I've got a guy that wants me to help him get his '51,2,or,3 (I can't remember which) Chevy on the road. At first he was wanting me to just build some motor/trans mounts, newer rear end, basic stuff. Now I guess he found a good running '76 corvette and he is thinking complete frame/running gear swap. I'm supposed to go look at all of it next week, but what are your thoughts on this? I'm not afraid of the work, I'm just vastly more familiar with fords and don't know what to make of this. In general I am NOT a fan of frame swaps, but I realize some are much more feasible than others. I guess at this point I am looking for good reasons not to do it. Yes, I'm aware this isn't a traditional swap on a traditional website, but work is work. Thanks for your input.
#1 the wheelbase is going to be too short, the 49-54 Chevys have a 115" wheelbase. I have no idea what the track width is on the Corvette but I'm pretty sure the wheelbase itself is shorter - which means cutting and splicing the frame to make it work. They also have a narrow front track, the Corvette could be too wide like most of the late 70s cars are. That means more cutting and splicing. That's in addition to all new body mounts, reworking the floors where needed, figuring out new ways to hang the bumpers, radiator and inner fenders, etc etc etc - There are plenty of options for upgrading the stock frame, the front suspension unbolts, there are kits for the rear, there are so many bolt-in or near-bolt-in options for these cars for suspension, trans and motor mounts that building one should be relatively simple for anyone with basic skills. There just is no good reason for a frame swap unless the car is rusted half to death and in the process of adding a donor frame you're adding the entire floorpan from the donor car. Plus, a '76 Corvette isn't much of a donor, I would imagine it has an emissions-laden 350 and a TH350 or TH400 trans - you could probably get a beater pickup or Suburban with a 4-bolt main 350 and trans that would work just as well for a lot less money - the difference in price could be spent on a rebuild for the motor so you know exactly what you have in it.
I agree with you on all points. I think frame swaps are almost always a bad idea. I guess I'm looking for more reasons to tell him to stick to plan A. The car isn't here in front of me to measure and compare yet. Why is it the general population thinks frame swaps are a better, easier way to do things?
I don't know the details, but I believe this one has Vette underpinnings (at least suspension). I think the owner may be a HAMBer?
They've never tried to actually do one, outside of perhaps 1/25th scale plastic models. Speaking of which, having built models of both early Corvette and 51 Chevrolet, I remember the frames themselves to be a good deal different outside of the front suspension. The Corvettes even have an open rearend.
Yeah, it was kind of a rhetoricle question. But thanks for bolstering my ammo to convince him it isn't his best idea.
I have met several people who swapped frames on a variety of cars. All of them said it was LESS work than changing the front and rear suspension on a stock frame. HOWEVER, MOST of them used a frame with the same wheelbase as original, and MOST of them cut the entire floor pan out of both cars and made the swap by just welding their old car body onto the floor pan from the donor car. No mounts to work out, etc., etc. Neither of those apply to a Corvette, because it's way too short and the floor pan is fiberglass (not to mention two-seater), etc, etc. If this guy really wants Vette suspension it can be done, but if he's looking for the cheapest and easiest way to update his '51-'53 Chevy he should either get a nice 1978-199? Impala/Caprice, which has the exact same wheelbase but a wider track width, or a 1978-1987 midsize GM which has the exact same track width but shorter wheelbase. I drove a '50 Chevy that was on a late 1980s Caprice chassis. It drove great, stopped on a dime, etc.. The wheels are far out in the fenders, though, because of the wider track width. That could be fixed by getting wheels custom made, narrowing the a-arms, or use small front tires and live with it. Personally I'd go for option #1, but the one I looked at and drove went for option #3 and nothing rubbed. It just looked different than a stock Chevy.
i think it would be easier and cheaper to just clip it. i know my buddy has a regal clip in his 54 bel air....the people who did the graft even kicked it up a little bit with a Z so it rides a little lower with out having to mess with front suspension geometry and dynamics. its looks to be pretty damn solid and has discs and motor mounts already set up. and i have seen that black 50 at the last Merced car show. the plate says "50vette" if i remember right. its damn low and all vette underpinnings. the interior is all mid-80's corvette too... doesnt look right inside with all the outside work that went into that car. it has the whole center console and guages.....i dunno. lots of work and i am sure its a nice car but that really turned me off.
I have a 1996 s10 4x4 extended cab that i want to put under my 48 chevy truck. I know that people like the rear wheel width of a 4x4 but what about the front wheel width?
Guy is putting a corvette frame under a 54 chevy WAGON in the next shop. I sold him the wagon for this swap. The width is the same or close enough to use. He is shortening the wagon by 18 inches and had to add some to the frame. They are waiting for wagon to come back from the blaster now. Note this wagon was soooo rusted, I wasn't going to touch it. Owner is going to be spending upward of $40k for this unique piece of work.
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