i was wonderin what guage metal is best for firewall? and floor board?? and what would be the best sub frame? this is my first build and i need to know whats the easiest/cheapest way to go and keep a clean look. its a 52 chevy 4 door deluxe
Welcome but you need to do an intro also. Cheap and easy is seldom the solution when keeping a "clean look". Floorboards in the 52 you can probably use 18ga without a problem. They make repops that are reasonably priced. Firewall 14ga??
The hat section frame on your '52 doesn't make for an easy clip job. Why not rebuild the stock front end? It was good enough for 'Vettes till '62. '53-'54 spindles lower the front 1 1/2 inches, or buy some drop spindles. Lots of disc brake swap kits too.
chevsof the 40s has patch panels for the floorboards if you'd rather purchase them then make them. And I know that there's a fatman MII kit for my '51 I would ***ume it would be rather similar to your '52.
I made my floor boards from 18 ga. I also used it to fill my firewall. I bought a HF bead roller to make the beads in the floors. All said and done it was still cheaper than buying repop floors.
I'm using a Jaguar front subframe under mine. Its nearly a bolt in swap. (just a coupl of mountings to fab.) Gives you big brakes, power steering and a 4 3/4 bolt pattern. Check the link in my signature.
What kind of Jaguar? what year? I've never heard of someone doing that before, that sounds like a cool swap.
oddly enough my first build is also a 52 chevy 4dr deluxe. i got it here off the board, i went with the stock front end, for the simple fact that it's already there, n still kinda cheap. i went w fat man lower up rights and the rest of the stuff from nationalchevy***ociation.com good people to work with. right now i'm sanding the body, n shavin the door handles. this place is a damn good place to get information. also 50chevy.com the hardest stuff to find so far...chrome. good luck.
Ch***is Engineering Makes a bolt in Mustang II set up. My Chevy was not my frst build but I did not have a welder (or welding skills) so I went for this kit and it has held up well. Deffintley not the cheapest solution but a great way for someone to get started un a first build. It is a well put together unit and a pretty straight forward install. They just did a step by step in Rod & Custom. FONZI
a lot of that stuff ive looked up and its out of my price range. me bein 19 and tryin to raise a family, things are tight. i need affordable parts. ive looked at the junkyards and i thought bout goin with a camaro or s10 ch***is. ive heard of people goin with those but what years are a good fit??and is that a good choice to go with? my front end on mine is all rusted out and i think it would be easier to try and find a rollen ch***is thats workable, it would cost about the same... and thanx for info on what guage.
Not sure why it needs another firewall, worst case you trim the brackets on each side and a V8 fits in there. Frames on these usually rot in the middle, although I've seen other cars rot behind the front suspension it's unusual on these. If your car is actually rotted out in the front frame, you might be better off using it for parts and starting with a better car - in Texas that can't be too hard to find, even if you buy one that's a body shell with doors and swap on your front clip, gl***, etc. to it. The front suspension completely unbolts from the frame, making changing the suspension easier than a clip. If it's your first build and a budget, your best choice is to run the stock suspension, followed probably by the Jag swap if you can find a cheap Jag donor. With those, you can usually sell the IRS, s**** the rest and recoup the cost. Might be worth keeping some interior stuff out of to use on your car, too. RacerRick on here fit one to an S10 ch***is, had to make all new mounts and had to cut the floor and channel it some in the back to make it work. Camaros don't have a ch***is, they're unibody. Most of the later GM cars that are body on frame the front end is too wide, you end up needing wheels from like an Olds Toronado or the like to keep the tires from rubbing the fenders, unless you keep the stock ride height. Just remember the less work the faster it's on the road. I'm keeping a stock front end in my '50, the only change was to '54 brakes, which made the wear parts cheaper - I got the hard parts free.
Actually, it's part of a series of articles over the past few issues all about upgrading the 49-54 Chevy suspension with aftermarket bolt-on parts. The idea was to pick stuff you could do at home. Personally, I'd rebuild the front end. What's the point of spending $1000s to put a different IFS in a car that has a good IFS to begin with?
XJ6 0r XJ12 .. Series 1, 2 or 3. Google it for a heap of info. I am using Jag front and rear in my '49 Lincoln coupe. Practically a bolt in job for all round independant with disc brakes. Power steering rack is mounted on the crossmember as well. So all in all a good choice. Gives chevy bolt pattern too.
For me it made sense because it was going to cost me about 600.00 for all the parts to rebuild my front end and I really don't care for the stock steering set up. For another 800.00 I ended up with rack and pinion steering disc brakes and a more serviceable suspension along with proper mounts for the V8 swap I was planning. And, I was able to do it myself which was rewarding. Sublime, I understand what you are saying. Before I saved up the $$ to do this I had planned on doing an s-10 swap. I actually scored one cheap and then traded it for half of the parts I needed to complete the MII swap. FONZI
if i did rebuild the front end instead of swapping, what about the middle of the original ch***is?? when i pulled it out from under the body i noticed a lot of rusty chunks and a lot of dirt in the middle where its boxed in, would that not be a problem in the long run?? and how would i end up gettin all that taken care of where i wouldnt have to worry about it??
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