from an El Camino would fit under a '56 Chevy truck, no way!!!
If you really want to improve the comfort/driveability of your truck, you can consider a front clip swap, such as from a mid '70s Camaro. It is easier than a full frame swap and works just as well: it would give you power steering and brakes, disc brakes and motor mounts, and it keeps the truck all Chevy! Swap in the rear end and you even keep the same wheel pattern all around! You still need to be good at welding but it is more do-able, or get a shop to do it for you, if you are not sure.
A lot of aftermarket front clips are also available, how about Corvette front and rear? It is easy!
There a couple of kits available to swap a whole frame, using for instance an S-10 frame (do a Google search), but really, I cannot see the point...
To give you an idea of the possibilities with a original frame, I drive a '57 Suburban, with '77 Camaro front clip and '86 Corvette rear (bolt-in kit): much easier than a frame swap, no one ever had to bother lifting the body!...
There are also guys who can improve the original suspension enough to keep up with modern traffic...
Go to the Stovebolt forum, they specialize in '40s and '50s Chevy trucks, stock or not.
And just sell the Elco to make some money to improve your truck!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top