1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500

[Baldeagle SR]

Sounds good to me. As far as I know I should be here all week. Going fishing up at Sunrise tomorrow morning. Rich

[Groyd]

PM sent.

[Purcell69]

After a relaxing week in AZ and NM, away from work and projects, I was anxious to get back at it. I had a few extra days off before getting back to the grind and I really wanted to transfer the cab to the modified Dodge frame. What better time to do it, two uninterrupted days that were all mine.

The bed was now loose and needed to be lifted off. Since it needed to be removed anyway, now was a good time to avoid damage to either the bed or cab while hoisting. I also removed the cab doors, since I would be lifting the cab the old fashioned way, with straps and a chain hoist.



I repurposed some of the 1x2" box tube I had bought to act as a spreader while lifting. I welded up an "H" and attached eye bolts at the ends for the straps. The spreader would go in the cab and extend out through the open doorways on either side. Straps were attached and run over the cab to the chain hoist.



(Disclaimer: I am aware that tie down straps are not designed for lifting. That being said, I used two new straps with a combined capacity that was four times more than the cab weight, and I did not get under the cab while lifting or lowering, in case of failure.)

Once the cab had been lifted from the Chevy frame, I pulled it out of the way with the tractor and moved the modified Dodge frame under the Chevy cab.



As I set the cab on the Dodge frame, I found my relocated mounts were in the right positions, but some trimming would be required to get a perfect fit. The Dodge cab mounts that I relocated had ears that extended past the bushings, which interfered with the back wall of the cab and the vertical wall at the front of the steps. Some quick work with the saw fixed my clearance issues.







The Chevy frame looks naked now, but with the engine and transmission sitting in there, I can't help but want to throw another body on top and hot rod it around. Not gonna happen though, the engine and transmission will be pulled and stored for a project yet to be determined.



And here is the Chevy cab, now bolted in to the trimmed mounts on the Dodge frame. At this moment, the steering shaft is not connected. I was having a bit of issue removing one of the u-joints from the end of the shaft I used with the Camaro clip. Let's just say that Red Loctite is GOOD stuff.



Once I got the steering shaft issue resolved, I moved the cab and chassis back up to the driveway and hung the doors. The "to do" list is getting shorter quickly.



-Joe

[Baldeagle SR]

Joe good to see you back at it. A lot of work done. I don't think you would have any trouble selling your truck frame if you wanted to. Thanks again for stopping by.
Rich

[Kim57]

Coming along real nicely.
Kim

[Purcell69]

This morning I mocked up the front fenders. Looks like the doors need to go back just a hair, but otherwise the fit to the new frame is good.



-Joe

[Purcell69]

After looking at things this morning, a few ideas come to mind. The first addresses the position of the steering box in relation to the cab, as mounted on the Dodge frame. Due to the design of the Dodge frame, the steering box sits about 8" below the front sheet metal and ahead of the core supportby about half the overall length of the box itself. If it were higher, it would be under the valance at the bottom of the grille and behind the front bumper, but with it sitting 8" lower, I am inclined to build a winch mount to install below the front bumper, thereby concealing the steering box and frame from view.



The second issue relates to the wire harness. Using the Dodge MPFI 360 engine means keeping a lot of wiring that would not be necessary on a carbureted engine. The wire harness for the engine and fuel management is a necessary evil, but I am thinking the majority of the harness, (the ECM, distribution block, etc.) could be mounted in-cab, behind the seat where the fuel tank was, using one of the existing holes. I believe I have decided to use my existing GM steering column and ignition switch rather than trying to fit the Dodge column, though if I do so, I loose the steering wheel mounted cruise control switch gear.



When I parted out the Dodge cab, I saved the steering column support, which also has the brake pedal and accelerator mounted, as well as the firewall support for the brake booster. The column support in its current form, is too deep to fit between the '57 dash and the firewall, as there is only about 11.5" of room, vs. the nearly 16" of cast aluminum that has the pedals mounted and would be used to support the column. I can trim it down to fit in order to use the pedals and mount the brake booster. support for the column is not an issue with the steel '57 dash. The biggest issue appears to be the column shifter for the transmission. The GM steering column is on the engine side of the column and fits in the frame with no clearance issues. The Dodge sterring column shifter is on the frame side of the column and will not work with the hardware I have at this time. Then again, I am not above modifying something to make it work. : )

I laid out the 2" x 3/16" flat stock I bought the other day to use for my bed mounts. The '57 Chevy frame's top rail is drilled every so often to mount the cross sills that mount the bed to the frame. The space L/R between these holes is 31 3/4". The Dodge frame is wider than this and leave no material to drill in to in order to mount the bed. To fix this, I am going to use the 2" x 3/16" flat stock to make my mounts. I laid one piece along the '57 frame rail and marked the location of all the bed mounting holes on the 2" stock. Next I am going to drill the holes in both pieces, one for the left and one for the right, then weld them on the Dodge frame to give me the 31 3/4" wide mounting points for the cross sills.





I am also going to borrow a page from BaldeagleSR's build and relocate my battery to the passenger side behind the right door step. With the Dodge frame's drop, there is lots of good metal to weld a battery tray to for a Group 65 battery that can be accessed via a hidden door built in to the step. This should also work better with my relocation of the engine management electronics.

Any thoughts?

-Joe

[Baldeagle SR]

Nice idea on laying out for the bed rails. Rich

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by Baldeagle SR

Nice idea on laying out for the bed rails. Rich

Thanks Rich. It was either that or weld in 10 individual tabs. This way there is less chance of having one or more out of place.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Well Groyd came by this morning and picked up my old Camaro clipped frame for his project. I got is stripped of the drivetrain and wheels yesterday and up on jackstands ready to load. Of course it started raining about 8 AM and didn't stop until after we had it all loaded and secure. : )



I'm not complaining, we need the rain. I haven't gotten much else done this week. With any luck at all, I can make some progress Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Groyd, shoot papastrk a PM. He is down in Ardmore and is needing a frame for his project. I'm sure he would be interested in your old one.

-Joe

[Groyd]

Thanks again for the frame. It'll make this build hopefully go quicker than my other. I wish it hadn't started pouring on us so we could have gotten a better look at your project.

-Matt

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by Groyd

Thanks again for the frame. It'll make this build hopefully go quicker than my other. I wish it hadn't started pouring on us so we could have gotten a better look at your project.

-Matt

You're welcome Matt. Yeah, the rain really cut the visit short. There's always next time though. The frame you picked up drove nice and straight. You could probably make reference lines on the frame and sub frame before you start cutting out the box tube, then after the box tube is removed, match up the reference lines again and double check the axle center lines to be sure.

It should work out well for you. Everything with the exception of the coil springs and sway bar is either new or rebuilt on that front end, since it only wanted to take it apart once. : )

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Well I did manage to get a few hours of work in on the project this morning. It's all small steps, right?

One thing I did notice when I put the front fenders on was how far out my tires stick past the fenders. The wheels are plain steel 15" and needed a 1/4" spacer to allow clearance between the inside of the rim and the front calipers. This is not necessarily what I will be running, but the 31x10.50R15 tires were available and will be about the same size as what I will eventually run, so they made good roll around stock for now. This combo puts the tires sticking out past the fenders about 2".

Out of curiosity, I put a stock 16" chrome Dodge wheel back on the front to compare offset, without the 1/4" spacer. This only moves the outside edge of the tread in 5/8". First, I think the chrome wheels are ugly and don't really fit the "utility" feel of this build. Second, 5/8" isn't enough change to live with the first. I will probably change up to 16" plain steel wheels or some 17" Torque Thrusts with the natural cast centers and very little off set. Either way, once the paint and body work is done, I will add some old school Jeep style rubber flares up front.



^^^^ With 15" plain steel wheels and 1/4" spacer.



^^^^ With 16" chrome Dodge wheel, no spacer.

The next order of business with getting the frame ready to mount the bed. The 1957 Chevy frame had the mounting holes for the bed drilled straight through the top of the frame rails on 31 3/4" centers, ten in all. The Dodge frame I am now using has several complications to be overcome. The frame is wider than the necessary 31 3/4", so there is nothing to drill through. Second the frame behind the cab tapers outward as you go back. Third, the frame steps down four or five inches for about 24" or so behind and under the cab, then raises up to the level the cab is now mounted on. There is a pedestal the stock Dodge bed would bolt to, but these pads are 38" at the widest point.
There are also two shock brackets that stick up above the top of the rear frame, just inside the rails.

To mount the bed, I took two lengths of 2" x 3/16" plate steel 97" long to match my bed and marked them in conjunction with the bolt holes on the 1957 frame. This morning I marked them with a center punch and drilled them while clamped together so the holes match. The two lengths wre then centered up on the Dodge frame to give the 31 3/4" hole centers I need for the Chevy bed. At the front of the frame where the Dodge pedestals are, I am going to tack in a piece of 1x2" box tube to support the strips I made. Gusset plates will support the front edge where the sill and running board support will lay. I will add support pedestals as needed as well as mounting ears for the flat porstion of the frame at the rear.





More pics to follow.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Another morning well-spent with the project and some steel. I welded in the 1x2" box tube between the original mounting perches on the Dodge frame, then welded on the gussett plates to support the 3/16" flat stock that the front cross sill with bolt to. As of right now, the 3/16" plate is still loose, until I am certain it is in the right position for the bed.





The gap between the 3/16" plate and the top of the frame in the step is 3 3/4", so I welded up some inverted "L" shaped perches out of 1x2" to support the 3/16" plate between the Dodge perches and where the frame arches back up. I ran out of time but I will add some 3/16" gussett plates to my perches to help spread the load beoynd the perches.







-Joe

[Kim57]

Looks like you're making good progress.
Kim

[Baldeagle SR]

Joe she is coming right along. I haven't forgot about your picture I took, I misplaced my camera. It is around here somewhere. Rich

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by Kim57

Looks like you're making good progress.
Kim

Originally Posted by Baldeagle SR

Joe she is coming right along. I haven't forgot about your picture I took, I misplaced my camera. It is around here somewhere. Rich

Thanks guys! Rich, I think your camera is the same place I put the rear fuel tank strap for my project. It will turn up, no worries. I think tomorrow morning I am going to pull the fenders off the bed and see if Katherine can give me a hand getting it on the frame for a trial fit. My width and center is right, I just need to get the space between the front of the box and the rear of the cab set.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

And here's the trial fit of the bed this morning....





I got everything tacked in place, then pulled the bed back off to finish weld in all my mounting points. Once I had all my mounts weled up, I trimmed back the extra 3/16" flat stock that was no longer needed. Sunday morning, or maybe Wednesday, I will build up the 7" needed to make up the rear of the frame. The back of the Dodge frame is 5" channel, so I will cut and weld some 3/16" flat stock to extend back and support the rear of the bed.

-Joe

[Baldeagle SR]

It is good to see them back in one piece even if it is a short time. Rich

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by Baldeagle SR

It is good to see them back in one piece even if it is a short time. Rich

Thanks Rich. The fit is pretty good, (I think). There isn't much left to do frame-wise other than a few gussets for the cab mounts, the front bumper extension and winch mount, then prep and paint the frame.

-Joe

[Kim57]

Looks pretty good.
Kim

[Purcell69]

I am back at it. Things got put on hold for a bit after we got back from AZ. The wife has been battling a staph infection and I have been dealing with a brutal case of kidney stones. The good news is Kim is doing better now and the stones are starting to ease up a bit. Katherine is off to college and I am getting a little free time to work on the truck again.

When I test-fit the body to the frame, I found my wheels sat too far forward in my fenders, both front and rear. When I initially mounted the core support, I had it right. The problem was I was off by 2 1/4" with the cab mounts, too far back. I relocated the core support to match up with the front fenders, but found the axles weren't centered.

Last week I pulled the cab back off the chassis, welded up a jig for the cab mounts to keep them all located. Cut the cab mounts loose from the frame again, and slid them all forward 2 1/4" to match up with the original placement of the core support and center the axles to the fenders. I was short on time and not feeling my best, so no pictures. I got everything welded back in place and today I started sanding the frame for paint. The plan is to get everything under the cab and bed painted so I can mount the body work. Once I get the cab back on the frame, I will finish stripping the frame forward of the firewall and get it ready for paint.

Here's how things are looking today...



-Joe

[Baldeagle SR]

Glad to see you back and everyone is doing better. Rich

[Purcell69]

Thanks Rich. It is good to being doing something with the truck again. I should be ready to put the cab back on by next week.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Well life got in the way one more time. September 24, I found myself hospitalized with a GI bleed. Before they let me go, I ended up in ICU for 3 days, got a clot in my right calf, and a UTI. The hospital trip ended up being 3 weeks long. Now I'm home and improving, but cannot lift anything of significance.

Before all of this, I had stripped and primed my frame, getting it ready for semi gloss black. I never was able to apply paint and winter was knocking on our door. This past weekend, I had some friends stop by to reassemble the truck for winter storage. With my guidance, the truck was back together in 3 hours. The cab relocation, (2" forward) got the wheels centered in the fenders where they belong and things look great! Too bad it all will come back apart this spring for paint. : )

I took a few pics. I need to upload them so I can get them posted. Good thing winter hit yesterday. It will make it easier for me to take it easy and recover.

-Joe