Dodge connundrum - need some advice

I have a bit of a conundrum, a good one but still have questions. Here's the deal. I have a 56 Dodge 1/2 ton with the flathead 6 and a 4 speed. It is not mint but in decent shape. I have had it for 9 yrs and since I just sold my Cobra, I am looking for another fast and fun toy.

I have recently acquired a Craftsman series truck from a buddy and am thinking of doing the driveline swap into the 56. Petty Racing 358 Dodge, 4 speed, yada yada. Lots of power and lots of fun. The problem is that I am sure the old chassis will not hold up to that combo. So what chassis do I go with? Do I go with a full custom built chassis ($$$) OR try and modify the Crafstman chassis to accept the 56 body, OR is there already a chassis out there that will take the 56 body that will handle decent power. I figure once I detune the engine to be drivable and reliable, I will be down around the 600hp range.

I'd rather not use the Craftsman chassis as I can sell the chassis/body combo for more than I paid for the entire truck. Or even if I don't sell it, it sure would be cool to have as a conversation piece in the garage.

If I don't build up the 56 and just leave it stock, I need to find something to put that driveline into. I can't just let it sit there.

Any suggestions??

 

I would say leave the Dodge truck stock and build a body for the truck craftsmn series truck. Like a 'Special'. It would be easier in my opinion and then you end up with two vehicles for two different purposes.

 

Two thoughts:
1. It is a truck, it does have a truck frame.
2. You'll never get it to hook up so why worry?

I saw a thread recently on another forum where a Cummins 4BT was swapped and the only frame mod was boxing.

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X2 I got a 360 in my 57 D100(same frame) and Im pushing around 400HP with a sure grip and 12 inch wide rubber out back and I can't hook up, so with 600 good luck

 

Very true. Think I am going to just update the 56 with newer safety goodies and find a nice mopar car to put the other driveline into. Or maybe I'll put it into my Pacer.

 

Okay, the decision has been made to find a donor Dakota truck and swap the body onto the Dakota chassis. That way I get modern components at a fraction of what it would cost me to update, brakes, suspension, steering, etc individually.

I'm sure some guys on here have done a swap similar to this. I'm hoping some of them will chime in with which years of Dakota are the most compatible for doing the swap. It will definitely help narrow the search and speed up the process.