frame swap?

[lukey]

so I have a 66 c10 long bed, and a friend offered me the original frame from his 71/72 c10 longbed. it has disc front brakes, and a 12 bolt rear with 5 lug wheels. is the frame a direct swap, or should I pass and grab the front suspension from a 73-87 which is an easy swap. I like the idea of swapping the entire frame that way my truck isnt down very long, I could rebuild the suspension and paint everything and just swap my body. not sure if cab mounts are the same, or the wheelbase. HELP!!!

[LinkbeltOE]

I did the same thing with a 71 and it is a direct swap.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by LinkbeltOE

I did the same thing with a 71 and it is a direct swap.

I don't see how this is true. What did you swap?

The rear cab mounts? The 6x-66's RCM's are about ~1" above the frame; 67-72's are about flush w/the frame.
Front frame horns? Different shapes & height. The 6x-66 bumper won't mount to the 67-72 frame horns.
Front radiator core support mounts?

The wheel base is most likely close enough (I don't think it changed until 73) but there are subtle differences....

Swapping the front x.member from the 71 over for the brakes could be done in a weekend to limit down time. Then, the rear could be done in another weekend. The 71-72 housing is 1.5" wider than the pre-70 housing under the truck now. You'll need to keep that in mind w/your wheel selection.

[LinkbeltOE]

Scoti,
I am in the middle of putting my 66 c20 body on a 71 c10 frame. So far I have the frame sand blasted and powder coated, all the suspension is new and the 66 bed mounted to the frame with a 73 350 SB. As far as the rear cab mounts go I know the 66 are different so I will have to change them, but Ididn't realize there was a height difference. I don't have the cab on yet but I have both frames so if I need to I can swap anything. The WB is the same and I might add this is my first build so I might have jumped the gun when I said direct swap.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by LinkbeltOE

Scoti,
I am in the middle of putting my 66 c20 body on a 71 c10 frame. So far I have the frame sand blasted and powder coated, all the suspension is new and the 66 bed mounted to the frame with a 73 350 SB. As far as the rear cab mounts go I know the 66 are different so I will have to change them, but Ididn't realize there was a height difference. I don't have the cab on yet but I have both frames so if I need to I can swap anything. The WB is the same and I might add this is my first build so I might have jumped the gun when I said direct swap.

Yes, the beds are a direct swap. I'm also in the middle of 'this' swap (64 body to a 68 frame). I took a bunch of measurements & such before starting the swap so I knew there was a little more to it (no harm, no foul).

Another difference I didn't mention is the Panhard bar mount. The post-67 frame mount is angled differently vs. the pre-67. You might be able to fudge the bar & make it work; you might not. I'm using an aftermarket bar & built my own frame mount for optimum mounting.

[LinkbeltOE]

My wife helped me measure the "new" frame before I started and all the measurements were good. I don't have the front bumper off of the 66 so if it is different I will cross that bridge when I get to it. So really it's the same but different......lol. 8 lug to 5 lug is nice.

[LinkbeltOE]

Scoti,
Don't tell me that the 2004 f250 captains chairs with built in seat belts I got for this project won't work either. You will ruin my week......lol

[Captainfab]

To my knowledge the panhard bars are the same from '65-'72. The '60-'64's were the longer bars that had the mount on the passenger side axle tube.

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Another difference I didn't mention is the Panhard bar mount. The post-67 frame mount is angled differently vs. the pre-67. You might be able to fudge the bar & make it work; you might not. I'm using an aftermarket bar & built my own frame mount for optimum mounting.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

To my knowledge the panhard bars are the same from '65-'72. The '60-'64's were the longer bars that had the mount on the passenger side axle tube.

The Panhard bars might be the same length, the Panhard bar frame mounts are different.