Mopar front clip suggestions

Getting read to start on my 54 Chrysler Windsor Town and Country wagon. It still has the original suspension, brakes and engine. I need to find the front clip will get me new technology for a better ride. It is a wagon and is a a heavy car. Any suggestions?

 

I had five 1955 Windsors over time, four had Camaro or Trans Am front clips and one had a complete Monte Carlo chassis. Those parts are now getting hard to find and expensive. If I were doing one now I would probably go with a Crown Vic front and rear clips, good parts availability

 

FatMan Fabrications makes a heavy duty front stub that will work great. They use 5/16 wall tubing for the crossmember. Just call Tim at FatMan.

 

I may have to do that, but a front clip will come with brake, suspension, engine, and maybe transmission. Though I will not be auto-crossing, the clip should be more stable. Anyway, thank you for the advice.

 

It will cost more than a Camaro clip but it will be easier and open up the mounting options for engines. You could keep engine and tranny you have and later upgrade. You would get springs, shocks, sway bar, rack and pinion, etc. I thought from your post that you wanted newer technology. Good luck with your project. Check my 41 Plymouth build for a look.

 

Guess it depends on what clip you are looking for. The Standard Catalog of Chrysler, 1924-1990 lists the shipping weight of a 54 Chrysler Town & Country wagon at 4280 lbs. By the standards from about the mid 1970s on, that really isn't a heavy car.
Finding front frame clips that don't have rusty frames included is getting harder in most parts of the country, I suspect MD could be one of those problem areas. Its not often we can find donor cars in junk yards these days. You will be forced to look at much newer cars as donors. The biggest issue with that is most of the newer cars have the front (and rear) wheels spaced several inches wider then your 54 Chrysler is. That will put the outer edge of the tires even, or maybe even farther out then the front fenders are.
In addition, many newer cars have the front suspension mounted on an engine cradle (that is too wide) but may also require you cutting off your front frame and building a sub frame the engine cradle can be bolted or welded to. One last consideration is the wheel bolt pattern, if the front doesn't match the rear, will that be a problem for you? Updating the rear end as well as the front end brings the project up another level.

Since we have no idea how complete your current frame is, nor do we know what condition (rust, or bent) it is in, we are at a disadvantage here. You have not stated a brand preference here. If you are choosing to stay in the Chrysler family, the big Chrysler, big Plymouth cars, and the big Dodge cars (the old "C: body cars) built before 1974 are about the last vehicles with decent front frame clips (provided they are not rusty or bent) that are about the same width and should have the same wheel bolt pattern as your 54. After 74, lots of changes happened. Also, a Dodge Dakota pickup built before 1996 that is not rusty or bent, has a decent frame to hijack the front frame from and has, (or can be easily converted) to the same bolt pattern as your 54 Chrysler. If you can find a running, driving version of any of the above, you may have a great donor for your wagon.

I presume by reading your post you are looking for a cruiser ride. I do hope you don' think this is a fast, easy, or cheap process, because it is not.

 

I have been leaning to the Dodge Dakota pick up for the cruiser ride. My friend advises me that this job will take over a week with days of measuring. I do want to keep it Mopar but not torsion bars and keep the wheels in the fenders. I just do not want to pay the money, do the work and end up with a disappointing job.
Thank you for your input. You made many great points.

 

I have done several Dakota frame swaps over the years. The last was was completed 2years ago, but that was a 49 Dodge pickup sheet metal placed on a complete Dakota 4x4 chassis. My issue now is I lost nearly 900 pictures with a computer crash a few weeks ago, and I'm currently working on a very old lap top without any way to post any pictures.

The important thing to keep in mind with the Dakota frames as a donor are the years of the changes that can effect the use of some parts. The early Dakota frames tend to rust out behind the transmission cross members, if the under the motor section and the bottom of the boxed frame are still good (the bottom of the boxed frame can be repaired pretty easily), it can still be a good front clip donor. You will want to use a 2 wheel drive frame, the 4x4 versions are different and much harder. A running and driving Dakota V6 or V8 can supply a lot of useful parts, even if you thought you only needed the front clip.

An 88 - 90 Dakota is the best option. You probably want a 2 wheel drive V6 truck (the largest motor available then). Those trucks have coil spring suspension, rack and pinion steering, and disc brakes with the 5 bolt on a 4 1/2" bolt circle, like the bolt pattern your wagon should have. I would suggest you use the Dakota frame back to the transmission cross member, and graft it onto your frame. You will likely need to cut the front frame horns off the Dakota frame just in front of the radiator support mounting holes and fabricate the front bumper mounting. You can probably modify the Dakota radiator support and use most of it, if it isn't rusted out.

The next best option of a Dakota frame is the 91-96. Those had a v8 option (318 or 5.2 as it was called). Those trucks came with 6 bolt wheels, but the 5 bolt rotors can be exchanged buy simply changing the rotors and finding the 5 bolt wheels. It should be noted that the Dakota factory wheels are set in about an inch and a half from center, that helps a bunch with tires and fender clearances on the front, but can cause inner fender clearance if the rear end is used.

With the issue of the 97-2003 (2004?) Dakota, Dodge changed the front wheel bearing set up and the old 5 bolt rotors no longer work, and is a major undertaking to make the 5 bolt wheels work. Any Dakota past 97 probably needs to remain the 6 bolt wheels, but if you find a good frame, the rear axle may work (but it may not clear in inner fenders of the wagon). The engine choices after the 96 model year also become less desirable. The 4.7 motor does not have a good reputation. A 5.2 (318) and a 5.9 (360) were options, but the number that are available are pretty limited. A 5.9 Rt version of a Dakota was available, but that 5.9 likes gas stations. But is sure adds to the fun, if you can deal with the 6 bolt wheels.

After the body change in 2003 or 2004, Dodge redesigned the frame and it is no longer swap friendly.

 

That was excellent. You have helped a lot. Resolved many of my questions. Thank you.

 

Good luck on a donor search.