1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by mikebte

That looks like freaking great time. Love the video, I’m your first subscriber, so don’t forget to keep making videos.

Love custom builds like this, your not using a prefab chassis and engine and all the stuff other people use to make “basically” the same build. Yours is one off and tells a story about the owner.

Mike, I'm glad you like it. The truck is still a long way from being finished (which is why it isn't currently tagged and why I haven't taken it off the property). I fully intend to keep this updated as progress is made, with pics and video whenever I can. I'm toying with the idea of a compilation video that encompasses the entire build thus far, since Photobucket deactivated all of my pictures from the beginning.

I completely understand what you are saying about not going the prefab route. There are a lot of trucks out there with aftermarket frames or mid-1970s chassis swaps and most of them look great and their owners are happy. It is a win for them. I am fine with that, to each his own. I just didn't want to be one of them.

From the beginning, I wanted this truck to be different. When guys were cutting frames and doing IFS swaps, I wanted to keep the traditional "truck" look and tried to keep the stock frame. It wasn't practical for a daily driver and I caved and put in a Camaro clip. To be different, I ditched the carburetor in favor of Crossfire Fuel Injection from a 1983 Z28. It was different and worked okay, but it wasn't great, and I hated the lowrider look.

Around 2012, I started giving serious thought to swapping in the Dodge 1/2 ton 4wd chassis from a 1994+ truck, for the ride quality. The more I researched the dimensions of the Dodge frame compared to the Chevy, I realized they were similar enough that I could make it work. In 2013, the ball started rolling again.

My wife, Kim, gets credit for the engine choice. I found a 1994 Dodge 1500 about 2.5 hours away for $400 with a bad motor. I was going to use a 4.0L Jeep engine and AW-4 automatic from a rusted out XJ Cherokee that I had, eventually building the six banger into a stroker motor. Kim is the one who suggested keeping the 5.9L Magnum, since it came with the donor truck, going with "bigger is better". With that blessing, I parted out the Cherokee, doubled my money from it, and bought a running 5.9L Magnum on Craigslist for $400.

Five years of work so far and here we are! More to follow as time and money permits.

-Joe