My first hot rod project is a 1939 Plymouth 2 Dr. Sedan that has no front suspension or steering so I need a front clip, but what to go with Ford or Chevy? It seems that you hear about Mustang 2 or Camaro front clips as the main ones to use, but what years Any help would be great.
If you are not going to put a original suspension back on go with the mustang,the camaro clip would be too wide and the tires would stick out too far and looks goofy.
What is there up front? If the Plymouth Frame rails are complete all the way to the front want you want to do is look for a Mustang II cross member from one of the vendors in any of the street rod magazines. You can get then get on ebay and start piecing together the rest of the components including the rack, spindles, brakes etc. This would give you more flexibility. If you are looking to purchase a donor car the late 70's Mustang II's are where these swaps started. Other options for complete clips to put under it for a front suspension include Volare Aspen K-frames (see Tex Smiths book on Mopar Street Rods), an S-10 clip or a Dakota pickup clip. All have been done lots of information on here and the internet. Open your wallet and decide which way works with your skill level and your wallet.
What he said, go with what is in your skill and price range. Lots of info on swaps here, work with the Search function (top, middle right). You will find all sorts of interesting stuff.
I'd go with an S-10. Done lots of em and it'll fit good. Look for a tech article I did on putting one in my shoebox for ideas. -Shiny
Go with a Rack&Pinion (mustang II or Dakota) clip or a rear steer clip. I can't think of a good rear steer example. Early Camaro/Firebirds are rear steer, but too wide. Most of the front steer setups the gearbox is in the way of the sheetmetal.
i too have a 39 plymouth (4 door) the nova and camaro are too wide even the s 10 i believe and i wouldnt waste time with a "kit" cause of the 39s IFS u have to hack off the front anyways so id go with a fatman frame stub kit or there is always the chevy route im looking into going the 87-95 dakota frame route .. check out moparts.org there is lots of dakota frame swap info there .. a guy just did one to his 40 dodge.... i plan to dakota frame and 440/727 my car... my 2 cents.. rob
I think the Mustang II's were '74-76, or maybe to '78. Pintos were the same, and probably the small Mercurys as well (Capri?). I used a Fatman crossmember on my '37 Plymouth, then just took the spindles, springs, control arms, etc, off a MII. Fatman also sells a bracket to bolt on 70's Camaro or Firebird disc brakes, which I also used. Nice setup, and it is made for the width of your car. If you want to save even more $$ and can weld, look into the Welder Series crossmember. Both Welder and Fatman are Alliance vendors, and will give you a nice discount if you are a HAMB Member. The really nice thing about the MII is that if you want to upgrade at a later date, the sky's the limit.
The Jalopy Journal
