55.2-59 1958 Saab story

[dsraven]

Yeah, youre right about the dash thing. Wen i did mine i took the dash out. When it came time to install i had to narrow the dash some. On the envoy the headight switch was on the far left with a vent as well as a vent on the far right. Those will just get reconfigured when i get to putting it back together.
You may have to shorten the frame up along with removing the stock rad support when you get to that stage. The front frame horns will also be too long and tall for the stock bumper.
Pay attention to the foor height inside because to get the dash the right height to fit the windshield properly the cab will be seriosly low slung. If doing mine again i would do a body lift on the stock body mounts. That would also give more room over that crossmember ahead of the rear diff and also above the fuel tank bump.
Looks really good so far. Keep posting your progress.
Curious, where does your original firewall end up in relation to the saab firewall? Mine sits in the same place.

[gottattooz]

Originally Posted by dsraven

Yeah, youre right about the dash thing. Wen i did mine i took the dash out. When it came time to install i had to narrow the dash some. On the envoy the headight switch was on the far left with a vent as well as a vent on the far right. Those will just get reconfigured when i get to putting it back together.
You may have to shorten the frame up along with removing the stock rad support when you get to that stage. The front frame horns will also be too long and tall for the stock bumper.
Pay attention to the foor height inside because to get the dash the right height to fit the windshield properly the cab will be seriosly low slung. If doing mine again i would do a body lift on the stock body mounts. That would also give more room over that crossmember ahead of the rear diff and also above the fuel tank bump.
Looks really good so far. Keep posting your progress.
Curious, where does your original firewall end up in relation to the saab firewall? Mine sits in the same place.

The Saab has the headlights on the turn signal stem. The rear wiper switch was on the left vent. It broke when I was squeezing the dash into the taper below the windshield.

The firewall falls into the pocket where the wiper motor sits. There's a drain channel on either side and if I cut a path from where the panel truck firewall sits now to the bottom of that channel, it'll lower the body 7 inches in the front. When dad and I put the rear wheels on, we noticed the body needs to go forward an inch, and that'll put the firewall right into that channel. I might get lucky and not have to disassemble there dash. I'll keep you posted.

-Josh

[dsraven]

It would be great to include pics if possible, I would like to see that.
I didnt bother with all the envoy sheet metal forward of the firewall because I didnt think it would fit well with the 57 front end and fenders. I cut all that off at the firewall and used the 57 inner fenders, fabbed a new rad support to have room ahead of the engine for an electric fan, rad and ac condensor. The 57 is a bit shorter than the 58 and 59 though.
I have seen other trailblazer envoy swaps on these and the firewalls pretty much line up with the stock old truck firewall in order to have the front wheels look right in the openings. Easier to do that and then modify the frame to fit the rear wheel openings since the front wheels need clearance to turn etc. Thst said, the front fenders could also be reworked to fit where the wheel ening needs to be after fitting the body to fit the rear wheels.

[dsraven]

Could you build a frame out of wood that is the same width as your old truck firewall cutout and use that as a caliper to see how and where to trim the saab? Just a thought. Maybe easier for you with the hoist and a helper than it was for me. No helper and my hoist was an engine lift with a cab lifting device attached (yup, a little jealousy noted, haha).

[gottattooz]

Originally Posted by dsraven

Could you build a frame out of wood that is the same width as your old truck firewall cutout and use that as a caliper to see how and where to trim the saab? Just a thought. Maybe easier for you with the hoist and a helper than it was for me. No helper and my hoist was an engine lift with a cab lifting device attached (yup, a little jealousy noted, haha).

I'm hoping to move the body an inch forward to center the rear wheels, cut a groove in the channel that serves as a drain for the wiper motor pocket and make filler panels to close up the gaps. I'll keep you posted how it works out.

-Josh