I have a '49 Buick Super Sedanette that I want to build into a mild custom. It's a Straight 8 (248 cu) with a Dynaflow. It runs, but has lots of fluid leaks. The body is not "too" bad, but there are a few rust holes in the floor and floor bracing. I'll probably find a lot more when I start stripping the paint. I also have a '64 Electra 4 door with a 401 Nailhead/ST400. It was rebuilt about 25K miles ago..so it is in pretty good condition. The body is ok, but being a 4 door it isn't worth much. I'm trying to sell it, but not having much luck. I'm thinking about transplanting the Nailhead into the 49..... in fact, I'm thinking about replacing the whole ch***is since the 64 is 12volts, has power steering, power brakes, a/c..... The wheelbase on the 64 is 126"... 5" longer then the 49. In general terms, would I be better off swapping the whole ch***is, or individually swapping the engine, trans, rearend, suspension, etc?? Thanks, Dan
Swap the individual parts. For some reason "ch***is swap" sounds simple but in reality it's anything but. Even if the wheelbase and track width are the same the radiator placement, engine setback, steering column placement, and a bunch of other things probably won't be. Then the body won't fit down over the frame because the rear kick up and other shapes won't be the same so you'll have to cut out a big chunk of the floor. Of course body mounts will have to be built from scratch as well. Sounds simple, huh?
Thanks for the reply.... Those are some of the things I was wondering about and wanted to answer before I starting cutting things. I was going to start measuring both cars to see how much work it might be, but then didn't really know where to start
i agree.. avoid the ch***is swap... i've rarely seen this done well and requires almost as much fab and modifications as starting from scratch... Nailhead would be a nice upgrade but straight 8's are just plain cool too..
pull everything you are gonna need out of the donor including the wiring harness, every little nut bolt and screw you can get at even bracketry, little clips for hanging wiring on etc... everything that unbolts take and stash away everything you take off and can reuse is gonna save you some money when it comes time to putting the 49 together or the one after that, a donor car is the way to go if your working with limited resources and you don't mind useing used stuff
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