[madfrog]

hey man, IMO, it would probably be cheaper to buy the mustang IFS set up with 2 inch drop spindles and power rack and pinion with weld in crossmember. I am workin on a 59 and goin through the same questions. I thank i am gonna get the lowered cross member and disc brake conversion. I will deal with tha manual steering for now. I want to spend all my extra money on some good A/C. Anyhow, thats my opinion.

[Apache_Boy]

Originally Posted by madfrog

hey man, IMO, it would probably be cheaper to buy the mustang IFS set up with 2 inch drop spindles and power rack and pinion with weld in crossmember. I am workin on a 59 and goin through the same questions. I thank i am gonna get the lowered cross member and disc brake conversion. I will deal with tha manual steering for now. I want to spend all my extra money on some good A/C. Anyhow, thats my opinion.

I think I am just gonna get a S10 with a 117" wheelbase and cut it 2".

[RODDER18]

Originally Posted by Kim57

They may be these cut down to fit.
http://www.brotherstrucks.com/prodin...number=IWT7387
Kim

Wow it is hard to believe that a year has gone by. I did order the wheel wells and install them. They worked out great. Time really does fly when your having fun! Heres a vid of the truck on the road. Thanks again for the heads up. Hopefully I can get the body work done and paint it before another year passes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS19sOgJEIo

Kurt

[Rrumbler]

Hey Rodder18, I got ya' beat by a year. I can't believe the last time I was on here was October, '07; life does throw curves and sliders at ya', doesn't it? My Bride had a long dance with the "big C" for the next year, and we were somewhat preoccupied. All is better now, though. O'course, with the upsets and such, and they do continue in one form or another, I still haven't done anything to get my old wreck back to life again, it just sits there forlornly at the side of the shop. Had a guy stop by one day and ask if I wanted to sell it; I told him no, but I did have a daughter in law that I would let him take off our hands, and give him a couple of hundred on top of the deal. Wish he had taken me up on it; she is causing all sorts of hate and discontent in our fambly.

Nice to see you fellers getting on so well with your trucks. Was following the discussion on motor mounts; looks like you've got 'em sorted out. If you still have the engine mounted on it's original mounts, you can use that position as a guide, but if it is gone, or someone has whacked on it before, you have to start from scratch. The original mounts are pretty stout, and will stand up to a pretty hefty "mouse", but like DD said about his 427, they just aren't up to the job of the brutal torque of a healthy big block, so going to the tri-point mounting of the later models is a good idea. Also, if you are swapping to an automatic, they are mandatory; using the front pin mounts with only a tailshaft tranny mount is asking for trouble. There is not enough lateral support to deal with the twisting forces generated by the torque. If I were going to run any manual trans, I'd use the original mounts so I wouldn't have to deal with the aggravation of re-engineering the clutch linkage. You can get poly mounts for the original style, and probably urethane ones as well, and they would enhance the torque handling ability of that style mount.

On front subframe clips: the best one to use for our trucks is a second gen Camaro or Firebird; the third gens are not at all useful, and first gens and Novas fit a bit differently and require more "tweaking"; seconds just fit right under the frame rails and weld in place - after the proper amount of measuring and trimming. There is a really good thread here

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ht=camaro+clip

that discusses a lot of things but is mainly about the second gen graft onto a '55 to '59 pickup.

Let's see; what else??

Oh, yeah! About straight axles and leaf springs. Many possibilities available out there. CPP has a dropped axle that gives a three inch drop on stock springs, with little or no alignment problems. They also sell Durant's mono leaf springs, said to give 3 or 4 inches on the stock axle; again, no alignment hangups. Posie's has their "Super Slide Sprngs", two or three leaves (good safety factor) that give three inches on the stock axle. I had a discussion with a gent at Posie's about combining the springs and axle to get more drop, and he advised against it; said that it would introduce a rather severe change in caster, and shimming to correct it would not be too safe - too much angle, and shims were not available for that much correction. The guy I talked to at CPP said the same thing. However, if you were to do a rear axle-over-spring swap, and use lowering blocks, the angles between the front springs and the front axle might be reduced enough to allow correct caster setup. Just a few things I have looked at.

Well, I've spent the whole afternoon reading up - over twenty pages, and sorting out this post, so I think I'll wander off and find some other nefarious thing to get up to.

Later.

[RODDER18]

Wow. Jumped back on and all caught up with one post. Lots of good info, glad everything turned out ok with your wife. Can't help you with the daughter in law. I think that is the reason guys have garages. When she shows just go out to the garage. Problem solved.

[Rrumbler]

Can't help you with the daughter in law. I think that is the reason guys have garages. When she shows just go out to the garage. Problem solved

No need for help, she has taken care of that; filed on my son a couple of months ago. But the pain goes on because of our granddaughter, and the way her mom is carrying on. When she comes around, I'll be civil, if I have to, but the shop has gotten a few unscheduled visits. We'll get this worked out sooner or later; I would wish her gone if we wouldn't lose our Baby Girl in the process.

[Apache_Boy]

I was wondering what frame I could use for my apache. My buddy told me i'd need a new frame so maybe a el camino or a s10 would work. any ideas?

btw yall thanks for putting up with my stupid *** questions. I am pretty much an idiot at this stuff and I am so ****ing clueless its unreal. I wish I had money so i could pay someone to come over and help me.

[57halfton]

Back Up the Truck here alittle, Steven
Some buddie of yours told you you need a new frame ?????????????
You have an Apache , I assume a 58 or 59? Is it a complete pickup (stocker)or a bunch of parts? And what are you trying to do ???????
Gene

[Apache_Boy]

i wish i could post pics of how messed up it is. the guy i got it from had a 81 gmc as a donor and used the front clip from it. the drivers side is perfectly aligned but the passenger front sticks out about 1"-1.2" from the fender guessamating. the **** told me it was a camaro clip. tgis being my first project all on my own i got bent over on the buy. my buddy has been building hotrods since he was born so i trust his opinion but needing to figure out what exactly will work. i like the s10 because they r super easy to slam. i will also pie the frame for the super low ride.

[VALEJ]

So I've been out here looking for a donor truck for my 57 shortbed chevy and I've come across a running 86 k5 blazer with what seems like the og rear axle, driveshaft, tranny, and 305 engine. I'm looking to swap these components into my ride but before I buy just wanted to check with you all to see if anyone has attempted this. Anything I should be aware of or looking out for on these k5s?

[OLNOLAN]

Originally Posted by Apache_Boy

i wish i could post pics of how messed up it is. the guy i got it from had a 81 gmc as a donor and used the front clip from it. the drivers side is perfectly aligned but the passenger front sticks out about 1"-1.2" from the fender guessamating. the **** told me it was a camaro clip. tgis being my first project all on my own i got bent over on the buy. my buddy has been building hotrods since he was born so i trust his opinion but needing to figure out what exactly will work. i like the s10 because they r super easy to slam. i will also pie the frame for the super low ride.

Hey Bud, I'm not so sure that the S-10 chassis will work out in the 55-59's. Seems like the track width was too narrow. I believe it's only suitable for 49-55.5. You might want to check into it a little deeper. I'm pretty sure that's what I came up with when researching options on my '57. olnolan

[OLNOLAN]

Originally Posted by VALEJ

So I've been out here looking for a donor truck for my 57 shortbed chevy and I've come across a running 86 k5 blazer with what seems like the og rear axle, driveshaft, tranny, and 305 engine. I'm looking to swap these components into my ride but before I buy just wanted to check with you all to see if anyone has attempted this. Anything I should be aware of or looking out for on these k5s?

Hey Bud, If you read all the posts on this thread, I'm almost sure somebdy did the k5 rearend swap. That individual could probably tell you if there are any glitches to the swap. olnolan

[VALEJ]

Olnolan, your right about the s-10 rear, it's smaller by 10" compared to to the k5 full size blazer( by chance the guy had both and let me crawl under to check). I measured the one I'm looking to buy and it's 57" from Inside the drum to drum. Its also 42" from the center of the leafs. Any one know what it's suppose to be or if this seems close to what you re running? I don't have anything to compare to because the rear on my truck is off a 3/4 ton. I want to go back to the 6 lug.

[OLNOLAN]

Hey Bud, I don't know it right off hand. I think again that the info is on this thread. If you can't find it, post back and I'll measure mine for ya. Time for me to rest now.olnolan

[DOUBLEDICK]

hey guys sorry I have been gone allot.My wife is still fighting the big C and I don't have much time at home.As far as VALEJ's question goes,with a stock offset rim you can use 73 to 87 k5 running gear you just have to set your pinion angle and weld on 2 inch leaf perches.
You can use a k5 frame too but it is easier to just use your stock frame and suspension and cut the drive shafts to fit.I will help all I can but I am tied up bad for most of the last 3 years and into the future with fighting this cancer battle for my wife's life.Tom Meyer has used some late model stuff so check his web site.check Gators and 57halfton journals and read the thread there are allot of guys with allot to share that have posted in this thread.I am sorry I dont have time to go through and list the post number and page of the info you are looking for.Good luck with your projects and I will try to post when I can.Later Guys