Frame swap
 

On FB market place where I always look for stuff. I found a 68/72 rolling frame for sale fairly cheap, and I am fairly interested in it for the truck arms.

How hard of swap is it to put a 73+ cab, and bed on the earlier frame?

I have access to a forklift if I want, and I am just looking for the needed excuse to buy a gantry if I wanted. Either way problem solved.

Re: Frame swap
 

You mean the rear trailering arms? Would be easier to just take then off the frame and figer out how to put then on yours

Re: Frame swap
 

I thought that too, but the frame is different to accommodate the spring pockets. Plus I was thinking the cab is different too, but it just maybe the frame to accept the heigh of the trailing arms crossmember.

Since I want a stock appearing truck I thought a frame swap would be easiest way to achieve that.

Re: Frame swap
 

Why would you want to do such a thing? I understand the idea of the rear arms but that seems like way too much work relocating bed, cab, core support, ect. For just that

I’d see you half way on swapping an older truck to a newer frame with disc brakes and stuff

Re: Frame swap
 

Re: Frame swap
 

I have seen that, and I like what he did. Right now I am not sure air bags are in this trucks future. If I slammed it, and wanted a cruiser. It would fit alot better with that concept.

My dream is to be able to rally cross this truck for fun. There are a few races I want to compete in for fun. So the truck arms seemed like a good idea for better wheel travel.

Re: Frame swap
 

Besides the cab mounting points being different, I believe the 67-72 frame is bent differently where the box area is. I believe our 73-87 frame is bent up and back down where the rear axle area is, and the box supports match that. The 67-72 frame is more flat.

I did trailing arm swap on my 87' using CPP's kit (I'm not recommending that kit, its not well engineered in my opinion). It only works on a short box frame (not sure which you have, long or short). Probably be a better solution in the end, you'll end up having a lot of headaches trying to get the 73-87 body mounted to the 67-72 frame in my opinion.

I do like the truck arms on mine - easy to adjust ride height with either different springs or using different drop blocks. Ride is nice as well.

Re: Frame swap
 

Cab mounts are way different which will require welding fabrication/mods/time.
Core support mounts are different will require more fabrication mods/time..
Rails kick up differently.

All the time spent converting those items could be spent installing a 'universal' 4-bar kit that would yield similar travel & ride characteristics w/o reinventing the front half mounting arrangements.

Re: Frame swap
 

Thanks, it looked like a cheap option to get the rear suspension I wanted. If I were to pull the trigger.

Maybe later I could get a full kit, and graft in spring pockets. Or something for airbags.

Re: Frame swap
 

The upper spring mounts for a T/A set-up would be on the outside of the Squarebody frame rail. No 'pocketing' required.

What (how much) was this "fairly cheap" frame selling for?

Re: Frame swap
 

Asking $800 for a roller.

It's been on long enough he would do $500 probably

Re: Frame swap
 

I've been intrigued by this idea as well. If I had the fabrication and welding skills, I would think of buying that frame as a working model of what I wanted to build out of tube steel and brackets, etc. Have the earlier frame there for reference, but adapt the methodology and geometry to the squarebody frame. And then sell the earlier frame when I was done.

Re: Frame swap
 

I thought that too, but I am clogged of with parts. Plus 3 separate other projects that I need to push through.

If I had room, time, and a gantry. I would still love to Fab up the mounts to make it work.