Has anyone dropped a 67-72 body on a 88+ chassis?

[Darkrider]

I know the wb is 4.5" longer then our trucks but I was wondering if anyone has ever droped the cab and box from a '67-'72 onto a newer C1500 frame? I know where I can get ahold of a complete C1500 donor to use for this. There are a couple reasons why I want to do this,

1. Gain disk brakes
2. Lift the truck using avalible lift kits for the 88+ chassis.

The easiest ways I can think of to make the conversion work is:

1. Reuse the body mounts from the '69 project truck
2. Fab new body mounts that bolt in place of the original ones on the '88+ chassis that are offset to correctly locate the '69 cab as well as provide some body lift.
3. Relocate rear axle to line it up properly with the stock bed
4. Extend bed to match the new wb (ala Longhorn)
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[keenee]

I have had this thought also. the ride on a 88 up 4x4 is great. It would be alot of work. What do you have to loose? Are you are going 4x4?

[special-K]

You want to build a lifted 2wd? I guess you could deal with the wrong wheelbase and all other obstacles to gain what you want. But,I see no benefit other than companies do make 2wd lifts for 88-98 2wds and don't for 67-72s. The suspension on 88-98s is essentially the same as 67-72s with leaf springs,except 88-98s have longer leafs. But,most 67-72s have coil rears and they give just as smooth (if not smoother) and modern a ride as the longer leafs. If you just want discs you can swap front end suspension from all the way into 88-98s,I believe. If not,there's certainly no shortage of 71-87 suspensions available.
If you're talking about making a 4wd,that's another story. But,you'll need to start with a K1500 not a C1500. The 4wd camp is divided between those who prefer the soft ride of IFS for a lightly off roaded/more streetable truck and those who prefer the rugged toughness of the traditional solid axle. Lifting those gives a true suspension enhancement rather than just spacing the suspension farther off the frame,as with IFS lifts. Larger tires means larger components required and IFS limits you there. These are the things you need to consider when making your decision.

[Darkrider]

I know it is possible to gain disks with a bunch of mixed parts, and if I could find lift spindles or even stock C2500 LD spindles (6 lug 2500) I would go that route, then I could lift it with taller coils. Other way I may consider going is solid front axle 4x4 if there is a way to keep the trailing arm rear suspension. Once again I would just use taller coils or air bags to have the rear height match the front but keep the same ride characteristics of the coil rear.
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[StingRay]

I've seen a rear coil 4x4 conversion on a 67-72. He used 73-87 4wd front susp and flipped the rear axle to the bottom of the trailing arms. Used the transfer case, tranny and all. FYI 67-72 and 88-98 3/4 tons are 8 lug. 88-98 3/4 tons that are 6 lug are just heavy halfs. 67-72 2wd can easily be converted to 73-87 font susp without a mix of parts. The entire cross member with all parts is a bolt in. Even the steering box.
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[special-K]

I'm pretty sure people have swapped the complete a-frame assembly for 88-98 2wd trucks before. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. But,year,there's no reason you can't run the coil rear with 4wd.This Suburban has that set-up:

[dennislbrooks]

I nearly left the coils on my conversion with no rear leaf. If wanted you could always change to rear leaf later. I almost left the trailing arms on after I had the leaves mounted and functioning but it made the rear way too stiff. If you mount a top angle perch on the coil diff, remove the axle for easier fabrication. If you use the 3/4" u-bolts, you would have to remove the bottom perches. But I am not sure you could not satisfactorily remount the diff with just 3/4" grade 5 or 8 bolts leaving a perch on top and bottom or not. Leaving bottom perch would catch more debri but is still higher than bottom of diff.

Special-K probably knows the best way.

[Dunenutt]

Originally Posted by StingRay

I've seen a rear coil 4x4 conversion on a 67-72. He used 73-87 4wd front susp and flipped the rear axle to the bottom of the trailing arms. Used the transfer case, tranny and all. FYI 67-72 and 88-98 3/4 tons are 8 lug. 88-98 3/4 tons that are 6 lug are just heavy halfs. 67-72 2wd can easily be converted to 73-87 font susp without a mix of parts. The entire cross member with all parts is a bolt in. Even the steering box.
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Thats how I did mine...