I've been searching high and low on the web and can't seem to find frame dimensions for a '60 Electra. So, short of buying a shop manual, which won't get here for a few days anyway, here's my question: In the bone yard today, I found a '60 Electra with a complete '401, which I want for my '54. For about $150 more than the cost of the motor, trans and rear, they will strip it down to a rolling chassis for me. So, I've been trying to figure out if there's a chance I could get close to sitting the '54 body down onto the '60 chassis without too many issues. This would save me a lot of other headaches and make for a nicer driver. The wheel bases are about 3/4 inch different with the '54 being the longer of the two. Any thoughts, ideas would be greatly appreciated. Gary
Two completely different cars. It might work, but what's the advantage? You still need to hang another rear suspension on it if you want to eliminate the dynaflow and torque tube. The '54 frame is a ladder type with a big center X in it; the '60 frame just has a K-member at he cowl. You can find frame dimensions in a 1959 or 1960 Motors annual magazine, Chiltons had something similar, both have frame diagrams with the dimensions in them.
It just seems to me to be a whole lot of effort that doesn't accomplish much; both have coil springs all around, solid rear axle with torque tube, and independent front suspension. Even if you have to alter the motor and trans mounts, it has to be a lot easier to change 4 mounts than as many as a dozen body mounts to go from a frame designed for your car, to one designed for a different car. If you were talking going to like a '75 Electra 225 chassis with open drive and disc brakes, that would be something else. I'd offer them the $150 for the entire rest of the car and point out that they could easily spend that $150 on the labor to take the thing apart and would probably ruin half the good parts left in the process... you can always part it out, if it has aluminum drums those are worth most of the $150.