Quote:
Originally Posted by MARTINSR
Secondly, the number one thing to ask yourself "What are my expectations of my truck?" If your expectations is to pull a boat trailer on the weekends out to the lake, a frame swap may be a good way to go. Do you live on windy mountain roads that you drive every single day? Yep, what the heck, that frame swap may be a way to go. Are you driving it around town every few weekends to get togethers at the In and out burger, that frame swap is going to be a terrible waste of time, work and money.
First off, MOST of us would be just fine with a dropped axle from SIDS along with the drag link conversion and dropped springs. Done deal, it's lowered and it rides sweet. Or a Mustang II conversion, done deal, drives sweet. Being the rear of the frame is EXACTLY the same 1950 to 2005 S10, why do the whole frame when the front is all that changes?
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I have to say, I vastly disagree. I think everyone will tell you that the whole point of this hobby is to have fun. The heart of hot rodding is improving what you have with what you can, to make your car more enjoyable! I’ll tell a little story here. I’ve always loved any kind of old car, doesn’t matter what kind it is - hotrod, Classic, muscle car, customs, cruisers, or original restos - they’re all cool! But when I was around 22/23 years old, I picked up a 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe that was ALL ORIGINAL. 6 volt electrical, 4 wheel non-self adjusting drum brakes, non-synchro trans, manual steering and brakes, I believe it did have IFS though. I thought it was the greatest thing ever! A true classic, exactly “how they used to be”. I knew it was exactly what I wanted to drive, “who needs all that fancy new crap?” I would say...until I daily drove it. It was fun at first, but that fun quickly wore off. It became a chore to drive. You had to pre-plan your stops wayyyy in advance, and god forbid an emergency stop was necessary. It wouldn’t do highway speeds, so merging, or even cruising on the highway would result in tailgating, or people passing dangerously. I live in a rather hilly area, so manipulating the clutch and 3 on the tree was a constant battle. The car had considerable bump steer, and loved to spontaneously attempt its own lane changes, which was made worse by the manual steering. Eventually, it was driven less and less, until it was reserved for Saturday nights, such as going to the movies or grab a burger in town, and eventually just parked completely. I ended up selling the car - not strictly because of the old tech, but because it was not fun to drive. I didn’t
want to be in it.
If I could have this classic body on a brand new chassis with every modern feature, I would do it in a heartbeat. Comfortable, fun to drive, and classic looks? Sounds like perfection to me. Unfortunately, that’s not realistic or affordable for most people. That’s why the “retro” cars, such as the modern Camaros, Challengers, and Mustangs have sold so well - it’s a reminiscent of the classics that everyone used to enjoy, but with modern features that the majority of people can attain. That’s also why it’s popular to perform a frame swap, as you get quite a few upgrades in one go. Yes, they’re a lot of work, but I’d argue less work than bringing a 70 year old, under-engineered frame up to modern specs. Let’s face it, these were intended for 90 HP and 50 MPH. We far exceed that these days. Even dropping in a bone stock 5.3L on an original frame, is a 300% increase in power with no additional strength being added.
So in short, I think everybody builds their ride with the expectation that they want to have fun in it. The more comfortable it is to get in and go, the more likely I am spend more time behind the wheel. 1940’s-1950’s tech will not do that for me, and not for many others considering the overwhelming amount of modern engines, fuel injection, disc brakes, IFS, rear axle, suspension, steering, or complete frame upgrades out there.