I have a 54 chevy 2-dr and am in the process of building a custom hot rod. What I would like to know is what chassis I can use under it I have thought about Mustang II, but a friend had it fail under a 52. I am leaning toward a s-10 chassis for the durability, But dose anyone know of a better way to go any help would be great.

your friend had a MII fail!?!?!?!
what "failed"?
got pics?
feel free to e-mail 'em to me..

I'm guessing that you want an independent front suspension, not an entire chassis. The MII works great as long as it's installed properly with the correct spring rates for the car it's mounted on. Everybody makes a lemon on occasion, so it's possible that the installation was correct and your friend just got a bad part that failed, but...

The entire S-10 frame might fit well under a 54 with some modification. You'd have to take careful measurements of both frames to decide though, and if the amount of modification is worth the effort.

My friend had the lower a-arm break at the rear at the mounting point. It happened on the Interstate at 70 mph. sorry for my poor termonlgy I am fairly new to the hot rod world.

I've never used a MII crossmember, but I've been paying attention whenever they're discussed and they are quite popular. Apparently different vendors have different quality products. Most of the problems seem to stem from sharp corners on or near stress points, causing cracks and failures. I wouldn't necessarily rule out bolt- or weld-in crossmembers for durability reasons, just make sure you do your homework before you buy.

Check out <a href="http://www.hotrodders.com/cgibin/ubb/18/001339" target="_blank">Zonk's post</a> about using an S-10 front clip.. You can go with a complete S-10 frame, but you're going to have problems with floorboard clearance and wind up building all new floorboards - I know from experience. It wasn't too bad for me, since my original floorboards were plywood anyway.

F-body clips may be a possibility, but you'd need to measure. Some folks recommend against clips for good reasons, and I understand many clips out there aren't installed correctly - maybe welding strength or alignment issues.

What about a Malibu? Wheelbase is similar.

Hi guys one thing to be aware of wheelbase for 54 chevy 115in, I believe for reg bed S-10 is 116in,the work of shortening and redoing body mounts,floorpans,everything else going to be a job,can be done be sure take your time.I went with S-10 clip in my project because the clip that was in it was way to wide and to far foward,only option reclip or differant frame.Check out www.chassisengineeringinc.com they have been around along time good stuff,kits to replace front and rear suspensions for your application,anyway hope this helps some,just take your time and look at all your options.

After all of ya'lls help and takeing some measurments I have decided to go Mustang II After all If it gives me problems I can put a fuul chassis later. One last question who makes a good quality crossmember for my 54 I would like a bolt in for ease but can go weld in if its better

www.chassisengineeringinc.com they have one to fit your car bolt in with adjustable ride height

Try chris alston at chassis works kinda spendy but very nice stuff. the front cross members come in 18 different widths nice billet mounts and very clean steering .