1950 chevy pick up

i just wanted to say hi to everyone here. i think this is an awesome site and i have already learned alot of new things since i started looking through the h.a.m.b. today! I am new so i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions, i Have a 1950 chevy 5 window 3100 pick-up that i just bought. the pick up is in pretty good condition right now it needs a new seats maybe some new wood bed, and a tiny bit of body work, but it is in great shape and runs good i was thinkin i wanted to put in a 383 stroker with a 373 rear end. i want to just have something with alittle power and also go on the highway. i know im goin to need a front clip and a different ******. is there any easy way to do it cheap. what type of clip should i get, ( mustang 2) is it easier to just try to find something in and junk yard or buy a kit from the internet. what vehicle should i look for to get a clip out of? i was also thinking about air bags, but it doesnt have to happen cause it sits pretty low now. i would like to get as much feedback as possible, that way i can make a good choice. thanks Wayne <!-- / message -->

 

I would check out a few options, if you want to stay chevy, an s-10 frame I beleive extended cab will fit right under there with very little modification. Anothe option is the older Dakota ch***is, its rack and pinoin in the front end an if you pop out the rivits and grind the tacks half way down the frame you can lengthen or extend it and you can find one with a 3.73 or 3.42 gear in it. Personally I like the Dakota ch***is. As far as the 383 stroker, if you want to spend the money to stroke it do it but with my experiance you could spend the money on some heads and get the same or better power out of a 350. Air ride is alot of work and expense

 

if it's cheap it won't be good, if it's good it won't be cheap!?!

 

thank you that really helps.. what about buying a mustang kit is it better?.. i live about an hour from an indian reservation and there are a bunch of old beaters some mustangs, pintos, trucks, and what year dakota?

 

buy them and ship them to me,working with a 52 and here in sweden we use opel commodore front end´s,almost a mustang II,only diffrent is that the opel is 30 or so year´s old(no spare parts) good front end thou
no mustangII ither

 

amc pacer clip works great for those trucks and people usual are just giving them away.

 

I wouls advise against a MII because with the dakota you have everything, And I think that moving cab mounts from the chevy frame to the dakota is alot less work than a clip job.

87 to 91 has the 5 bolt rotors

 

I would say first place you should start is join the AD Truckers group on here, lots of great info. And the search function on the HAMB will be your best tool, if you use it.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=132

 

thank you! it really does help me in getting started

 

you dont need a clip, check my sig

also check out www.stovebolt.com 20,000 people dedicated solely to the chevrolet truck.

 

I'm not big on frame swaps on these trucks unless your original frame is junk or you don't have one.

The S-10 while fairly inexpensive and quite popular still leaves you with having to use spacers to get most wheel/tire combos out in the wheel well where they look right.
If you buy the cab mount kit that a lot of guys buy it is 1500 and that negates any saving. there are a couple of good sets of plans for mounts on the net though.
The Pacer front end is too wide for many applications and the steering box isn't always in the best spot for swaps. It does drop out of the Pacer easily though but finding one isn't going to be easy these days.

With the Mustang II Pinto/Bobcat front ends most guys who use the stock pieces still use an aftermarket crossmember. They run from the Welders Series weld it yourself unit for around 250 on up. There are also a couple for about 650 or so that are total bolt on units that anyone with a half inch drill and normal hand tools can install.

I had a first series Camaro subframe under my 48 for several years and it drove great. It was a lot of work to get it under the truck and squared away though. The big issue was getting the sheet metal to fit right. I never felt that the nose fit quite like I wanted it to. I see a lot of other subframed or frame swapped trucks that look like they are bent in the middle because guys didn't get everything set just the way it should to look right.
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ok great info!, thank you scott and mr. 48 now 2 questions (scott) if you have a picture of the set-up you sell i would like to take a look at it (mr. 48) which way would you go, if you look at scotts idea, is that a good way to go?

 

I've followed Scott's progress on the crossmember from the first time I saw it in a thread on http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/ It is quite interesting but so far I haven't read any feedback from anyone on the ins and outs of installation and how it works or doesn't work running down the road. I like the idea behind it I just want to see some real feedback on it. The GM metric pieces are easy to get anywhere in the states and Canada and probably in a lot of other areas. Picking from Chevelle, Monte Carlo, Cutl***, Regal, S-10 and Lemans from 78 through 84 gives a lot of choices when you are parts hunting in the wrecking yard.
Unless I see something that changes my mind, I'm pretty well set on running a Welder Series weld it yourself crossmember using the MII pieces I already have hanging on the wall in the shed.

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The link includes the link to my webshots page. A few hambers on the ADTruckers forum have purchased my crossmember. A few bolters have as well. Unfortunately I am the only one with the crossmember sitting under a vehicle that rolls yet. A few guys on the stovebolt have the crossmember tacked in place, have not heard on the rest.

BTW, I also am in the middle of an S-10 frame swap on my 53. Wont be doing that again.

 

you have done a lot of design work on your front end kit. interesting package.

 

ok i have pretty much got a great amount of info one what type of front ends are available for my pick up .. but im still some what confused, i know that putting a subframe under my truck is the most cost out of all the choices, i could put in a front clip off a couple different cars and have a descent front end with minimun effort ( i have a good amount of vehicles (3 mustang 2s and or s10s, dakotas) that are on a indian reservation that i could pick up for near free, i think), i could have a gentleman build me a crossmember that is made in a jig( it would cost me 1000 roughly with all the parts spindles and such)and i know that putting a s10 frame( i dont know what year?) and a 87-91 dakota will work and if i did a frame swap but i would have to put on spacers (this would probably be the most effort but i would have all the components in one swoop including maybe a engine, tran, and rear end) now i all of these are good if you do them right, but its hard to choose which one is the right way to go, in one sense putting in a front clip/ crossmember sounds good ( minimum effort and pretty cost affective and no spacers) but i kinda like the idea of having a newer frame with everything on the frame and just transfer the body and move some body mounts.) i could use everyones opinions, i know its my decision in the end whats best for me, but its nice to hear everyones ideas! oohh and thank you so much with out all of you this project probably would be taking place!

 

since no one has said it, what about keeping the original frame and suspension and rebuilding them? modifying the original parts (dropping the front axle) is a viable option unless you are deadset on having "modern" underpinnings. Rebuild the shackles, remove two leaves add new shocks and you have a reliable setup that you can work on in small bites, rather than the truck being down for weeks/months

and why does it sit low now? what mods have been done? were they done properly or poorly? get some catalogs and research before you jump in and start cutting metal

 

My 50 is on a narrowed 86 Monti Carlo frame, but now its not much of a truck due to the bed depth. gonna hafta make some side boards

 

I just recently found and purchased a '55 first series truck that I will be putting together for my girlfriend to drive. I have done many mustang11 / pinto front ends under these trucks over the years, and because of my location still use stock Mustang11 / pinto crossmembers. It's pretty easy to do, and they ride great handle great and fit properly. Using an aftermarket crossmember is also a great way to go. Get the rest of the components from some of the wrecked cars you describe and you will be done for lots less than 1000.00. I'm planning to leave the stock 235 in hers mated to a 200r4 trans and a '57 chey rear on stock springs for a very simple ch***is. I also noted that your truck looks pretty low in the pictures and would investigate further if I were you. You might already have a dropped axle under the front, in which case I would rebuild everything and reuse. I do have to say though, that with the mustang11/pinto front under my other car ('48 Plymouth coupe) for pretty close to 300000 mi., nothing fits or works as well under cars and trucks from this era.

 

thank you (treb 11 and need louvers i didnt really think of that) the truck is pretty low it sits 10 inches from ground to frame in the front, i do like the way it looks but i dont really like the way it feels. if your goin about 40 and you see a bump/ pot hole, you have to brace yourself, and sometimes the truck wants to wander but i talked to a front end mechanic and he says he can fix it by replacing a few things( so i just thought if hes going to replace some part why not just put on a new front clip, or swap frames). i know that the guy i bought it from said the guy he bought it from did some work on it but he could tell me what he did.

 

a set of king pins and shackle bolts would tighten the front up without spending much. A dropped axle from Sids would lower it for less than my front Crossmember kit which is near stock ride height. It would keep the cost down as well as keep it traditional. all those upgrades could be done in a weekend.

Then again, its your truck, build it your way.

 

thank you scott! i really appreciate it. i found a 1989 dakota rolling ch***is, steering column, and rack and pin for 250.00, i still am not sure which way i am goin to go with it, but i do think that would be a good price. i know you were saying that you wouldnt do it again, is it really to much work? to be honest i really dont think i am goin to stay traditional

 

AHHhhhh.... We see from the picture that your axle has been "flipped" from underneath the springs to on top of the springs. So, the space that was formerly the travel before the spring hit the bump stop has been filled with axle. hence, no travel before WHAM! the axle hits the bumpstop. The RIGHT way to do this is to "drop" the axle. Hell, I don't even see a bumper!

 

nothing wrong with an orange 50 Chevy:
here is mine