Good Morning, I need to get working on my '39 Ford Deluxe again. I looked at some prior information shared on this site about using an S-10 frame under a Deluxe. Is this fairly easy? Why won't it work on a '39 Standard? What is the difference? Will that frame still allow me to use a Ford Powerplant? Does anyone have a photo do***entary of the tasks needed to complete this work. I plan to make a complete history as I go along, good, bad or otherwise. I still prefer the Ford motors anytime, anywhere. Has anyone tried to use a Ranger frame or other? I read in Hemmings somewhere about another frame that is readily available to use under these old cars, but of course I can not locate the specific item in the issue now that I need it. Does anyone else recall such a thing? I really want to get the car on the road and the frame that is under it now is very suspect at best. I have started to address the issues but it is more work than it is worth to me. I have a T-bird front end that I can use as well as the rear but just need to come up wit ha decent frame swap so I can start the project over.
I'd have a hard time recommending a frame swap for that particular car. The stock frame is just so integral to the structure of the car. If you've spent some time underneath it you know there aren't any body mounts in the modern sense of the word and that the frame follows the shape of the floor and door sills. Why not get another frame (any 35-40, 41 pickup will work) or a reproduction one? I think it will be much easier than trying to make something else fit.
a buddy of mine just put a 40 Ford truck over on an s-10 short bed frame and he said it was easy as cake just cut the body mounts off the s-10 and fab up his own. i have a s-10 frame and ive been kinda thinkin the same thing trin to find a late 30s truck to drop right over it and rollon all the hard part of the stuff is done you have a great frame supsension and brake wise. use the stock s-10 steering column and brake pedal and master cyclinder. im gonna make my body fit the the frame and motor not the frame and motor fit the body..
40Tudor gets my vote. Not only easier, but it gets you a WAY better product in the end. Think about resale value as well...
Please please please don't try to put your 39 on a latemodel frame. I guarentee that you'll spend way more time trying to get the floor to fit the frame, the wheel base right, mounting all the front sheet metal, and the 1000 other things I don't have the time to mention. Get another 35-40 frame or a repro. You'll be money ahead and won't end up butchering a good old car. Trust me. The guys doing S-10 and ranger frame swaps are doing them mostly on '48 and later trucks that have flat floors and the beds can hide the rear framerails. Even then, I personally wonder if it's worth the h***le. If you want something nice, there is nothing cheap or easy in this hobby.
after about the 10,000 request for info on swapping a S-10 under an early Ford , i've decided to quit fighting it and go over to the other side i now say go for it..it's quick and easy to do. the frame swap will give you excellent results and the finished car will be something you can be really proud of
Why screw up the best looking car (my opinion) Ford ever made with a frame swap. Once it is done you will have a piece of **** worth 1/2 the value of one on a stock frame. The aftermarket is full of kits etc. to update the frame check them out.
Please realize Greg is using SARCASM here. Everything he said is untrue. Every newbie to the old car hobby thinks a frame swap is the easy answer. It is not. If you think patching a couple places of rust are too hard for you, why do you think fabbing mounts for two totally unrelated components is gonna be easy?
I decided to use a Fatman frame under my sedan. I'm glad I did, everything fit right, it's VERY sturdy, the car drives great. I would have stayed with the original frame if it wasn't such as mess. I considered the late model frame swap.....for about eleven seconds.
S-10 frame under an S-10,.... Thousands Ford frame under a Ford,.... Tens of Thousands S-10 frame under a Ford,.... Worthless
Why don't you post pics or describe what's wrong with the factory frame? We can probably help you fix it.
I kept the stock frame under my 35. It was placed in a jig to be sure everything was square and true, and then boxed (a**** other things). My old frame was in good shape to begin with, but it I were doing it again, I would strongly consider a brand new after-market frame. The good ones are sturdy, and all the critical welded-on components are in place. If you do all your own work, you will probably save money (***uming your labor is considered "free"). But if you pay someone to fix the old one, you'll probably spend about the same as for a brand new one, and you'll have to wait for the work to get done. Time is money, and I don't like waiting too long to have fun. My 2 cents worth. Also, your vehicle id / serial number should be stamped in your old frame, so don't lose that. Good luck with your project.
i myself had a forty p/u at one time on a s10 frame,the truck handled like a dream cornered great,and the worst parts were exhaust if you wanted headers was a pain had to fab a set, also steering i used s10 column and it ****ed getting the shaft to..... dare i say it the rack, and probably worst of all things was people loved the stance and loved the truck but then when the question was asked i had to say its on a s10 ,it really took away from it felt like a cheat of sorts i would say stay with the correct frame you will hold you head up higher ,just my two cents
That is such a cool car, don't de-value it with a modern **** frame! Precisioncoachworks.com sells all kinds of repair parts for your frame: X-member and X-member cross pieces, straight repair sections, and front and rear body mount pieces, you might check them out. The sight is weird and hard to navigate, but they have pics of all that stuff. I also see 35-40 frames for sale on fordbarn once in a while. No S-10! No S-10! No S-10!!!
Well it is me again- the guy with the 39 Ford Deluxe with decisions to be made. I have not stuck an S-10 or Ford Ranger Frame under the car yet- I specnt my time trying to repair that decrepit thing that was under it. Due to the amount of time the frame was exposed to rain/snow and salt in MN and what appears to be every leaky battery ever put in the car - all I can say is that I tried. There was jsut no way to salvage it due to the amount of material gone or nearly gone. Several times I was able to poke an awl right through key curves and bends in the frame. Needless to say- I will not be using that frame any longer. It has been chopped down to get it out of the garage and on its way to the recycle center. I have shopped around for frames and I just can't afford a new frame- they would wipe out my entire budget. I am just looking mostly for rails- I don't need corvette steering etc. I am good with the tools and can make a lot of parts to finish a naked frame- the question is where does a person go. Any good ideas? Leads on where there might be a usable frame? Or am I back to late model swaps? Any helpful info would be appreciated.
Good to hear you are not going for a frame swap. Check around, good used original frames are around, anything from 35 to 40 will fit. I just sold a really cherry frame to a HAMBer for $300, even with shipping back east he didn't have a ton in it. $300 to $500 seems to be the going rate for a good one.
I'll give you a complete S-10 Rolling Ch***is & Running Gear in trade for your stock '39 Rolling Ch***is & Running Gear. Evens Stevens.
With all do respect to you and your desire to move forward with this swap....it's been my experience that speaking with someone in your position with the same general questions usually indicates that you may not have the metal working and fabrication experience needed for such a swap or you would have realized the enormity of the swap issues and answered many of the questions yourself. Custom mod's to the frame, the floorboard, the rear suspension if you started with leaf springs, the steering system, the body msounts, running board mounts front clip mounts, trunk mod's, lowerer cowl mod's, etc..etc..etc.. I've done both and currently have a 37 ford sedan on a s10 that I helped a friend build. I'm not going to lie...it's bad***! It's channeled, set back engine, dropped spindles, narrow rearend will alllow for 12" wide rear treads, mini-tubbed, yadda yadda...from the floorboard down it is ALL CUSTOM. No mag articles, no blueprints..just a solid understanding of mechanics, how the systems work, fill in the areas you don't know...and GO FOR IT! Remember there is nothing on a car that cannot be undone and redone. If you understand my rambling....Go for it. If this left you with more questions then when you started....Stock frame and call Ch***is Engineering. Good luck!
If you decide to go with a ford frame, I have a complete 40 sedan center X with all the clutch/brake linkage for a hunnert bucks....you figure out shipping from Omaha
Not that I am a proponate of frame swaps of this nature, BUT if you must do this look for a mid 70's Datsun, Nissan, Chevy love frame. I did this on my 46 P/U with 39 Standard front sheetmetal project. The frame closely follows the original coupe profile. Whhelbase is 118", it is fully boxed and has independent front suspension with torsion bars with about 6" of adjustability. Much better swap than the S-10, Ranger IMO
Don't confuse putting a pickup body on an S10. The coupe and sedans are much different. Nothing will fit as well as a stock or reproduction frame. You still have the choice of axle or Must II front end. Tons of ch***is stuff available for stock frames and as mentioned your re-sell value will be much much higher.
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