Ive always wanted to combine the two. If I ever build one it'll be a bit as I'm currently building both a 53 Chevy Bel Air and a 53 Chevy 210....both on stock frames. The frame swap thread got me thinking on it again. Why g body specifically? The first hot rod of any kind I ever built was an 86 Cutl*** supreme back before they were cool and you could still get three of them running and driving for under $1k in 2004 dollars (no exaggeration....I had an 81 and two 86s for a total of $900. One had a 455 Buick and came with a 79 Malibu parts car lol). Anyway that car was essentially my "general Lee". Lot of the stuff I did in the car sounds made up if you weren't familiar with north Central Arkansas in the early 2000s lol. Dated a curvy blond crazy biker chick....who was also oddly a cheerleader lol, left behind an unknown number of state owned Ford crown vics, took it off road, drove through creeks, raced a 68 GMC with a crate 350 and m22 Muncie from calico rock Arkansas to the sycamore swinging bridge (think I spelled that wrong lol) and used the single lane cable suspended bridge as the finish line lol, outran moonshiners, and generally caused a lot of no harm trouble lol. All without ever successfully getting pulled over. Had the idea 15 years ago that once the body got bad beat up I'd throw a 49-54 Chevy she'll on it. Of course now it's considered desirable to an extent and still straight and solid (aside from a rusty p***enger rear floor from a beer I spilled when I p***ed out drinking in the car on my 21st b day before going to jail for tickets a month and a half) so I likely won't do it to that car. But the platform is a ch***is I'm EXTREMELY familiar and skilled with. Thinking grabbing a junk g body and lengthening the frame to match the wheelbase of preferably a 51-52 bel air, use the floor boards from the g body, modify the g body bench to look like a 51/52 Chevy bench, cut the column of original 49-54 steering box and hook to a g body box(well id actually use a zq8 S10 box lol) keep original Chevy dash, SLAM on whitewalls, build it to corner, possibly go bbc. Goal would be to be unnoticed as a ch***is swap until hood is opened. Are there any g body framed 49-54 Chevy floating around? Curious how close the floor boards would line up in the vintage Chevy using the newer frame
Why use the G body? The A body is within an inch on wheel base. And the he frame is 3 inches longer on the 70 but the bumper sticks out almost a foot on my 51 Chevy.
Around here, finding a GM G body frame that isn't rotted away could be a challenge. Definitely would want to go with as much of the G body floor pan as you can (firewall to the trunk lid). The early Chevy floor pan probably doesn't have the lumps, bumps, dips, and humps, in the correct place to match up with the G body frame. Measurements would be critical. The wheel base differences can be pretty easily modified, so that isn't such a big deal. The track width of the front and rear tires is very high on the level of importance, some difference can be accommodated for with wheel offset, but 2"-3" (or more) too wide is hard to overcome. My next concern would be the width of the frame's side rails. If the body rockers don't clear the side rails on the frame (with spacing to accommodate body mounts), the project would be a walk away for me. If you plan on using the G body frame, use the G body steering box and lower column. You can adapt the older column to the new column between the box and the steering wheel. The distance the front bumper extends out from the radiator on the 51-53 may be very helpful, the frame on a G body was pretty wide at the radiator mounting location, if I remember correctly. Usually, bumper mounting (front and rear) is just another step in the frame swap process.
I know g bodies had fairly similar track width to 49-54 Chevy. Like apparently a g body rear is a popular swap. If it's a bit too narrow I'd just run wider reverse offset wheels with caps
Since the newer frame is a perimeter design, and the old car uses a ladder frame, it might be worth exploring cutting off the front and rear parts of the new frame, and figuring out how to attach them to either the original middle part of the old frame, or just some straight pieces of square or rectangular tubing. So you wouldn't have to do all that floor/rocker work.
Thing is if I were to actually do it I'd likely be starting with a rust bucket both for price and because I wouldn't want to ch***is swap a solid car. So it'd likely need floors and rockers anyway. The hiccup would be if the framerails ended up too wide for the rockers. ***uming it cleared there would be another issue. I know the g body floors sit lower. So I'd want to either channel it or section it. Kinda digging on the section idea. Always liked the look of a sectioned 49-54
Apparently the main rails are 52" wide. Width behind wheels is a couple inches more but that could be cut if needed
I must admit that I did consider a frame swap on the 51. The wider frame rails of the modern frame would work so much better for a roll bar or cage. Not to mention there are more suspension parts and packages for the G body or the A I considered than there ever will be for the 49-53 Chevy. I can't wait for you to find the right project cars.
Oh if I get around to this it will be awhile. While I'd start something like a model a build I won't actually do another full bodied car till my 53 is on the road and my 54 at least runs. Otherwise I would be afraid I'd just end up with a pile of haft started projects lol
It is much better to finish one project before beginning another project. If you use the G body floor pan, it already fits the G body frame and already has the body mounts. It would just require that the G body floor pan be welded to the old Chevy rockers. Might want to be careful concerning channeling, it seems that a lot of the older bodies that are sat on modern frames are already channeled 2" - 3" lower from stock old Chevy height. The guys that used to use the G body frame on the local dirt track cars used to run tubing in straight lines between the point the frame turns outward at the firewall, and where it turns inward for the rear axle. At that point, the side rails can be removed if needed, but they also are not using the G body floor pans. The last I knew (back in 2018), the G body floor pans were available aftermarket reasonably priced.
Ian Rousso did a similar car with a G body if I remember correctly, front subframe. I forget exactly. It was one of his DVD productions before full custom garage I think. Stubbing the car would be the easiest
Having done both stubbing (also called "clipping") and full frame swaps, determining which would be the easiest may well depend on the condition of the rest of the car's ch***is and the desired changes that may be needed. If the floor pans are rotted out, the rear frame has any rust issues, and a modern drive train is in the plans, the full frame may be easier then a stub (clip), lots of patching, and modifying to accommodate a drive train swap. Using the entire frame solves the issue of having the stub at the proper angle and position. Make no mistake, both processes are a lot of work, neither process is "easy." "Easy" is to update the frame that is under the car, if you can get the needed parts and drive train added by simply bolting them in place using available "mounting kits." My 48 Plymouth coupe had a rotted frame (front and rear), nearly gone floor pans, and completely missing interior. The frame swap, using the donor's good frame, floor pan, seat, and drive train was much faster and easier then any other process would have been. The fact that the car now has 100K + road miles on it since the frame swap also carries some weight in the thought process. Parts availability for the now 35 year old "modern" ch***is and drive train, in a day, is another plus. Not many parts stores actually stock auto parts these days, in case you haven't noticed. Buying parts at any parts store when you need them is a myth, unless you have a 3-5 year old very popular car and only need one of the few parts they happen to have in stock. Everything has to be ordered, it may be in later in the day, or the next day.
They don't stock replacement parts for 3-5 year old cars, because they are too new for anything to break. But they have a lot of parts for 10-20 year old cars, that's where the main business is. You can still find parts in stock for 1970-80s Chevys, like the G body. Alternators, water pumps, hoses, calipers, belts, ujoints, etc are on the shelves at most places.
As a person that tried this. Just say NO. Way to much work. yes you can see the frame under rockers. I trashed a car trying this. Way to much work and not economical. These cars just need disc brakes up front and more modern drivetrain. If you want to drive a new car then buy a new car. One with 4 wheel disc brakes a/c cruise control etc.
kinda funny, I have a 62 Vette, which uses the 49-54 full size car suspension up front. I put 4 wheel discs on it, and other than that it's stock, and I drive it all over and think it works pretty good. Way more fun than driving the comfy late models.
@squirrel I have to ask . Why 4 wheel disc brakes? How well do they work with single pot master and no booster?
they work just fine. I did all four wheels because I couldn't get a round brake drum...I would have kept the drums if I could have got them working. Sad story.
My 51 Fleetline is on a 78 Monte Carlo frame with full running gear. I bought it as is, it sat for 3 years out in the weather (north Idaho). Apparently it was a driver and did well before it was parked. I don't know much about it yet, but it seems to work.
Some useful information here (also regards the G-Body frame swap) https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/s-10-frame-under-49-52-chevy-car.219050/
The Jalopy Journal
