[stovepipe699]

Hello, here's my first post, after doing some searches. I have a 1980 Monte Carlo, 1979 Chevy 1/2 ton, and 1973 Paresienne in the pasture for donors, should I use the front clip from one of these, or buy something else? What are the pros and cons of my different options? Width is important, as well as engine, header fit, and difficulty of the mods. Is buying an aftermarket front end kit a better way to go? Thanks for reading, Rob

[willys36@aol.com]

I like the Monte for the '54-'59 truck chassis, never tried to add one to an Advance Design one. On my '53 I decided to keep the stock beam axle and just rebuilt it. Getting +50,000mi from a set of tires on the worn out one, I couldn't see changing! I really like MII based upgrades for street rods (using a stock x-member - don't trust the after market un-engineered ones) but they seem a little light to me for a truck. Your potential pickup donor is too wide - they go in pretty easy but don't look right. Don't know what a Paresienne is so can't comment on it. If it were me I would take my trusty tape measure to the Monte and see how easily that would work. Here is how I did it on a '57.

[stovepipe699]

Thanks for the response willys36. Don't know if I spelled it right, but it's a Pontiac Parisienne, a big 4 door boat of a car. Probably too wide anyway. The Monte was my first car when I turned 16, so it would be nice to resurrect part of it. (It was written off after being rear ended) Did you upgrade the steering box on your '53? I heard the original steering box would be in the way of a V8 with headers, which is what I have planned for it. Talk to you later, Rob

[enjenjo]

The Monte front end fits nice. Only tough part is the stock GMC core support, it has to be modified for steering box clearance. At enjenjo.com I have a tutorial on installing one in a 50 Chevy 3100 chassis. The Parisienne rear end will fit nice, just about the same width as a stocker.

[stovepipe699]

I just checked out the monte clip installation on your '57, it sure turned out nicely. I really like the way you joined it up, it looks like it was meant to be part of the truck. I'm going to have to get out the measuring tape.

[stovepipe699]

Thanks enjenjo, I'll check it out. If the Parisienne diffy is the right width, maybe the front clip is worth considering? I know guys use Nova clips, I'm not sure which years though.

[enjenjo]

The old AD trucks work best with a tread width of about 56" in front, and 60" in back. Any wider in front, and the tires hit the fenders on turns, any narrower in back, and the inside of the tires hit the sides of the bed. The Parisienne is about 60" at both ends.

[willys36@aol.com]

Originally Posted by stovepipe699

Thanks for the response willys36. Don't know if I spelled it right, but it's a Pontiac Parisienne, a big 4 door boat of a car. Probably too wide anyway. The Monte was my first car when I turned 16, so it would be nice to resurrect part of it. (It was written off after being rear ended) Did you upgrade the steering box on your '53? I heard the original steering box would be in the way of a V8 with headers, which is what I have planned for it. Talk to you later, Rob

Guess I need to crawl out form under my rock more often; I never heard of a Pontiac Parissienne!!

Yes I upgraded my '53 steering to a 70's tilt column connected to a 80s Toyota Land Cruiser power steering box. The Toyota is just about the same size and shape of the original Chevy. I show pictures of how I did it at the here.

On the '57 w/ the Monte clip, the guy used headers that came w/ the truck & SBC and they cleared everything in the modified chassis fine. As I talk about in my Journal article, we used all the stock Monte steering components and they fit perfectly.

As you say, that Monte clip fits the later chassis perfectly. The Advance Design rails are a little wider I think and as Enjenjo shows, you need to make a step where the frames come together which isn't quite as pretty but not totally terrible. I really don't like how the mid-size GM clips go in these trucks. They are easy to unbolt form the donor but they have to be really butchered to fit to the receptor truck. Haven't seen one yet that I like.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by willys36@aol.com

Guess I need to crawl out form under my rock more often; I never heard of a Pontiac Parissienne!!

In the 1970s this was the Canadian-only version of the full size Bonneville.



In the 1980s, when the Bonneville nameplate was downsized to the G-body, the Parisienne name was used in the US on the B-body Pontiacs briefly.

[willys36@aol.com]

Thanx for the schooling!! Now I know why I missed it; a) don't keep up with CAnAdiAn cars and, b) don't know and couldn't care less about any car made after 1972. I would be hard pressed to tell an 80s Parisienne from a '09 whatever generic upside-down bath tub.

And that name sucks about as badly as any other I can think of. Even makes 'Edsel' sound sporty!!

[stovepipe699]

I didn't know it was Canadian only, but I've only lived in Canada. willys36, you didn't miss much, I got mine for $300 and beat the snot out of it in the bush, gravel pits, hunting. Enjenjo, thanks for the tutorial link and tread width info. Monte clip it is. Thanks again guys!

[Zimmo]

Don't overlook the dropped axle option. Clean & easy install, & you don't need to start hacking up a good original truck.

Here's the thread I started when I did my truck

Dropped axle in '59 Chevy Pickup

[stovepipe699]

Thanks for the heads up Zimmo. I'm not sure if the re-worked I beam, drag link etc. are allowed here. If they were new parts it would be no problem. I'll have to check the rule book.