hey guys i looked threw the threads but couldnt really find out the info i needed. i know the wheel base is 115, but is that for a 4 door too? or is that just for a 2 door? i coundnt find it in my manual and i need to make sure befor i move onto my ch***is.
yep i was just reading a restoration mag and it stated what the last dude said they're the same up- until 54, where it changes i think - i've got a two 54's and a 53 in pieces and as usual thier a long way off going! good luck mate <script type="text/javascript">vbmenu_register("postmenu_3052047", true); </script>
Chevy used a 115" wheelbase for it's full sized cars for years. 1980s Caprice sedans have a 115" wheelbase, too.
Check this link out ...it will come in handy for some stuff! http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1949_53/index.htm
alrite thanks, yea i thought about using a caprice ch***is but wasnt sure on its wheel base. they should come with engine mounts that will fit a 327 rite?? i heard that some of them have the same mounts.
Im pretty sure 49-50 cars have a shorter wheelbase than 51-52, but theirs no difference whether they are 2 or 4 door.
If I remember right those Caprices came with small block any way. Most if not all Chevy engines (even big blocks) utilized the same type of mounting system. So you wont have to modify the frame to put a 327 in it. However if you are puting any type of small block Chevy or big block Chevy in your 52 you will have to modify the fire wall at a minimum. That is using your fram or any other frame. The stock frame for these cars are very good though and as for modifying your suspension (front or rear) there are many sources out there that make after market kits for a better ride. If your frame isn't damaged I wouldn't swap it out with another.
1949-50 have the same exact wheelbase as 1951-52 and 1953-54 (and 1955-57, for that matter). The 1949-52 hardtops, sedans, fastbacks, and coupes are all exactly the same wheelbase.
Much easier to upgrade the existing ch***is than do a full swap. You can put a SBC in without changing the firewall. In mine I removed the front braces but I've seen it done since with those still in place (maybe modified?). Pete
All Chevy Impala/Caprice from 1978 up through the 1990s have the same 115" wheelbase. But striper is right - swapping frames is a BIG job for a beginner. You'll likely end up with two imcomplete piles of car in your yard.
The Caprice front clip is too wide. The tires will rub the fenders. There are so many options for the stock frame, I don't know why anyone would go to one of those recycled tinfoil things they put under 80's cars, ever see one of those in a demo derby? Even 15 years ago they'd wad up like a paper bag when they got hit by anything substantial.
alrite then what about an s10 swap, i know where i can get one with a 117" wheel base for $400, will the tires rub on it too? or would it be to narrow?
What is wrong with your ch***is? Why do you want to swap it? I subframed mine about 10 years ago. It gave me power steer, discs, ball joints etc. If I had my time over I'd go back to the original frame in a snap. That was where I was at during that time. Mostly where I was ...I was just naiive, didn't know any better. Unless your frame is bent or rusted out. Stay with it. Even if it is screwed, find another 49-54 frame to swap. Just my ramblings. It's your car. Pete
Sorry I stand corrected, overall car length is longer on the 51-52, but the wheelbase stayed the same. my bad
The guy on here who did an S10 frame swap has posted that he wouldn't do it again. It's on the narrow side and requires extensive work to channel the frame in the back to make it sit right. You also have to cut the welds and adjust it to correct the wheelbase. The stock front end unbolts and there's umpteen kits to do a Mustang-II style IFS in there, a Jag XJ sedan IFS is a near bolt in, or you can keep the stocker with either a '54 steering box or a Saab manual rack. The stock front end was used under Corvettes until '62 and the same basic brakes used on the rear of Chevys through at least '64 (front through '58). The rear takes any of half a dozen rearends with very minor mods to them right on the stock springs, Posies makes better replacement springs for them, Fatman makes a rearend install kit with a swaybar, and Walton makes still another rearend kit that gives you springs and new hangers for them. You can also get a K-member if you don't want to fab pieces for a motor/transmission upgrade, there are again lots of things you can do here. Basically you have tons of upgrade options that require very minimal fabrication work to do, and the less work the faster you're driving the car. I asked once before, how bad can the original frame be? They have to pretty much sit in the mud or see road salt regular to ruin them. Put it another way, if the idea of changing or fabricating new motor and trans mounts for the car is intimidating or overwhelming, realize that you'll have to fabricate at least 8 body mounts and may have to rework the entire floor of the car, to change the frame. From scratch. With motor mounts you can buy install kits at least.
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