1957 Chevy truck, What parts will fit?

[BobTheTrucker]

I have a 1998 Chevy Pickup ext cab with a newly rebuilt engine. that I had a fender bender in and it set off both air bags. It is totaled and can just be used for parts. So I can use it for parts, in my 1957 3100 truck! My 1957 is stock with a stove bolt 6 cyl. engine. My question is what parts can I use on my 57? I'd like to use as many parts as possible to save money. I'd like to put IFS, The 350 engine and transmission, power brakes, power steering, A/C etc. Any parts that will fit I will use! Can someone help me with this?

[lynx5653]

best way I can see to use as much of donor as possible would be to swap chassis.

[BobTheTrucker]

Thanks, My 98 is an ext. cab. Would it fit? Are there pictures here of such a build?

[Foot Stomper]

Everything just bolts in. Easy as pie.
You just need to find another 98 ext cab otherwise you're in for a heap of heartache.
The 57 wasn't built to accept stuff built 41 years later. It's just too much of a stretch.
Maybe the motor and tranny would but nothing else is even close to swapping over.
I'd say leave the 57 alone... no use getting a cat because cat food is on sale.
Cheers

[dsraven]

somebody on here put a 55-59 chevy on a 88-98 frame but it was a reg cab truck and 2wd. it actually fit fairly good but would be a lot of work. try the search bar maybe get lucky.

[Coupeguy2001]

I remember someone was in the process, but had to cut the rear cab corners off a bit to make the cab fit the frame.
The problem was that the running boards didn't fit, and he ended up getting a 65 chevy truck frame to graft the cab onto.
I think that up to 1980 frames will fit. the frame rails are the same width.
You can use the engine and trans, and maybe the engine accessories.
But with so much smog stuff, and the troublesome fuel injection, you would be better off changing to a new edelbrock or fast fuel injection system, or simply a carb with your vortec heads.
Lots to change.
I would get a scotts hotrod front end for it, and change the rear end to one out of a car with the same width as the original in order to make it easy.
Try to use as many GM factory parts as you can, but the crashed truck you have won't give up many items to make the 57 into a hot rod.

[dsraven]

check this out, it starts getting interesting for you in about post#62, then a few pics etc later on. it is a 59 on an 88 longbed reg cab. not sure of 2wd is the same frame width as 4x4.whaddya got? he c notched the rear and bagged the thing. you wouldn't have to get that extreme prolly. some good info though. some pics too.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by BobTheTrucker

I have a 1998 Chevy Pickup ext cab with a newly rebuilt engine. that I had a fender bender in and it set off both air bags. It is totaled and can just be used for parts. So I can use it for parts, in my 1957 3100 truck! My 1957 is stock with a stove bolt 6 cyl. engine. My question is what parts can I use on my 57? I'd like to use as many parts as possible to save money. I'd like to put IFS, The 350 engine and transmission, power brakes, power steering, A/C etc. Any parts that will fit I will use! Can someone help me with this?

I don't understand what you mean by "what will fit?" Honestly, the air in the tires, and the oil in the engine that would "fit", the rad hose if cut in half could possibly work, oh yeah and the brake fluid, that will work.

There you go, that is what will "fit."

ANYTHING can be made to fit, you could put an allison V12 out of a 1944 P-51 Mustang warbird in your truck if you wanted to bad enough. Does it "fit," yeah with 22,457 hours of work it will "fit."

NOTHING but NOTHING is going to "Bolt on" from that '98 to your 57, NOTHING.

Brian

[_Ogre]

i wholeheartedly agree with footstomper and martinsr
as for saving money? you will not

yes the motor and trans can be made to work but will need the harness and controller from the 98
without any knowledge of your fabrication skill set it's hard to predict what you can do

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

i wholeheartedly agree with footstomper and martinsr
as for saving money? you will not

yes the motor and trans can be made to work but will need the harness and controller from the 98
without any knowledge of your fabrication skill set it's hard to predict what you can do

I honestly think the "donor car" mentality is wrong. Very few cars have more than a few things that would be the RIGHT part or assy to use in our trucks. What the "donor car" thinking does is it forces the guy to use crap that should never be used just because that's the "rules."

If he didn't have the "donor" car he would go out and buy the right part that works the best. But because he has the "donor car" he takes something that doesn't work well, spends more time making it fit and it still is the wrong one by looks, or even function too. "Just because" you have it doesn't make it the best way to go.

I will never forget my brother was building his 22 Buick Roadster and it was obviously going to be a very special, outstanding car. He had spent time to make everything right, trial fitting parts and rolling the car out side to stand back and look at it. Before the car was even painted it had had 3 sets of front springs, three sets of different sized tires on it, the head lights had been mounted in a few different locations moving them up or down or back or forward an inch or so. The windshield had been leaned back a bit, straightened up, chopped, unchopped (lots o this stuff was just "mocking" not really much work) and so on. He did ONLY what was perfect for the car in the artists eyes.

He had talked about a certain mod and one day said he wasn't going to do it. I said to him "So, if it had looked like you were going to modify it to, you would change that and put it the way it is right now?" LOL That made him think, YES it's that important if you want to do something right.

Why use stuff "just because" when there are much better things to use that really don't make a big difference in the cost? This is one of my pet peeves about frame "swaps" everything still has to be rebuilt, tons of mods have to be made, changes that wouldn't have to be made if it was left with the stock frame and only modifying it, the rad for instance, you had one that was perfectly fine, now you need a different one because the rad support had to be so heavily modified, you had to spend all the money rebuilding the front end, and all that, all the while you didn't want to spend the $money$ on the AM front end that would have been welded to the original frame that came with all new ball joints and all and you would be rolling down the highway right now.

I honestly call the frame "swap" a "Money swap" a "Time swap" and a "work swap" because that is what you are doing, swapping your money, time and work from one frame to another.


Brian

[BobTheTrucker]

Thanks guys for all the input !!! I like the idea of using the engine with a carb.
and the Tranny. Has anyone here did that build or can steer me in the right direction? I'd put on a bolt on IFS! Get the tank out of the cab! Change all gauges, put in Vintage A/C etc.etc.etc.
Again thanks for all the input some very funny! I do have three 6cyl stove bolt engines. One ready to go out of a 57 car, I bought it at a car show with the standard tranny, followed the guy home and helped him pull them and loaded them on my trailer.
So I may do the IFS, gauges, And gas tank now, then drop in the 6 cyl. so I can drive around. Then pull the 98 engine and tranny put them in my shop at home as a conversation peace and work on the carb, etc. as I have time.
Like I said the V8 engine has low mileage since the GM factory rebuild! I like the idea of the V8 power and auto tranny.
You guys gave me a lot to think about! Thanks!

[1project2many]

If your 57 was an original V8 then the engine block would fit in the original mounts and bolt to the original transmission or bell housing.

If your 98 is a 4 wheel drive half ton then two of the wheels will attach to the rear axle. You cannot put the '98 wheels on the front of the '57 because they will hit the steering knuckle at the tie rods.

If you have 16" wheels on the '57 then trim rings from the '98 may fit your wheels.

The third brake light bulb from the 98 may fit the 57 interior lamp.

[BobTheTrucker]

Originally Posted by 1project2many

If your 57 was an original V8 then the engine block would fit in the original mounts and bolt to the original transmission or bell housing.

If your 98 is a 4 wheel drive half ton then two of the wheels will attach to the rear axle. You cannot put the '98 wheels on the front of the '57 because they will hit the steering knuckle at the tie rods.

If you have 16" wheels on the '57 then trim rings from the '98 may fit your wheels.

The third brake light bulb from the 98 may fit the 57 interior lamp.

The third bulb was burnt! Heck! My 57 had a stove bolt six from factory. Rims are 16" six bolt. The aluminum rims on the truck now look real good! I'll send a picture, I like them a lot. Thanks

[BobTheTrucker]

Look what I got with all the sending units! I have a lot of parts I have been collecting over the years! Swap meets, eBay, car shows, Truck magazines etc. All for 55, 56, and 57. and others I'm sure. I don't even know all I have without an inventory ! I even bought a 3/4 ton 55 truck for the bench seat, I still have, if I decide to go original. I bought another 55 truck with extra parts, I sold the truck and kept the parts.

[BobTheTrucker]

On My 57' 15" 6 bolt aluminum rims, all four in this shape!

[yossarian19]

There's a guy on here, SCHRUM or some such username, who was / is putting a '57 onto a GMT-400 (88-98) frame.
I've seen a 4x4 GMT 400 / 1956 truck locally and the 4x4 axles are a tad wide (or this guy's back spacing wasn't enough) but it does work and looks good. He was very happy with how it drove.

Adapting any parts from the '98 chassis to the '57 frame is going to be an uphill fight all the way. I wouldn't bother. Easier to chop the '98 frame, adjust length as needed, re-weld, fish plate & make body mounts (I think) than to try and graft a 98 frame section in, or fabricate suspension mounts correctly.

[1project2many]

Originally Posted by BobTheTrucker

The third bulb was burnt! Heck!

What!!? You've been robbed!

Originally Posted by BobTheTrucker

On My 57' 16" 6 bolt aluminum rims, all four in this shape!

Those look good. They do not look stock for the '98.

[bobinbc]

If your 57 had a 58-59 fleetside box you could swap a 97 under it

Here's one http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...398361&page=18