Most know that I've got a 50 Ford Crestliner...I am wondering if anyone out there has found a complete late model frame that is essentially a 'bolt-in' swap for this car? I'm still runnnin the 50 frame and while it works ok, there's no way it can ride as smooth as one with rear coils, r&p steering, etc... I could change the front clip, but I'm more interested in just taking the body off the frame and sitting it down on a late model one. Anybody done it?
When you have a complete car it is better to clip the front end and then change the rear . If you try a frame swap at this point you will have more trouble than you asked for when nothing lines up anymore . Just change the front end . Just my 2 cents !
A "Bolt in"? Really? You think this hobby is that easy? Sorry, don't mean to rag on you but sounds like you need to do some more homework. Not much with these old cars is both cheap and easy at the same time! As far as the chassis goes, hard to beat what the factory put under it, just upgrade what ya got. A few exceptions for sure but most chassis swaps just don't fit and end up more work then it's worth.
I had my '49 Club Coupe clipped: a Street Rod Engineering clip up front, and then a new Ford nine-inch rear from Currie out back. I agree with what's been said on here thus far: you try to run a late-model frame and it's going to fuck up all your mounting points, how the wheels set in the wheelwells, and stuff like that. Better to upgrade what you have. If you want to go cheaper than Street Rod Engineering, go Jamco: get dropped spindles and discs and cut springs up front and then just run blocks out back.
While my post may have sounded like some redneck rookie (as some of you seemed to indicate)- I can assure you, I ain't. I've built my own late model dirt cars from the ground up. As far as 'doing my homework'- What the heck do you think asking the question was?...HOMEWORK. Sometimes full chassis swaps aren't all that hard and I thought that maybe someone had discovered the right fit, that I haven't found, yet. I already have dropped spindles, Pwr disc brakes and an 8" ford rear end...but it still rides like a 50 ford, not a smooth '80 model. I guess nevermind...ya'll haven't found the right fit either...
I did an S-10 front clip in mine. I was real happy with the fit. It rides awesome and parts are easy to find. I'm even using ford brake rotors. I dunno about full frames though. I saw a guy do a '79 cutlass under shoebox, but it looked hack. Bad fit or poorly executed or both. I always thought an early 80's Ford Fairmont frame might have the dimensions to fit under a shoebox nicely, but I am not too familiar with the suspension design. If it was as easy as just dropping the body on a frame, I think someone would have figured it out by now and it would be the norm. If you're interested in the s-10 clip job, PM me and i'll answer any questions.
I helped build a SBC powered Fairmont 2 dr sedan about 20 years ago. They make a good modern street machine...better than a same era Mustang in my mind. The suspension design is the same as a Fox platform Mustang. The Mustang is actually based off the Fairmont platform which came out first. Triangulated 4 link rear and McP struts up front with control arm mounted coil springs/R&P steering. Unfortunately...both are unitized construction so there isn't a frame to swap!
do it the modern way: getcha one of them fiberglass body kits for a tbird. then ya get rid of all those pesky "old car" troubles. not trying to be a hardass but IMHO whats the point of dismissing the ride of the original car because of leaf springs? shit; build your own frame from scratch and make it work as well as the factory one. THEN bitch about how bad the ride WAS.just my 2 cents.
After spending a lot of time in the junkyard, I also came to the conclusion that an s-10 is the closest donor. Seems like you could use the whole frame, but you just might have to do a splice somewhere to adjust the wheelbase. The good thing with these is that they are NARROW, like a shoebox- the closest fit I have found. Re-doing the body mounts shouldn't be too hard. One area of difficulty will be getting the trunk floor to follow the contour of the frame kickup. It would be a great time to "Z" the frame too! Keep us posted if you go this route, and good luck!
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