donor frame for 47 fleetline body

I was wondering if anyone would know how well a 4th gen caprice/impala would work as a frame engine donor for a 47 chevy fleetline. i have a chance to get a pretty decent deal on one .

 

Nothing? I was hoping to come home from work tonight to see if this was a good move or not.

 

What's "4th gen..."? It's not Camaro, fer cry'n out loud. Do you mean the early 90's, last of the big car, Caprices with the LT1? If so, YES to the engine/trans, but NO to the chassis, the track is WAY too wide for your Chev and the frame will be a nightmare to fit under your car, even if it has no floors. Use the stock frame, rebuild the front with a disk brake conversion, and add a Nova/Camaro or 4wd S10 rear. Done deal.

 

Is there something wrong with the 47 frame?

 

S10 can do but it's got a narrow tread. Dakota has rack & pinion.

Same frame from 1941 to 1948. A lot can be done with these. The frames are the same for all but 'vert and that's just an X added.

 

Could do a 80's Malibu/El Camino/Monte Carlo. Their wider than the S-10 and narrower than the full size cars.

 

1976 Monte Carlo under mine perfect fit. A little cutting of the front & rear bumper horn area. I didn't do it but my buddies helped me improve it after 13 yrs. We did some http://www.p-s-t.com/ Performance Suspension Technologies upgrades to the entire frame.

 

Thanks guys. Nothing is "wrong" with the 47 frame besides age. I was just thinking that it may be easier and nicer to use the 4th gen (91-96) caprice chassis and drivetrain if it would fit and just set the body on it. The 47 needs some floor pan work anyway. I have a chance to buy a carpice (with a mildly built LT1 ) from a friend for a pretty decent price. Just out of curiosity about how much too wide is it ? length was never a big concern thats the easy one to solve .

 

Fourth generation 1991-1996 Caprice chassis measurements

Wheelbase
115.9 in (2944 mm)

Width
79.6 in (2022 mm) (wagon)
77 in (1956 mm) (1991-93 sedan)
77.5 in (1969 mm) (1994-96 sedan)

1947 Fleetline chassis measurements

Wheelbase
116 in (2946.4 mm)

Width
57.625 in (1463.675 mm)

 

Now thats the info I needed .. Thank you ! If you dont mind where did you find it?

 

The only dimension here that is useful is the wheelbase. The "width" quoted is the BODY width, not the wheel track or "tread". That is the useful comparison, but not given in the post above. FTW, friend of mine did a '75 Monte Carlo frame swap on his '47 Sedan Delivery and it worked pretty well. However, that said, I agree with those that recommend upgrading your original frame if it is solid, not rusted out. A lot simpler overall, considering it already "fits". If seriously rusted out in several places, that's another matter, but localized rust can be fixed too.

Your call...........best wishes.

Ray

 

It's wide enough the the tires will hang outside the fenders, that's how much too wide they are.

 

I know for a fact that the 47 width measurement given is for center of tread to center of tread....I will recheck the caprice ones to be sure.

 

Corrected 91-96 Chevy Caprice measurements

Wheelbase 115.9"

Front track 61.8"

Rear track 60.7"

 

i put a 73 monte carlo frame under my 41 sedan fit real good wheel base was right and frame was just inside the rockers had to cut the metal out of the 41 between the wheel wells for the frame to fit and shorten the front and rear frame horns even used the monte carlo gas tank

 

Styler; I chatted with a guy at the Lawrence Ks. swap meet 2 weeks ago. and his high school class did a build on a 47 sedan delivery . and thet used a 77 caprice 4 door frame ,motor ,master cyl. looked great and he had drove it every where for 5 years . Even went on the power tour. I have his # if you E mail me I can give it to you NEIGHBOR . [email protected]