camero clip on 1955 oldsmobile!!! is it possible???!!!

hi i was wondering if it was possible to put a camaro front clip on a 1955 oldsmobile???? please help thanks!!!

 

maybe to wide...A camaro clip was to wide for my 51 Pontiac, s-10 was perfect

 

What's wrong with this ?

 

Seriously though! Yes it is very possible. These clips are oftened narrowed and will give you certain benefits such as P/S, disc brakes, easier parts to find and better geometry, but is this route worth the down time in this modification also tool requirement and skill involved ? Front sheet metal alignment and support, engine height/length front core support and radiator sizes are all things that will put things back and may add extra costs to a project. Without more info about what is wrong with your current suspension is another issue but maybe more worthwhile repairing than replacing. A proper set up utilizing the most amount of original parts to handle and perform is in my opinion far better than doing the swap. Drum brakes can perform you just need a pimp mechanic and a driver that can use them correctly. I am both, so pimped out stock stuff is what I like. Also I think stock would resale better than the camaro.

 

It's not as hard as rock makes it out to be, but to each his own, I'm building my 51 for my wife and grand daughters to ride in so I want it as safe as I can make it. The S-10 disc brakes and power steering will help along with the 87 Impala rear coil spring set up. Up dated brakes all the way around. You make up your own mind on what you want to build.

 

With enough money, anything is possible.

 

Why? The 55 Olds is so different from a Camaro - weight width size driving demands. Are you building a slalom car or a trans am racer or are you building a 50's sedan hot rod. The stock frame took one of the best V8 engines. This is a traditional hot rod site. Lay out your plans for us so we know why you want the camaro front clip. If you are merely looking for disc breaks and a more modern geometry type suspension and steering set up maybe fatman would be a better choice without as much hacking and cutting. Just my $.02

 

AHH yes! Sorry! No the swap isn't hard and I also clipped the front of my f-100 so the wife can drive it. Just want to point out I have seen quite a few done poorly, ones that I was sorry I looked under the hood, but also some that were done very tastefully. Or maybe the shitty looking ones just were not finished. Either way I would much rather look at a tricked out stock set up or something more period or stock. So if you want to drive a 69 camaro but look like you are in a old's go for it but the camaro will be easier to drive. Do a search on dimensions and listen to your tape measure. BTW my dad has a camaro front on his 56 chevy and wishes he hadn't. Upgrading and correcting factory flaws would have ended up much nicer. Adding rack and pinion to anything and disc brakes and even control arm/spindle swaps sometimes sounds harder but comparing to the camaro deal might be easier. If you do enough research anything and everything is possible. I've converted my 57 pontiac to tappered bearings using 63 chevy C-10 hubs machined and redrilled. This way I could keep the drum brakes and not completly rebuild the entire brake system because ball bearings suck ass and there is no conversion. But that was trial and error not research allthough I did alot of that. Spend your time thinking about what you're doing and not doing what you think you should be doing and you will be just fine. hAHa!Good luck!

 

A camaro clip on a 1955 old's is as cool as a small block chevy in a buick grand national.

I recall reading somewhere that in about 1959ish? someone was using a mid-fifties buick frame for road racing open driveline and I think a 392. Anyway alot of old shit is not shit. As the song goes play around with parts, ace at your car, and learn your lesson well or go and drive a truck.

 

I think a friend of mine used a Nova? Worked great and fit well, even fit the stock column back up, looked like a stock car!

 

I am in the midst of changing the frame on my '55 Buick Special using the frame from a '78 LeSabre. They are similar cars,The '55 Buick and Olds 88, they share the same body shell. And the frames look similar, biggest difference is the rear suspension IIRC.

The 264 is pretty weak for the car size and weight, 322's are pretty scarce around here and the Dynaflow needs a major overhaul. Not to mention no power steering or brakes, the torque tube limits changes, you get the picture. Not to mention about 3k for a Fatman subframe/suspension, probably a grand for the rear end in aftermarket parts.

I've owned it thirty years , so it's hard to part with it. But my focus has changed from original to driveable. And the ability to drive across the country and in the event of a breakdown the ease of getting parts for it, not waiting for several weeks from a specialty supplier if out of stock, out of business, etc. And as retirement approaches, this WILL be a driver/touring car, and nothing ruins a vacation more than being stuck in some small town for a couple of weeks waiting for a part.

 

really i did a amonkey and the bandit T/A and its the same width as my stock 50 pontiac, you you have pics of the impala rear install?
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never heard pf a CamEro.......

 

It will work as long as your not putting a chity in that olds .
I wouldn't do S10 frame in anyhing .
80-81 Camaro /TA frames work , or look at G body frame if you want it narrower to tuck wheels deep. THe 73-77 A body is basicly the same as the 77-91 B body, also a good choice. As it was pointed out and not often enough. IF you actually plan to drive it a lot , keep it simple , all that fatman and rustang II stuff is not found at local parts stores while the later stuff is on the shelf as wel as in salvage yards still.

51 Chevy I did a 81 Camaro frame, S-10 blazer disc rear .

 

You didn't mention year model on the clip. If you go that route look for an earlier rear steer clip. It will simplify your life. I did a Firebird under my '50 Buick sedanette with a 455 in it.

 

The only thing I can say is: If you ask for an opinion on the HAMB, you'll get several hundred...not one the same.

Sub-frame swaps are not 100% easy...

One nice thing about a sub is modern disc brakes (if you use the year sub that has them), modern power steering, a modern ride and better handling...if that is what you're after, then go for it and pay no attention to those that tell you not to.

Would I do another: Yes, because all the late model parts are available new from parts stores and in the long run it's a lot cheaper than a MII and can handle the weight better. Matter of fact, I have a '48 Cadillac Sedanet just waiting to get a Nova sub (same as Camaro) put under it.

R-

 

Yeah, must be part of the mystique ... (along with a mullet!).

I used to get a kick out of punching up "Camaro" on eBay and getting X number of hits, then punching in "Camero" and getting a whole BUNCH more.
They've "fixed" it now, so you get all the hits. After all, ya don't wanna cut the dumbasses out of your prospective customer base.

Seems like if you owned a car, and every day saw the name emblazoned on the body (and probably on the dash somewhere), you'd eventually figure out how to spell it!

 

A man after my own heart...however, after getting bashed every time I offered spelling corrections, I quit trying to educate the masses. It still amazes me that 90% of those that actually graduated from high school cannot spell, much less use correct punctuation and paragraphs.

R-

 

Sad, but true...

There are countless ways to do a Camaro/Nova clip...big thing is figuring if a front steer or a rear steer set-up works best for your application. It is a lot of work to get the transition to look good, but it's doable.

I did a front steer Nova/Camaro clip on our '60 El Camino during my stint at WYOTECH...1 of 2 chassis projects that drove in and drove out.

I'll try to scan in my 35 mm pictures. As Denise said above, they handle really well, even in stock form. Cheap parts, too...

It is a project that requires a lot of planning and general fabrication work. I made the stock column work, too...in all seriousness, mounting the front clip and aligning the sheetmetal & bumpers was the most difficult part of my escapade...

 

wow rizzo that attitude wont get u very far here

 

Holy smokes, all this help that people have just shared with you and this is the ONLY comment you can come up with??? No, "thanks guys" or ANYTHING else, just the above?? Hope you saved my link cuz it's disappearing outta your thread and don't be surprised if others do the same.

 

See what I mean...???

Rizzo, I wasn't a writer all my life, that's just happened in the last seven years. I have been a graphic artist since I graduated HS...and art school...however, that does not mean I didn't learn to spell while in grade school...

Building cars is a fine profession, but when you get in front of a computer and spew crap like the above, then that simply demeans you...and does not affect me in the least...

Oh yeah, I build cars, too...

R-

 

understatement!

 

this is a 79 nova clip on my 50 mercury. it was 1 inch of width difference and slipped right into the original frame. if this is the way you want to go just make sure the track width will leave you with no tire rubbing or weirdness. by all means build you car the way you want to and ignore the critics

 

A 55 Buick has a big box tube frame with a fat X-member in the middle; a '78 LeSabre has a C-rail middle with boxed ends and one puny crossmember for the trans mount, that once removed from the car may as well be made of rubber for all the flex in it. The 55 Buick rails are a good inch taller than the later frame rails. I really hope you're not talking about a full frame swap.

Guys used to drive these old cars thousands if not millions of miles reliably way back when, it never ceases to amaze me how people are suddenly scared to drive the same car just because it's now old. I drove a '60 Pontiac for my only car for several years and never had a brake or suspension failure, and only minor mechanical issues. I also carried some spare parts and inspected things like the brakes, ball joints and bearings once in a while.

 

Wow. All the replies and you go be a schmuck. Classy!

 

Bad spellers of the world, untie !!

 

yep a buddy and i put one on couple years back and then he traded it off for another project . its sitting down by etown indiana now you can get in touch with the guy who built it at 513 738 5024 his name is don and the olds is for sale on craigs list for 2500 cincinnati last time i saw it listed the guy who now owns i dont know his name

 

2 year old thread - he's probably done or moved on by now

 

It's an FNG thing, you have to answer three two year old or older posts in your first twenty five posts to be an official FNG that found the Hamb via Google.

Back to the guys original question even though the thread was long dead. Not one one clown who barked boo hoo waa haaa don't change from the original stuff asked if he even had the original stuff or had ever checked prices and availability on replacement pieces for 55 Olds front ends. It wouldn't be the first car a guy on the HAMB drug home that didn't have any original suspension or maybe even a decent front frame section to work with.
Ask why someone feels he/she needs to make a change like that before spewing disparaging comments.