Will my 54 chevy 4dr fit on a 85 caprice 4dr frame?

Just exploring my options i'm building a 54 chevy 210 4dr but I'm trying to keep it cheep i was looking at some 80s cars for V8 donars one being an 83 Malibu wagon and the other a 85 caprice 4dr and I was just woundering if my body would work with one of these frames?

 

What's wrong with the stock frame? Look up the wheelbase specs of whatever you find for a donor (google is a wonderful thing) and see if the rearend width is similar, then take the motor, trans, driveshaft and rearend from the donor and make them fit into the stock '54 frame...that's a hell of a lot cheaper than messing with a frame swap that likely will either never get finished or look like **** if it ever does get put under the body...

 

This topic must come up once a week. Rather than butcher your car, why not rebuild the front suspension, add a disc brake kit and then use the motor/trans/rear from the malibu. There is no way that a frame swap will be faster or easier and unless you posess the skills of a master fabricator it will probably be an ugly mess with little to no resale value.

 

No. The front track is too wide on both of those cars and you will need funky offset wheels and skinny tires. Its a ton or work, and unless your car is completely rotted out, not worth it.

The cheapest way is to take the stock frame and clip it. The S10 is pretty popular because of its narrow width. The problems with it are that the front steer setup requires lots of cutting to reinstall th splash pan, and you will still have to figure out how to remount the front clip and bumpers, figure out a steering column, etc. Tons of work and time required, and its the same price as doing a disk brake conversion with some good lowering springs.



The best way in my opinion would be to take the stock frame and MII it.

 

Can you tells us why.It won`t be cheeper,and that is what your after. wounld understand if the frame is shot but all the reading i have done, it will be cheeper to replace the worn front end parts and replace front brakes with disks. remember you will most likely have to replace much of the parts on them donor cars.

 

As noted, unless there is something you haven't told us, there is nothing wrong with using the factory frame.

 

The stock frame doesn't look that bad and the donar cars I have looked at are running driving cars with with 305 sbc I was planning on just using the running gear but I thought I would ask about a frame swap

 

Personally i'd p*** on the frame swap and just use the drivetrain from a doner if you want to go V8..
The stock ch***is is actually a nice foundation once freshened up, and Small block swaps have been done for years, many very detailed right here on the HAMB.
So figuring out what parts are needed shouldn't be too hard, or very expensive providing you are looking for a nice cruiser and no expensive fancy stuff.
Just my opinion though..And experience i guess as i have a 53 Belair with stock frame and rebuilt, but lowered suspension.

Tony

 

I want a nice cruiser that I can have a little fun in and I'm going to lower it on wide whites and gloss black steelies with spider caps

 

That swap will be a LOT more work than just getting the stocker in shape.

 

Motor swap would be alot easier than a frame swap!

 

nah, do a frame swap. rip that ****er off the frame and hurry up-i'll take that junky stock frame off yer hands.....

 

I put a 81 monte carlo ch***is under my 51 chevy. I turned out into a nice highway cruiser. The width was perfect but i had to lengthen the frame 7'' and also boxed it. With the ch***is swap you can sort of channel the body over the frame to get it lower and then just cut the coils in the rear for the perfect stance. I went through the extra work to ensure that it looked stock because there is nothing worse than a car with the wrong proportioned ch***is under it.

 

The frame swap is a commitment requiring mad fabricating skills and you will be at the point of no return quickly with it. I too vote for keeping the strong original frame and updating it.

Bob

 

The front suspension under a '54 was used in 'Vettes until 1962, so it ain't all that bad!

 

Frankly, I think all you with negative comments are full of ****. I put the frame from a 1973 Buick Estate wagon under my wife's 48 Roadmaster complete with Stage 1 455, turbo 400, disc brakes and all other parts. I took some 2x4 box tubing to go between the front and rear. welded it in place, then cut the perimeter part off. Width is fine. Wheelbase- 129" on the 48, 128" on the 73. Why the 73? I bought it brand new and special ordered it when I was working for a Buick dealer. Some of us don't have thousands of dollars to spend on fancy aftermarket disc brakes and useless 9 inch rear ends, just to be 'one of the in bunch'.

 

Why do novices always want to change the frame?

Do they get that idea from watching too much television?

 

Nothing wrong with a frame swap - I've seen dozens of cars done that way and they were all low-buck.
You can easily spend a grand rebuilding and lowering a stock front suspension, at which point you have a frame and suspension designed in 1937. (Everyone has it backwards - the fact that they used essentially the same suspension under Corvettes until 1962 doesn't speak highly of the suspension, it speaks lowly of GM for using that antiquated setup until 1962!)

Having said that, if YOUR car has a good frame and a TIGHT (as opposed to sloppy and worn-out) front suspension then your easiest and cheapest route is to drop in the later drivetrain, swap out your front springs to bring the ride height down, and leave it alone. It's only if the thing is shot that it's worth clipping or swapping anything. If it drives nice as it is, don't mess with it.

 

Probably. Or from running into toothless illiterate rednecks who obviously aren't too bright but who have successfully swapped frames on their car. It might be a lot of work, but it's all really basic work - cut and weld, cut and weld. I've seen some really bad subframe jobs, but never seen a car messed up by a ch***is swap. (Unfinished, yes, but not destroyed.)

 

I have lived in the "rust belt" all my life.It is not at all uncommon to see vehicles with the frames rusted to pieces,or even rusted to the point that they have collapsed under their own weight.We do not have an unlimited supply of solid,rust free frames available to work with.If a well done frame swap means saving a "cool" car from the s**** yard,and puts it back on the road where it belongs,I am 100 percent in favor of changing the frame. I wonder if back in the day,if the guys were critisised for putting A's on 32 frames?

 

Frame swaps are very common. My truck pictured in my avitar is on a non original frame so i'm not bashing that...
I simply implied that the stock frame works well with the V8 swap, and overall would be easier..and cheaper in the long run...
Especially seeing how he said the original frame was not in bad shape.
I have driven my 53 out of state, and all over here putting many miles on it without one single complaint about the original kingpin front end or drum brakes. It works, simple as that.
So, if the original frame is junk, and it takes a swap to save the car..absolutely go for it..But, if it isn't bad and the stocker can be used and is proven to be safe and reliable, why not use it?
Again, just my two cents worth..
Either way, i hope you get the car on the road and enjoy the hell out of it

Tony

 

Just exploring my options i'm building a 54 chevy 210 4dr but I'm trying to keep it cheep i was looking at some 80s cars for V8 donars one being an 83 Malibu wagon and the other a 85 caprice 4dr and I was just woundering if my body would work with one of these frames?

A lot of people with comments have never done any of their own work. They bring it to their "Mechanic" who built their car and do all the work on their car.

I have done several frame swaps. After I found a good match in most areas. I put New Frame and Old Frame side by side and Do the final measurements and welding side by side, because there is so much measuring and want to get it as close as possible and tucked up right. Nice comment and pictures by the guy who did the Monte Carlo Frame Swap
Good Luck..
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That car looks really high in front, and it's hard to tell from the picture but it looks like the wheelbase up front is too wide to lower it. That's the biggest problem with frame swaps and clips on these old chevies.

I agree completely, I'm not against swaps, but only when necessary. I swapped in a Jim Meyers racing suspension in mine because my original was going to cost too much to rebuild and upgrade, and for the same price I got this used from a friend of mine, it was a no brainer.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but you do know that your front suspension bolts in don't you? It's very easy to change to some aftermarket ones, just unbolt the old, and bolt in the new.

 

Always leave the stock frame in place. Just look at all those "toothless rednecks" with their model A/32 frame swaps. Boy, do they look stupid!

 

Always is a dangerous word to use.

 

Facetiousness