I have a 1952 chevy business coupe all original. I heard people talking about dropping the car on a s-10 frame but cant find much about the topic. What are the things i need to know and look for with doing this conversion. Thank you!
Why change the frame to one that doesn't fit the body/floor pan? You'd be making extra work. The stock suspension can be made to perform well for a street car, or there are aftermarket kits that will work on the stock frame. Unless the frame is missing, damaged badly, or rusted beyond repair, it's a bad idea.
I've done a bunch of them . Works great . Done in a day. Easiest thing to do to totally mess up a perfectly good car. On the serious side use the stock frame and add disc brakes , change rear end. Buy engine mounts and transmission mounts as needed. There is a whole lot of stuff to make these cars what you want without destroying it by swapping frames. People thing it's easier and cheaper to swap frames than just buying parts and doing it right.
The best frame for a 1952 Chevy , is a 1952 Chevy frame , and you already own one ! Put a new suspension under both ends and roll with it !!!
The S10 frames I have seen have some pretty strange configurations (depending on the model year of the donor) and have issues of their very own. Unless your existing frame is in really bad shape, an S10 will not be a big improvement once you figure out what its going to take to attach it to the back 1/2 of your 52 Chevy frame. Upgrading your current frame will make a better car for you in the long run.
I see stuff on Facebook, where people cut off the top of a unibody and graft the frameless body of an old car onto a new ch***is, just to keep all of the modern running gear, seats, dash and wiring. I sometimes see people do this with truck bodies on real frames, but you usually do this swapping an old truck cab onto the new truck cab floor pan and fire wall. S10s are popular because they are narrow compared to most modern vehicles, and seem to have a suitable wheel base. People swap all sorts of unibody cars under old bodies, depending on the wheel base an suitability to the project. Some people just swap a frame with the engine and suspension, but this is less common, and a lot of work for what you get. If you search around Facebook and YouTube, you might find something similar to what you are planning, or something more direct, if you are trying to make a late model car look like a cl***ic, or make a cl***ic into a modern car. I've seen some good stuff, but the guys who do this sort of thing are a lot more talented than I am. I can upgrade a suspension, I can swap a rear end or an engine and ****** combo, and maybe even put in an AC kit. I think the appeal to many is to get a cheap late model ch***is in good condition, and match it up to something they already have, and make a cool conversion. Obviously, the trick is finding the ideal match up.
To be clear, the inner sills and structure of the new unibody is saved, and the outer sill of the donor body id slipped over, and the two are grafted. Often a transitional structure is added to the inner front wings of the unibody, and the fenders re often mounted to this.
If you have to ask then you probably should not do it. There is literally an entire market in existence to improve the car you have as it sits. Modern frame swaps are gross.
The stock tophat frames are plenty stout. The front crossmember unbolts as a complete unit if you feel the need to upgrade the front suspension. A 57 Chevy rear will just about bolt in to upgrade to open drive line. I dont know your skill level, but many a good car has been ruined with an attempted frame swap. Id hate to see the same happen to your coupe. Also, just so its said.. Theyre plenty capable in stock form with a few modifications. It wont "handle like a new car" but I dont really want my old cars to have that modern feel anyways. Im lucky the HAMB saved me from attempting the same thing in my early 20's.. Here is our sedan w modified stock suspension, 6 cyl & three speed. Its been from DFW to Austin, Ok & Kansas many times. Good luck w your project.
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