[timbro 42]

i have had a lot of street cars in my day but nothing like this i wan,t to put a 454 bbc in my pickup 1947 chevy pickup dose any one know where i can get info on this swap i have searched the internet with no luck i need all the help i can get 1st timer at this sort of thing

[Centerline]

You're not going to find a ready made kit for this swap. However, if you contact some of the street rod parts houses like Speedway, Ziggs or Yogies you'll find bolt/weld in crossmembers for both the engine and trans mounting. The motor will fit in the compartment easily and you may not even need to modify the tunnel for a Turbo 350 or 400 trans. I'm in the middle of installing an early Hemi with TH-350 in a 53 1/2 ton now. I made both the trans and motor mounts. They're not that hard to do but with a Chevy motor they are readily available from almost any aftermarket vendor.

The 47-54 Chevy trucks make nice street rods.

Good luck.


<a href="http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com" target="_blank">HotRodsandHemis.com</a>

[deuce_454]

the only late model GM motor ive ever swapped in a trock of that vintage is a inline 6, into a 1947 stepside.

it took about one weekend to complete. well two guys working 30 hours non stop. but that includes removing rivets, old rear-end tranny, engine and front end. installing 250 I6, TH350 10 bolt rear and front end plus shifter ant all the little stuff that seem to bug you for ever..

in my wiew, the guy has a truck that might run ok but it still handles like ****.

if I were you, i would remove the entire stock front suspension, and either transplant an entire front frame and suspension from a gen 1 camaro, in wich case everything would still be GM and the engine and tranny would fit right off,

Or get a Mustang 2 front suspension kit from Fat Man fabrications or someone like them.. in either case you would have a roadworthy car. If you also installed a jaguar rear suspension youd have yourself a true roadhugging Hod Rod truck... no seriously go with the Camaro or Mustang2 IFS, it will make a world of difference

(the cheap and easy fix is of course an entire
S-10 frame but its just not the same in my book)

[deuce_454]

Nice spelling huh?? ive gotten a new logitech keyboard thats "broken in two" for ergonomics, great for charpal tunnel, ****s for spelling

[Studebaker]

For installing a BBC and T400 in this vintage truck, I would definitely change the front suspension first. Update to a newer and safer drop axle /straight axle with disk brakes or even better, a mustang II cross-member with Must II suspension components. You will be very glad you did this, makes a very nice driving truck with rack and pinion steering. . BBC in this truck shouldn't be a problem for fitment, however remember you have to make room for steering linkage... I would definitely have a aluminum radiator that can be mounted farther forward, this way giving room for a standard water pump. . A safety issue is to box the frame from the cab mounts forward to add to the rigidity and provide a safe and strong support for the big block engine mounts. Oil pan clearance is also a problem with a Must II cross-member or lowered drop/straight axle. IMHO, on a classic truck like this I would retain the original frame and not put a GM subframe in it. These are too wide and althouth they do drive well, they just don't look right. The drop axle / leaf spring set up is what these trucks came with. There are many newer components to update these axles and springs for a good ride with disk brake conversions using newer standard GM brake components. This is a very good, safe set up. Easy to install and although they don't drive as nice as a Must II, they are safe and simple to install and easy to set up steering linkage. A small block will be a very easy fit, but hey, It's your project, Good luck on your truck!

[techinspector1]

If you've never done an engine swap of this type before, do yourself an huge favor and get these books and read them before you start. You don't know what you don't know.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...6530848&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...6530848&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...6530848&sr=1-4
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...6530848&sr=1-7

If I were doing it, I'd use a retrofit MII crossmember designed to bolt/weld onto your existing frame rails. This will give you power R&P steering and disc brakes on front about as cheaply as it can be done. And for heaven's sake, show a little ingenuity when it comes to the power steering pump. If you have the wherewithall to do an engine swap, then you should most certainly have the wherewithall to cobble up some brackets to run the MII power steering pump off the Chevy motor. It makes me nuts to see a Chevy pump used with an MII rack.

Eaton Detroit Spring has 23 different off the shelf springs for MII conversions, so getting the correct springs is just a phone call away.
http://www.eatonsprings.com/m2coils.htm

Progressive makes a nice crossmember that utilizes a full-width mount on the lower arms, unlike some pissy, weak-suck pinched together lower arms I have seen cobbled up by some manufacturers. Scroll down 3/4 of the way on this page and see their '47-'55 Chevy truck pieces for $515.....
http://www.progressiveautomotive.com/street.htm

Agree with Studebaker about boxing the frame. Progressive has plate kits if you don't want to buy steel and carve them out yourself....

[fordboy08]

A cousin of mine built up an 1960 f100 that had came with some thing like a 232 I-6 and a three on the tree. well they swapped that out and put in a bored 351w with an AOD behind it, they put a mustang II ifs front axle on it and it rides and steers great, seriously consider the car front axle.

[chevy53]

Im doing a 454 swap on my 53 3100 right now. I just pulled the old 283 out last weekend. I'm a newbee but I have family friend who restores and hot rods anything and everything for a living so he gives me pointers. Like the previous posters said, update the front end and box the frame up front. I bought pre-cut boxing plates on line so I only have to weld them in. I am also putting in an aftermarket dropped axle that I picked up last month. (there is a recent article in Classic Trucks that shows step by step drop axle install. You can view it on their website). There is not much online regarding installing a BBC in these trucks that I have found but I look daily. Good Luck

[junior stocker]

Go to Chassis Engineering, Inc., they have a website, and also make a lot of universal stuff for engine swaps. You might also try going over to JalopyJournal.com (then go to the HAMB forum); but expect a little rudeness, as you will be new, or as they say, a FNG (you even get registered this way and have to do an intro). But, it's a really good site.