Hopefuly noone really cares about my sub frame,but its out of a '65 GTO! I thought"no way I'm sub'in my '60" but,its free(how much $ are sids axle?),and correct for my goal of mid sixtys hot rod,AND,my wife loves the truck but cant control the wandering beast and shift the ol4speed!I am impressed.a old ford or buick430 or 472 cad,havent decided but the 429at is free,so that makes it,I have a FREE upholstery job comming,all the ac parts,and the only cash I'm in the hole project will be wheels(maybe)! I AM STOKED!
I guess if you decide that the cut off for "traditional" is '64 than a HAMB friendly sub frame to swap would be '64 or older, correct? I think just use what you want to make it so that the missus can drive it and don't make a big deal out of it. I don't think anyone is going to bust your chops, a sub frame swap is a sub frame swap.
while free is a good price for a subframe , i suggest you do a little checking with a tape measure first and see if it is a good fit. can i assume the `65 GTO had drum brakes? is it a front steer or rear steer?
Honestly,I think you will be better off rebuilding the front suspension,,the old Ford trucks are pretty much bullet proof. HRP
They never drove so good though. Follow 36-3Window's advice and do some measuring. Do lots of measuring and have your truck and sub on a nice smooth and level surface when you do the job. All I ever worked with was Camaro and Nova subs. They were pretty easy and the result was great. Tom
They drive real good for a truck. I personally like the feel of a truck when it is up in shape, my lady who is not a big woman by any means has always preferred the feel of a truck as well. Something to think about when doing a sub because your front end is wore out is that the sub frame may need attention as well. If I was doing a sub frame to save a buck I would be real mindful of the condition of the sub frame. OK that was just beaner philosophy and has absolutely nothing to do with the thread, but I am not charging a dime for it.
If you want to make your truck handle better... put a crown vic subframe up front and a Tbird / Lincoln IRS subframe out back... best thing going for old ford trucks. dave
do a 'net search for "Ford Truck Independent Rear Suspension" and you will find plenty of examples... I'm a bit biased to them, I must admit. and yes, they take a beating. dave
one reason you dont see many midsize car subframes used, compared to camaro subframes, is that the midsize car unit spreads out right behind the suspension, so it's extra work to make it fit the narrow truck frame. Where the camaro subframe is the correct width. I'd be looking for a crown vic, last time I got one it was free.
Well shit I thought it was 65;your right I dont really care that much just thought I was bein cool.I was wrong.I agree about a truck should be a truck,and I love the sound of the 6&the tranny,but its my daily driver(other car is a 69 Baja bug,wich usnt any better) and its getting old.Plus my clutch ankle and my back are pretty toasted.The tape says its in a quarter inch for width and I'm not ashamed to admit I wont be doing the swap by myself.I work at a shop for a reason.Ive seen one IRS on a 55 f100 and it was to busy back there.But the truck also looked like it went down the crap isle and bought two of everything!The vicky f.s. is awesome,but I dont have one.
Plus you dont sit the truck frame on top of the sub frame,like a Camaro.looks better but you have to lower it with spindles and springs.The GTO has the steering box up front.I could go looking,the vic has r$p steering,right?Our Vickys around here get bought up by the meth heads,for some reason
The Vicky suspension is also extremely wide and limits your choice of front wheels. that may or may not cause problems. They are fairly simple to install and don't cost an arm and a leg. The 65 GTO, Chevelle Cutlass and what not frame stubs work fairly well if they are installed right. they do have rather small drum brakes from the factory but it's easy to put 72 Chevelle/Monte Carlo style brakes on them and is a bolt on deal. Another option would be the XJ-6 Jag suspension swap which is getting popular and I'd think that there would be some of those in the wrecking yards around the Boise area or for sale for parts. They go on as a unit and you don't have to cut on your frame and in many cases may not have to do much to the inner fenders.
I think that the idea behind the GTO stub is that it is available for little or no cost. There is no problem with it being a '65, not many experts are going to stick there head under there and say, "Oh man he used a '65 Stub." If they do all you got to say is, "Ooops I got caught." Maybe they won't want to play with you any more, but that's their loss. I am not sure how traditional a sub frame under a parts hauler is anyway, it has become an accepted practice more or less. Build it crusie it and forget it.
This is supposedly a "traditional" hot rod forum.Are subframes something "traditional",were they done 50 years ago? Just asking.
I shouldnt have titled my post this way,hope it doesnt turn ugly!I agree,not traditional,not HAMBish,I will build it and cruise it and forget it,I appriciate the comments from from you old schoolers,noone I show my underhoods to give a shit,as long as its safe and not to ugly. I'll delete this post in an hour or so.It'll have AC and disk brakes as well,wich are popular around here,and those airbags!Traditional?
Just do it. I've done countless numbers of them and started in 1968. That was before most of these Nay Sayers were born. This is my personal F-100 done back in 1972. The sub is a Chevell same as the GTO unit. I've done M-2, Volarie, as well and if I were doing another one for myself it also would be Chevell- GTO or Nova. It works well, fits well, Drives hands down better than any kind of M-2 platform kit you can buy. Installing a Ford motor on it is no problem. You gotta build mounts no matter what you do. Tradition is subject to personal point of view. If you weren't there your dealing with second hand information. I also included a shot of a Volarie unit. This truck got a 351 C motor put in it. I've made a lot of $$$ doing them but never did one for myself. There is a reason for that. The Wizzard
Your best bet is to call it traditionally styled I suppose. If it were me I would leave the truck axle under it and drop it, but the bottom line is that you build it and let the chips fall where they may. If someone doesn't like it they just don't like it.
Thanks!I`ll snag those pictures,if you dont mind,and you wouldnt have a volarie?or just a subframe?Personaly,I think they are old school,all the old guys did it around here as I was groing up.course I'm only 40,but the kids now days see ZZTop's 'El Loco'way old school and I think yesterday I went and picked that up brand new!Geuss it depends on where your lookin from..
Beaner,what the hell is a chasm? Your right.I'm not worried.Anyone else have technical support before I shut 'er down?
Volarie Unit on a F-100 is just not the best answer in my book. If you want to drive a Volarie for a Kid Hauler I guess I could understand that. Use the photo's at your own risk. The Wizzard
DO IT! I have a Torino front clip under by 57' Ford and couldn't be happier. No matter what you do to the original front it will never ride as well or handle as good as an independant front suspension. I have disc brakes, sway bar, and power steering and the truck drives and handles just as well (if not better) than my 2004 Silverado!
Its like a canyon. A big deep assed crack in the earth. The saying is from Botswana, I don't thnk that Botswana even exists any more. I used to have a small book with tribal sayings from that part of the world. That and one other are all that ever stuck in my mind. The other is "A man with disentary is not afraid of the dark."
Oh.We have one called Smiths Crack.Well,the hole to get in is very small,a squeeze!but once down in there its huge,looked botomless!Tiny ledge to walk on.Very dark and scary.Lots of old volcanoes around here.Probably the dumbest thing Ive done without safety equiptment,(besides street racing shitfaced in my homebuilt hotrod at 16:that'll make our conversation traditional)!Is Botswana near Lake Tittycakka?
I don't even remember any more it is or was one of the African countries, they change names and borders almost dailey any more. It is still there it is between Nambia, Zimbabway and South Africa.
If you want bigger brakes on the GTO frontend. Take the complete spindles with brakes from a Firebird/Camaro The spindle is a litle bit taller resulting in better handling If i remember it right you have to change the upper balljoint to the Fbird joint
The GTO subframe (GM A-body) is a good basic design. Upgrade to disc brakes to get rid of the smallish drum and it will ride nice and stop well. The front steer may cause some issues with steering box clearance and you radiator. As with any subframe swap you also need to deal with body and bumper mounts when you replace the front frame section. The Jaguar IFS really is a nice easy swap and works well for the older trucks. I out one in my 52 GMC, it is being built to be a nice driver for my wife. I used the Jag IRS as well, but the front susp is a nice self-contained assy that is strong enough for your truck and gives all the modern suspension geometry and convenience. real easy to adapt to the truck's frame and pretty easy to find in the junkyards.
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