COE advice

[Roadie47]

New to this. Some basic info I am looking for:

Is it easier to restore from original or put COE body on late model?

If late model is the answer,what is the chassis closest to plug and play-least modifications to bolt it on?

I have seen lots that used 70s-90s p/u frames. What about a bread truck/Stephan frame that is modern, but is already a COE?

All/any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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[47 Fasttoys]

Hey Roadie, welcome.
Do you have a COE? maybe a '47? If so great. As far as donor chassis all take a large amount of work and fabrication. The P-20/30 has been used with success as has the 70s-90s GM 1/2-1 ton pick-up. A lot of things need to be decided first. Mid engine or front engine? Pick-up style or flat bed, car hauler or box truck? Original or modern, modern I would guess by the question. Plus in original form max speed was somewhere in the 50MPH range. Anyway there is a lot of information on the H.A.M.B web page under the C.O.E (cab over engine) forum. You can see many builds there with lots of good ideas. Check it out. I plan on using a 2000-2006 GM 1/2 ton so I will be going into uncharted territory on mine. If you start looking for a chassis the starting points would be track and steering, all issues can be overcome but the steering seems to be one of the major headaches. You can see my progress to this point on the build threads.


Rob

[buggy5872]

Roadie47,
The issue you will find with late model chassis is the track width is much wider than the old COE. If you stick with a 1 ton or smaller chassis it sould be around the correct width. If you want to go with a heavier chassis, look at the GMC w series/isuzu npr type truck. I mess around with the 55-59 LCF trucks so older ones might be even more narrow. Best thing to do is decide what you want to use the truck for. Then take a tape measure and start looking for a donor. There is no bolt on and go chassis for the bigger trucks. The GMC w series does have the standard 34" wide bigger truck frame so it might be a little easier to adapt and the steering requires very little modification.
Shane

[Roadie47]

Thanks to both for the guidance. A little more daunting than I anticipated. Shane, your icon blurs when blown up, what are the specs on that vehicle, and where can I see more/bigger pictures?
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[ghettoluxury]

Here is a link to Shane's build. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=557184