well me and my budy (meech11) got a start on his 54 this week pulled the good clean running 235 out that i tryed to get him to keep in for a while. and got the font end trimed off for the sub frame off a 87 cutlass. have the new clip trimed and should be rolling tomarrow. the car is getting a 327/700r4 with the 87 front and rear ends bags. he wants to do a 4" chop after we get in running with the new motor. going very good so far. might have to take a pic or 2. any one have any tips. or pointers for this. thanks guys.
I always peeled the subframe like a banana (cut along the bends), then placed it into the frame and welded the 'peels' back. Gives loads of weld area, and tons of strength, too. But you may be too far along for that. However, the combo you chose is spot-on, it works very well. Cosmo
i agree, 81-88 regal/cutlass/monte carlo/el camino/malibu, perfect wheel base fit. we do it quite often, we have actually started swapping the whole frames now and adding 5 inches to the frame. because the front and rear suspension are so awesome under a 54. bags are easy to install its much cheaper than a MII and a four link, hell it rides smoother, its all around good stuff. if you have questions specify what they are i would be happy to help
thanks guys the body is off now and the frame is getting the finish work on the front and then its time for the back. what would you guys do ? i have the G-body rear that were useing just were looking at ways to hang it 3 link 4 link leafs? not shure yet
i did just that, used the rearend of the g body and four linked it. my truck runs great no side to side shit, straight down the road, i used a "universal" fullsize chevy 4 link from chassis tech it was like 300. my 54 is riding on bags with 1/2 in line so let me tell you that if it wasnt a good suspension setup i'd let you know! i hit my bags on the freeway upwards of 100mph (anyone who has done a run with me will testify to that ) your on the right path bro let us know!
Anybody have tech/install pics of g-body frames (whole or part) used on '54s? I'm really curious to see how they work out. I'm in the process of bagging mine, but using the stock suspension. Needless to say, it's a lot of work.
shit i forgot your doing a 54 car, yeah my 54 caris a little different, mustang II and a four link. but ive done what your doing a bazillion times e-mail me if you have questions i will be happy to walk you through it step by step grsmnkycustoms@aol.com
Yeah, I'll get some pics together and show you what I've done. I'm keeping the stock suspension (torque tube and all) and running bags. I'm doing a 2-link setup in the rear and a modified cross member with dropped uprights in the front. Any input you have would be much appreciated!
I used the same chassis under my 54. The position of the mounts is a little far forward so I slid the motor back some so I had plenty clearance for the radiator. I had smoothed the firwall so there was room to move the motor back. The back of the mount was hanging off a little so I added onto the frame to pick it up. The worst part of the swap was working around the steering box. The stock radiator wouldn't fit with the steering box so I bolted some heavy angle (that I also trimmed to fit around the steering box) across the front horns and built new supports off that. I think I ended up using an early malibu radiator. I then trimmed the stock core supports and welded them to the new ones. I fabricated a piece to tie everything together across the top so that there wasn't any stress put on the radiator. I/ll see if I can find some pics and post them for you.
The Jalopy Journal
