i been hangin around here for a couple of months & have noticed that most of y'all don't give a shit what anybody else thinks. i like that y'all don't have any particular view on what's the "correct/right" way to build a car so i thought i'd ask for some opinions. here's the deal. i bought a 60 impala sport coupe factory a/c project car that's been sitting in a barn for 15-20 yrs. it's not very rusty but missin the motor & trans. i've also got a 95 roadmaster with an LT1 & 4L60E that runs & drives great. should i just plant the running gear from the roadmaster into the 60 or should i put the 60 body on the roadmaster frame? i'd have to stretch the buick frame 4 inches & fabricate body mounts which is something i can do. if & when i ever go to sell it which way would you think would bring more money?
Leave the Roadmonster in one piece,and buy another latemodel engine and trans for the Impalla. Then leave the hood closed at shows,so the resto-Nazis don't hassle you.
You could: 1. Swap an engine and transmission into the '60 in a weekend, or 2. Spend six months modifying the Caprice frame to fit under it, and still have some goofy track / steering system issues, just to... ..end up with an LT1 powered '60 Chevy. I think the answer is obvious.
Yep....what "36" said. I'd use the late motor in the '60 body/frame. Then I'd drop the nose, completely shave the thing, chrome-reversed wheels with baldys, black tires, tube grille (or that Merc grille looks good too), and a one-color non-metallic paint job. But I'm living in the past.....
use the KISS method K eep I t S imple S tupid if the frame of the 60 is in great shape WHY swap it out, its just more work, unless THAT's what YOU want to do. personally i would drop the late model mtr/trns in it & use the wiring from the donor car or get a wire harness kit or if ya can do it rewire it urself. as for this just depends on how much $$$$$ ya want for it & how deep someones pockets are...
Lets see, motor tranny swap.....weekend project.....body swap....couple month project.....hmmmmm?????
My guess would be that the more original the car was kept, the more value it would have at sale time. Any modification you make reduces the number of potensial buyers. Now that we got through all that BS, are you planning on building it for yourself or are you planning on building it to sell? If you intend to sell it, I would beat the bushes for a 327 or even a 348 or 409. I think you would be shooting yourself in the foot modifing it as much as you will have to to put in that computer controled efi motor and trans in for the purpose of reselling it. Now, if your doing it for yourself, without reguard for resale value, I would probably swap the frame. Be advised, do a lot of measurements before you do anything. Park both cars side by side with the front wheels in line with each other. Look at things like motor to firewall relationship, firewall to wheel center relationship, radiator to front wheel relationship, depth of engine compartments, and width of wheel center to wheel center. Many of the "newer" cars sit farther back on the chassis then the "old" cars did, and most of the "new" stuff is a bunch wider. Of course anything can be relocated, but if everything has to be relocated, one might look for other options. After all that is said, it's still your car. Do what ever turns your crank. Gene
the 60 frame appears to be in good shape. i got the impression from reading some other posts that the X frame was a piece of shit. that's why i was thinkin of swappin it out. plus the roadmaster rides like a dream.
sell the late model and buy an older 350 and trans with an old distributor like an HEI or points type . It is simple to install and easy to maintain. the way you mentioned is also fine if you dont mind these minor stumblers..... 1-new run harness and computer=additional money 2 -new tank and hi pressure pump=money 3-new fuel lines for a return=money 4-new exhaust system with 02 sensors=money 5-new electric speedometer to jive with electronic pulse generator on trans which I believe must remain working......... good luck on the project.......
that i couldnt tell ya, since i have never have owned one. BUT if ya can do a swap & feel up to it then by all means go for it....joe &&& i hope ya didnt take the K.I.S.S. personally, its something an old timer told me yrs ago
yeah 36 the roadmaster,caprice & fleetwood broham all have the same full frame. chops i can take everything you mentioned out of the buick & put it in the 60. that was my 1st idea. it's a lotta work but the LT1 makes smooth power, gets 27mpg on the hiway & the tranny is brand new. after reading how the X frame is kinda junky i thought about the frame swap. is the X frame as shitty as i've heard?? i plan on keepin this thing after it's done but you never know. hey, thanks for the input guys
I have a 60 El Camino I'm working on, well I was aligning the front end after rebushing the whole thing and cutting two coils out so it sits lowr than the neighbors Acura...till I just hit my head on the hood corner so I'm sittin here with a Kotex on my forehead reading this stuff... Anyway, the 59-60 Chevys rust out in the foot wells and under the rear seat and if you haven't taken the carpets out yet you don't know if you have any floors in it. If they are rusted out, that would be the only reason I can think of to graft on the Buick frame AND BUICK FLOORS! Personally I can't deal., make that won't deal with all that computer shit in an old car. If they let us have the diagnosis readout part of it in the car instead of having to go to a shop and paying the $100 "gotcha" every time the damn things hiccup They'd be alright...but they don't,,, yet. And the Chevy dealer won't help you diagnose a "Buick" and the Buick dealer won't help you diagnose a "Chevy" if that Buick electronics goes HAL-9000 on ya. Otherwise, if its not rusted out in the floors, Any SBC and a turbo 350 with a short tailshaft housing will BOLT IN to your Chevy, so don't bother with anything else. I've got that combo out of a Camaro, cable floor shifter and all. I like KISS to say Keep It Stupid Simple!
that's fukkin great shoe. i love it. but it wouldn't be the same without the bubbletop. i got it!!! sell the bubbletop, cut the 1/4's & top off this old belair donor i got, section all that shit to fit the buick. NOW i'm done. one Roadair, coming up! man i KNEW i'd get some good help in here.
first off how much skill you got cause eather is a biotch i have a 60 belair & have thought a bunch of times of dropping it on a 91 caprice ex cop car i got for better motor trans steering & best of all floor pans but i relize how much work that is going to be so have not started on that till i have zero zero zero other cars to work on putting in a late motor is so much puter work its unfuking real helped a buddy put a LT1 in his 80s monte SS & he had to get a wireing harness made cost close to 1K so eather one of your choices is work & cash better to sell of the buick & buy a good chev sb hell a 396 would be good in a 60 imp or do the body swap & know its going to be a long hard bunch of work but it would be great to have that kind of driving on a 60 IMP
The concept of the X frame was a decent idea, but there are a few draw backs. As far as being "shitty", the question is, compaired to what? And what are you compairing? Because of the design, the drive shaft runs through the center of the X making upgrads to the motor and esspecially the trans are more challenging. Any drive train that is longer or wider at the rear of the trans comes in conflict with the X. Drive shaft removal is a pita. Exhaust routing is another issue. On the good side, an X frame in good condition in very ridiged, (stiff) esspecially corner to corner across the X. Another issue with a X frame is that it is an all enclosed box, leaving several places for crap to sit inside the box and promote the formation of rust. The most likely places for the rust is at the lowest point of the frame in front of the X, and at the rear from the rear axle hump to the back cross member. Gene
dont screw with a car like that sell the new crap and visit a yard and get a older engine and trans bring a battery and some gas bill
you keep the Buick, sell me the 60! .....no,really; how about droppin' a hopped up 235-261 inline in it and have somethin' really unique!
The best frame for a 60 Chevy is a 60 Chevy frame. As long as it's good and solid you should'nt have any problems with it. The worst place for rust is right behind the rear axel where it kicks up over the axel, and the rear frame rails. These cars were originally available with small blocks (283's) so any small block will basically bolt right in, with the correct factory parts. The only really weak point is the two piece driveshaft, specifically the center support bearing. However there are heavy duty support bearings available, or you could reinforce the stock one.
OK dude... I like the KISS method too. I am pretty good with these 59 and 60 Chevrolets, I think. I have a 60 coupe and it has a 350/T350 in it, along with new disc brakes, PB and 605 PS. This car is going to be a driver. It's also super easy and like DrJ said (I STILL have that piece of shit trim for you, Dude!) it's all bolt in. Sell the Buick thing and buy a solid drivetrain. A new crate 350 is $1200 and a rebuilt T350 (or better yet a 700R4) is easy to obtain, too. While a 700R4 is not bolt in, they make a crossmember specifically for that so it *is* a bolt in deal. In the long run, this car is worth a hell of a lot more stock than it is all butchered up. And if everything is bolt in, the next guy that wants to do a concours restoration and forks over crazy money only has to unbolt everything and go from there. Remember, decent 60 Impala coupes (especially with factory AC!!) usually START at about $10,000 for a pretty crappy one that runs and drives. On the other hand, I also have a 59 Impala coupe and that is getting a 3x2 348 with a 700R4 and a 3.55 Posi. THAT'S the one I want to fuck up... but the 60 is going to be sweet. Make it easy on yourself. Travis
First thing, build the car to what you would like...not what the next guy might put in your hand. If thats your main reason for building the car...dont even build it...get a 350/350 combo, drop it in and send it off to a shop to finish it. Let the builder decide since...you'll sell the car when its done anyways. Just my 2 cents.
I saw that post where someone said the X frame is shitty, I dont remember the circumstances or who said it, but its complete BS in my eyes *I* wouldnt bother with the LT1 and all the wiring and little things it needs, whats wrong with a 327? Or a 350? Think of how cheap and quickly you could be driving it if you bought a crate engine for $1000-1500, and a rebuilt tranny for a few hundred. Or you could just find an SBC (post-57 (wrong motor mounts) and pre-96 (unless you want vortec heads)) that runs good for a few hundred dollars. If you really think about it you could have it running good and on the road for less than $1000. Or what if you just pulled the motor out of the roadmaster, took the intake off and put a carburetor and manifold on? I'd take a good carburetor over fuel injection any say, cause it looks better and isnt full of stupid wiring. check around at your local parts stores, sometimes (around here, anyway) they have deals where you can get a reman Th350 with torque converter for $350. and another question is: what do you like better, having a project, or driving a finished car. (journey vs. destination) if you want a project that you can tinker at for awhile, change the frames if you want to be driving with minimal effort and time, find an older SBC/tranny and bolt it in
ok....since ya asked, get an aftermarket harness, Painless comes to mind. Install the LT1 4L60E, plumb the fuel system, close hood & drive. end of story. Screw what people think, build what you want, the way you want it!!!! As far as the late model, 100 bucks for diagnostic, get a 49 dollar scan tool, if you need & be done with it, any of the aftermarket harness' will have an ALDL port to run the diagnostics. I like the traditional cars as much or more than the next guy, but if i had a 60 starliner and a 95 crown vic...there is no question what i would do
I quess I am not the only sick bastard here. I have everything for an LT1 with a 4L60 swap for my 59 El Camino. I have been doing some seirious studying for the past several months and am ready to get started. I also have a 96 Caprice frame that I also have been trying to decide weather to use, the jury is still out on that one. As far as value before or after the swap, I couldnt give a rats ass. I bought the car because that's what I want and the drivetrain upgrade will make a reliable, fast, cruise it anywhere on regular gas at over 20mpg ride. I work in the shit bucket late model salvage buisness and coming across parts for these is very easy for me. It makes for a low buck nothing but labor swap, but if I had to pay retail for the crap acumulated for my project I would have left the 283 in it. Traditional? I could not care any less. It is what I want to drive. Besides after the 59 is done I have a 38 Chevy coupe basket case to play with, That has a 100% chance of getting built traditional. Gasser style I'm thinking.
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