47-55.1 52 cab mounted on a 68 frame

[Mopar17]

Looking for advise. I have read about lots of S10’s frame swaps and all the work they can be. I have a 68 frame completed with IFS and 4 link coil over in the back. 327/ turbo 350 package ready to drop in. Just picked up a 52 cab and ready to drop it on this frame. Any one out there done a similar swap before ? Some posts say these frames are too wide but others say they have saw it done. Hoping someone that has done one can reply and give advise on what to look out for
Posted via Mobile Device

[mr48chev]

A 67 frame is super close to an AD frame when you get the tap measure out from the frame horns to a few inches behind the cab. then it is narrower than a 3100 frame but within fractions of a 3600 frame. The drum brake front end on it is narrow enough to keep the tires inside the fenders if you pay attention to wheel offset.

The tread width got wider in 69 and wider yet in 71 when they went to disk brakes.

A guy in California used to do a lot of 63/68 front suspension swaps into AD trucks about 30 years ago keeping the stock frame.

I'd say it is going to be a pretty straight forward swap even though the guys will all tell you that I am no fan of frame swaps unless you don't have a good 3100 frame to use.

[mr48chev]

What I would do though is mount the cab with the floor square to the strait middle portion of the frame. Raised up a it more than the stock1-1/8 of an inch if needed but don't put it on cockeyed to clear the kickup in the front, trim the inner fenders to fit the kickup and clear the A arms. Expect to learn a bit of new profanity you never used before when you go to fit the nose.

[dsraven]

not sure of the track width you could fit between the fenders and still have room to turn without the tires rubbing if going over a bump etc. maybe do a side to side dimension of the actual fenders before you disassemble anything. it would depend on what wheel offset and tire diameter you want to use as well. if you change the offset and/or diameter you will also change the scrub radius and a few other alignment angles which can have a negative effect. there is a write up by the Hollister road company somewhere on here where they put a c10 front end under a 47-54 truck. some have used the c10 ifs and taken some width out of the front suspension cross member. it sounds like a lot of work compared to a bolt in ifs, but if you have the frame already then the price is right. you could always sell the frame and use the cash for the parts to make the original frame work I guess. seems like the c10 will be quite a bit wider so if you plan on a low truck then the tires rubbing will be an issue. there is also the s1o route with wider control arms and tie rod extensions to get the proper tire to fender look instead of using the spacers
here is a little write up on scrub radius that is geared more for off road stuff but the theory is the same.

https://shocktherapyst.com/wheel-off...n-performance/

and another forum with a video that explains a bunch

https://classicmotorsports.com/forum.../137307/page1/


This is the information I find for the different models of c10's compared to the original front end for the truck
.
Wheelbase/Front Track/Rear Track

106.5, 65.75, 62.75--73-87 Chevy Blazer 4WD

131.5, 65.8, 62.7 -- 73-87 Chevy C-10, K-10 LWB

116.0, 59.5, NA,, -- 47-54 Chevy AD 1/2 ton

some 73-80 specs on frames, dunno if it relative or not

http://www.chuckschevytruckpages.com/framespecs.html

and here is a link to some more info

http://www.chuckschevytruckpages.com/models.html

[mr48chev]

Tread Width for the 68 chassis should be 60 to 61 with closer to stock wheels. That's pretty close to just right for an AD True the 73 and up square body trucks are a bunch wider.

If you have the stock cab mount brackets off an AD frame you might want to use the on the 68 frame. If you were closer I'd give you my old inner fenders as they are already hacked up and you could cut them up to fit the front end up and then trim a good pair a lot closer to have a good fit. It's still going to be a lot easier than trimming the inner sheet metal to fit a subframe swap.

[dsraven]

those cab mounts wouldn't be too hard to fab from some square tube if you don't have the originals, you wanna keep the stock frame for reference dimensions until the donor frame is completed or you have a buyer for the original frame. if you have some fab skills (and I assume you must if you are planning the swap) it wouldn't take much. here is a link to the TCI frame page that shows how they made theirs.

https://totalcostinvolved.com/produc...4-chevy-truck/

[dsraven]

do you have a closer pic of the rear suspension? it looks interesting.

[dsraven]

here is a link to welder's series site. they have all kinds of cool brackets etc that may come in handy for you (like their "unholes" that are handy for filling firewall holes) or perusing through the site may give you some ideas on how to make a certain needed part. they are in Ontario so Canadian dollars and they ship pretty quickly.

[Mopar17]

Originally Posted by dsraven

do you have a closer pic of the rear suspension? it looks interesting.

Posted via Mobile Device

[Mopar17]

Originally Posted by Mopar17

Posted via Mobile Device

I think they attached this time
Posted via Mobile Device

[mongocanfly]

FYI...that's not a 4 link in the rear...looks like reg swing arms with ladder bars
and what about the wheel base?

[Mopar17]

Tried uploading pictures of the rear suspension. It’s a hodkish ( spelt wrong lol) sport suspension kit
Posted via Mobile Device

[dsraven]

Neo,
it's called a ladder bar style. it only has 3 bolts per side, a 4link would have 4 bolts per side and 4 individual "bars" to connect the axle with the body.
here is some info on how they work to assist traction by lifting the car for weight transfer to the tires. some guys use these along with leaf springs and the ladder bars help keep the springs from winding up and causing driveshaft and wheel hop issues.
some better pics would help, we're curious now.

https://www.onallcylinders.com/2015/...ension-system/

[Mopar17]

Originally Posted by dsraven

Neo,
it's called a ladder bar style. it only has 3 bolts per side, a 4link would have 4 bolts per side and 4 individual "bars" to connect the axle with the body.
here is some info on how they work to assist traction by lifting the car for weight transfer to the tires. some guys use these along with leaf springs and the ladder bars help keep the springs from winding up and causing driveshaft and wheel hop issues.
some better pics would help, we're curious now.

https://www.onallcylinders.com/2015/...ension-system/

Try those pictures of the rear suspension
Posted via Mobile Device

[Mopar17]

Originally Posted by Mopar17

Try those pictures of the rear suspension
Posted via Mobile Device

Posted via Mobile Device

[Mopar17]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. This is the kind of verbal encouragement I needed to keep going on this build. When I first started doing it I wasn’t sure because everything I read was about S10’s frame swaps. This 52 will be sitting on a 68 soon enough.
Posted via Mobile Device

[dsraven]

if you can grab a better side view of the rear set up it would be worthwhile to show. if you have the original rear link bars plus the ladder bars and they don't pivot somewhere close to each other then they may bind up as the suspension moves up and down. don't want that. if the ladder bars don't bolt to the frame, but instead have a rubber snubber and rubbing block set up, then that is more of a traction bar than a ladder bar, a true ladder bar would be bolted to the frame as the pick up point. waaaaaay back I had a 63 which suffered from wheel hop. maybe the ladder bar is simply a traction bar due to wheel hop on burn outs.

[dsraven]

sorry man, I called you Neo a couple posts back. I was looking at a couple of posts at the same time. neojuice is also an Albertan.
I'll try to do better

[Mopar17]

Originally Posted by dsraven

if you can grab a better side view of the rear set up it would be worthwhile to show. if you have the original rear link bars plus the ladder bars and they don't pivot somewhere close to each other then they may bind up as the suspension moves up and down. don't want that. if the ladder bars don't bolt to the frame, but instead have a rubber snubber and rubbing block set up, then that is more of a traction bar than a ladder bar, a true ladder bar would be bolted to the frame as the pick up point. waaaaaay back I had a 63 which suffered from wheel hop. maybe the ladder bar is simply a traction bar due to wheel hop on burn outs.

Posted via Mobile Device

[Mopar17]

I have been called worse. Lol. Having a hard time uploading more than one pic at a time. And every time I send something I have to log back in. Kinda frustrating but I’ll send a few more
Posted via Mobile Device

[mongocanfly]

yeah id ditch those ladder bars...with the pivot points being that much shorter than the swing arms, itll cause the suspension to bind up...with the swing arms you wont have the issues that a leaf spring setup will due to axle wrap...

[dsraven]

x2 on the ladder bars. with the forward pivot for the stock rear suspension being so far forward you would need some pretty long ladder bars to make it work properly. something would give eventually.

[Mopar17]

Originally Posted by dsraven

x2 on the ladder bars. with the forward pivot for the stock rear suspension being so far forward you would need some pretty long ladder bars to make it work properly. something would give eventually.

I’m not running big horse power and plan on sticking with a pretty standard tire with a softer side wall so the short ladder bar and height it is mounted at gives me a pretty good instant center location. It will react and give me a short burst off the line. The truck might squat a bit after that but who really cares once your punched back in your seat for the first 100 yards off the line. It’s all about the grin on your face at the end of the day.
Posted via Mobile Device

[mr48chev]

The ladder bars serve absolutely no purpose and will as they said cause the suspension to bind. My guess is that someone decided to stick them on because they thought the cool guys ran ladder bars but the 60/72 truck bar suspension doesn't need any kind of aid in the traction department and being shorter than the truck bars they will cause a bind and probably break those cute outrigger brackets in the process . Those alone say the guy that put the ladder bars on was clueless as to how they should work.

That said if the ladder bars are well made they are a good swap meet item.

I'd go over the front suspension and rest of the chassis looking for anything no matter how insignificant it may be to make sure that everything looks right.

[mongocanfly]

(so the short ladder bar and height it is mounted at gives me a pretty good instant center location. It will react and give me a short burst off the line. )

....I'd have to disagree with this....