My 55 Chevy 4X4

[marc55]

Hard to get stuff done this time of year. With the lift on the truck my engine hoist can not get the cab high enough to clear the frame. Hopping this set up will work. I want to start fitting the front end to see if there are any surprises.

[marc55]

One issue I have is mounting the body. I want the rocker parallel to the ground. The bar in the picture is parallel to the ground the front cab mount is lower than the rear but only by an 1 the front mount is already 2 inches lower and I do not have the weight of the engine on the frame. Looks like I need the front mounts to be higher. Not sure how to compensate for the suspension compression. I know the rear will come down with the weight of the bed.

[OrrieG]

Find a similar stock truck (matching donor frame and suspension) and measure the distance from the frame to axle at front and rear. this assumes the relative weight of the drivetrain and body components are the same. If in doubt leave the body mount points low to allow for shimming, you cannot get it perfect anyway. Very important part of the equation is the radiator mount too, it affects the hood and fenders, which affects the cab tilt, which affects the bed. I would just tack everything and mount all the sheet metal to check NS and EW level and heights before final welding.

[6BT 56]

Isnt there sumone out there who makes a kit to do this ? Task force truck on to a 73 to 87 frame ? I thot I read somewhere that it was available ? Im sure there are a lot of trucks on here that have done it . Just keep searching . This website is the best tool you will ever have !

[OrrieG]

I do not remember any kits, but it has been done a few times. A search using the box at the top of the page for this site should turn them up. I think sgtusmc used that year for is 2wd conversion, body to frame relationship is the same as 4wd.

[marc55]

I am lucky my friend has a 82 blazer with a 4" lift and I took some measurements. Looks like my frame all stripped has about 1 1/2 rake forward. I am going to start with the mounts that came with the truck and go from there. Like OrrieG said measure, tack, and shim. The only way to tell is to put it all back together. The truck was not assembled when I got it so this is a good time to do the fitting. I want to run as little of a body lift as possible and might have to slightly channel the bed to match the cab. Once I get the cab back on the frame it is not that much work to hang the front end. It beats watching TV.

[AK56]

I was reading another build thread on here and that mentioned EZ chassis.
Here's their link for a kit
http://www.e-zchassisswaps.com/kit.php?category=5

[6BT 56]

Yep thats the one I was thinking of . Not saying thats the way to go but it's nice to see there is a kit . But you are right , tack measure and shim and it will come together .

Have you read Luthers thread ? He put his 55 2nd on a dodge chassis . He just droped it on and started moving stuff around till it looked rite . Turned out well.

[marc55]

I have been all over this board in the last 8 months. I wish the e-z swap site show a picture of the kit. I just need to get on it. Trial and error. My days off are during the week and it is hard to get help. Moving the cab by myself is a pain. I think my system with the lift will work well. I am going to start tomorrow with putting the cab on the frame.

[marc55]

I got the front fenders and the cab on the frame today. It is all sitting fairly good. It is about 3/4 inch low on the passenger side. It also has about 1" rake forward. I figure with the engine it will drop almost 2 more inches. I think I am going to shim the front of the cab up about 1 1/4'. The core support will also be easy to make once I get my cab placement. The fenders are just thrown on and the gap are not that bad.

[marc55]

Finally getting some stuff done now that x-mas is dead. Made my front core supports and set the cab height. fender height is within 1/8 of each other and side to side is exact.

[marc55]

I also decided to upgrade the front body mount. The other on was just a piece of water pipe. I wanted something a little more stable.



I shortened the frame for the rear bed mount but I still need to lower the mounting point about an inch lower to get the cab and bed parallel to each other

[ATTACH]1195295[/ATTACH]

[marc55]

This was a surprise when I put the grill in. The inner hood brace spot weld was drilled out and I welded it back the the original holes. Hopefully this is just a matter of moving the brace to take the twist out.


I forgot to take a side pic before I put the truck away. It is a little higher than I wanted but I could not get the back of the cab any lower than it is. About a inch High from the front of the rocker to the back of the rocker but when the engine is installed I think it will squat down just right.

[marc55]

I got the passenger door hinges rebuilt and the door on. The gaps need some work but I have a bulge in the center of the door just below the door handle and the door sticks out about a 1/2" from the cab. Not sure how I am going to fix this.

[OrrieG]

That big bondo patch right in front of it might be your clue. If the door got hit hard there it could have lifted the outside edge. Is the door inside jamb bent? looking from the inside can you see now deep the dent is. Cure is to figure out what caused it a reverse the force. Get the bondo out and try pulling and shrinking the depressing back out while applying pressure to the bulge. You will probably need to work the door metal perpendicular to the bulge to, time to find a third arm and hand! The lines below and above it looks pretty even with the body line so it probably did not get compressed from below.

[Russell Ashley]

I'm no body man but I think I'd make a template from the drivers door and compare it to the passenger door to see if the problem is the door or the cab. It could be that the cab has gotten pushed in at that point.

[marc55]

The dent on the door was not that bad and nothing was bent on the inside. I took a 2x4 and 3 lbs hammer and started beating on the bulge. Then I use a doll and hammer on the very edge.

[marc55]

Got the bed set in place. In order for the bed wood to clear the frame and match the cab I shimmed the front by 1" and had to lower the rear mounts by 3/4".

[marc55]

WOW I can't believe it's been 2 month I have been bust with house chores and some wood working projects. I have scored some parts from CL and getting the project going again.

241 transfer case



and a fuel cell for the rear. just need to finish the bed supports before mounting

[marc55]

I finished with the bed supports and started to mount the gas tank.

[marc55]

It's not much but at least I got something done.







I have been dragging my feet because I need to start on the drivetrain and I am having a hard time going with the LS engine. Everything I have read makes it look fairly simple but I am worried that a lot of little issues will add up to a big headache.

[marc55]

Bought my first real part for the truck. Hopefully spending money will get me motivated to work on this thing.

[RockTonka]

Looks good, you're making steady progress. I've been shopping that same booster/master/pedal combo too, I'm at the same point on my 58. CPP says that they're a couple weeks out on availability, where did you find yours? The pedal looks close to where the steering column comes through...could you take a straight on pic that shows the position of the pedal relative to the firewall/floor??

[BC Toy chest]

Sweet, like what I see keep the photos coming, nice work.

[marc55]

Thanks for the comments. I ordered it off of E-bay last week and I am happy with the quality. I have not drilled the mounting holes yet my steering column should get here today and I want to check the clearance first. Right now the bracket is lined up with the dash mounting holes and I have room to move it more to the right about 3/16 more. It does line up with the hole in the floor from the original break pedal.


The column should go through the floor towards the top of the hole or that is where I am going to aim for. I will post pics when I get the column.