Hey all, just thought I would pop in and introduce myself. I have a shoebox ford that I have had for 18 years. We bought it with a shotty camaro clip already in it, that apparently a blind man welded in. My old man and I built it up and I have enjoyed the car but the geometry has never been right and it has never really felt safe enough enjoy on a regular basis. That is what brings me to the H.A.M.B. The plan is to go through the car again and put it on a new setup. I found a 50 frame that I have been cleaning up and I am debating on what route to go with that. I am a dirt poor, self taught fabricator so it is looking like and S10 clip is the way to go for me. The weather around here is getting bearable so I will be starting soon, so ya'll will be hearing from me. Thanks!
Welcome from St. George... 70* today! Join he Utah group as well as the Shoebox group. Lots of help in both places. Ditch the S10 thing and build the stock frame. I can give you more specific details on how to do it cheap later, on my phone at the moment. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
Okay, join the Utah group here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=20 Join the Shoebox group here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=127 A list of most of the Shoebox builds on the HAMB (old and ongoing): http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=29641 And most importantly read AT VERY LEAST the first entry of this thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296506 Regarding the '50 frame you have... There's nothing wrong with the original Ford stuff. Use it, and upgrade where necessary. Fat Mat Fabrications makes dropped spindles Ford Aerostar coils drop the front about 2 1/2" and improve ride A mid eighties Camaro/Trans Am front sway bar can be easily adapted to a Shoebox with excellent results ECI makes disc brake conversions and dual master cylinders for these cars. CAUTION, the powered MC hangs too low on a lowered car! If you want to go real low (spindles plus springs in the front) and the back matches, you'll need to clearance your rear floor pan for more driveshaft travel. Gambino makes a nice notch, and Jiminez Bros have a cool setup (including notch) that puts a carrier bearing on the driveshaft, eliminating the need to notch the floor around the driveshaft. Avoid JAMCO like the plague. They make (made?) nice quality stuff, but they take your money and don't ship your stuff. Some guys have waited more than a year!!! If you can hold it and see it before you buy it (and take the one you're holding with you) you should be okay. They have NOTHING in stock. Fat Man Fabrications builds front clips for Shoeboxes, and rumor has it they'll soon be offering a full ch***is. So much can be done on a budget, and you don't need to cut the hell out of your car to put it on an S10 ch***is. S10 ch***is swaps aren't "traditional" and really don't belong on the HAMB. Although these frames are easily available (and popular because of the fish mouth design) they belong under a S10 body IMHO. You mentioned you're building the car on a budget. Although the S10 thing is cheap, rebuilding every facet of the old ch***is likely isn't. Remember all bushings, bearings and mounts should be replaced or at the very least serviced. If you go the S10 route know that you'll need to do a significant amount of fabrication, and unless you can do it, that's not cheap either. You also mentioned you were never happy with the geometry of the Camaro clip. It's pretty similar to the S10. I hope I've been able to help shed a little light on your upcoming rebuild. Please know, I don't want to "change your mind" but I'd rather enlighten you on a good, solid way to build your car on a budget, and maintain/increase it's value. Potential buyers will typically look at a S10 ch***is'ed car and knock $$$ off of the price. It's just not an "acceptable" modification outside of rat rodding circles. Search for RoyalShifter's "Victoria's Secret", and Happy Hoppy's cool coupe. Both are done in a traditional manner and tastefully. Both are LOW and done right with traditional-type components.
Oh, I forgot! IF you are a good fabricator with good geometry skills you can FLIP your stock spindles (uprights) from side to side and upside down, then heat and bend the steering arm. Rocky did a nice write up on this several years ago. Beware though, that improperly heating/bending/aligning the arms can result in serious bump steer and weakening of parts! This is why so many guys choose the Fat Man spindles (uprights). A few who've flipped the stockers said it would have been smarter to just buy Fat Man's after all the time they spent doing it. Good luck.
Dang Eric.. I am going this route already, but you convinced me again !! haha.. Great write up.. You should be the Official greeter to every new Shoebox owner !!!
wow, thanks for the info, and your time. It would have taken me 5 days to type all of that. I am glad I still have time to research. good stuff!
You're welcome, I type 120 words per minute so it was quick. EBW, you already know what to do, you don't need my help! Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
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