Ok. I know that alot of you Hamb'er know quite a bit of about modifications, so I would like some suggestions/help. I have a 78 Chevy 350/350turbo ****** that I'm looking to put into my 1952 Chevy Deluxe. I have heard the steering cross member will be a problem. I am also looking to have disc brakes put in as well. What would be the best way to go about doing this? What front clip can I use? Is it possible to put a Chevy S-10 or a Pinto front ***embly on there? I don't mind cutting and fabricating, but what would be the easiest solution? I do appreciate all the help I can get. Sincerely, Pax
I would use the stock suspension and upgrade it to power disc brakes. Theres tons of parts out there now selling engine mounts, trans crossmembers etc. I dont have any websites but IM sure others can add some or buy you a couple of magazines and see whos advertising etc.
you are going to get a lot of personal opinons on your question. one way to check this out is to go to a few car shows, cruise events and so on.what you are going to see at any mainstream event like goodguys is 350/350 chevy with must II, 9 inch ford rear. you can build anything you want but this is a proven combo because it works .
you can use the stock front suspension and add disc brakes to that. there are several manufacturers selling the brackets and related hardware. I bought mine from R&B's. ch***is engineering sells a bracket to mount a late model master cylinder under the floor using the stock pedal. Fatman fabrications offers dropped spindle uprights. for a 2" drop mustang II front is the best way to go. you can get a bolt in kit from several companies. I recommend the Fatman Fabrications "ultra low" crossmember with stainless tubular A-arms. (weld in) the ultra low set up drops the front another 2" without dropped spindles. the stainless a-arms are set up for bags or springs I'd stay away from front clips of any sort. camaros are too wide, you cut your frame in half, then you have to figure out how to hang the sheetmetal and bumpers. SBC's with turbo 350s go in pretty easy. ch***is engineering has bolt in motor mounts you can use with the stock front end. don't waste money buying any type of trans crossmember... you'll need to cut and weld the original to get the trans right. the "kits" are useless. the clearance problem with the stock front ends are in the exhaust area. the steering gets in the way. I used a set of sanderson headers on my 49 with the stock front. there are stock manifolds that will work, just a matter of finding the right one. one exhaust manifold to stay away from is the rear dump from around 1970. it's a great fit, but your brake pedal will hit it should you ever have any type of brake failure and the pedal goes down further than normal. (disc brakes) or with original drums which take more travel to work it will hit every time if you have the deluxe heater with the heater core in the engine compartment the core will interfere with the V8. you will need to remove the firewall supports for clearance/ drill out the spotwelds. do not remove the lower part where the body mount is. rear ends... 65 nova or early camaro is a good choice. 70 - 82 camaro is a good second choice, but they are a little wider than stock. a tape measure and the junk yard are the best things in this regard. if you use a ford rear you can get ford bolt pattern disc brakes for the front to match that should cover it. PM me if you have any specific questions
49ratfink pretty much said it all. Ch***is Engineering has a bolt-in front end that's pretty good (if you don't have access to a welder). Do a search on this, because there are TONS of posts on this subject here. Tons.
Thanks for all your help guys! I didn't expect a response so quickly. You'll are awesome. Any other suggestions from anyone else?
Here is how I did it and how I would do it if I had to do it again. I went with the stock front suspension and upgraded to disc brakes. I used kanter for the front suspension rebuild kit, mp brakes for the disc brake kit and new master cylinder and remote fill. I used fatman lowered spindles. I used sanderson headers that are made to fit the stock steering/suspension with a sbc. I used Ch***is Engineering for the ****** mount and engine mounts. You have to trim away some of the stuff on the firewall to get the sbc to fit. The new master cylinder leaked...I sent it back and it still leaked. We made a clamp to hold it down so it would not leak. All the money/work that went into keeping the stock front suspension I would have just went with a mustang II front suspension with manual rack. Would have cost the same or less and been less of a headache. I also picked up my gas tanks from Ch***is Engineering. There are a ton of pics in my gallery. There is a link in my sig. Hope this helps. The trans kit i got was pretty straight forward. weld it on and trim away the old crossmember so that the new one is the onlything left.
96 Taho headers to clear the steering. Don't be affraid to cut the ribs off the firewall, you'll need the clearance.
The ECI front disc conversion works really well, you need at least a 1" master cylinder upgrade (I patterned the filling station design) and you need an open drive rear (55-57, camaro/nova or s10 4x4) your trans crossmember will need a little modification. you can put a rack&pinion on the stock steering arms (saab tie rod ends fit the taper)
we used a mustang 2 front clip we purchased from HOT ROD WHEREHOUSE. it comes with manual steering " keep using your factory column and wheel" ,chevy brakes , tube control arms and cross member . if you want some pics . e mail me
we have 2 parts not listed in our catalog, trans crossmember to fit 350 trans and have a recessed firewall for small block call if you need help ems automotive 216-541-4585 ask for tech dept to get info on this new stuff
i have a 52 chevy deluxe, and i need some help trying to remove the shell from the frame, any suggestions on how to do this?
The Jalopy Journal
