I'm curious to know what the fine people at HAMB have to say about frame swaps. I recently showed some pis of our '57 Stude Scotsman. We're thinking of going one of two ways. First, they sell disc brake conv. kits for the stude, and power rack and pinion. It would take some monkeyin around, but we could keep the original frame, which is in excellent cond. Or we could swap out frames for a chevy s-10 which measures perfect tread width and wheel base, comes with disc brakes, power steering and a 350/350 would be a slam dunk. My question is, when you hear of guys swapping frames, not because thiers is rotted or bent, but just for the sake of upgrading or altering the stance, is it frowned appon? Do you think its a sin to swap a perfect original frame for a modern one or do you see it as a smart move in upgrading your ride? We've been going back and forth on this and I'd like to hear what you all have to say, every opinion is appreciated.
The Monster, the key would be a well thought out and well executed swapp, I have seen some that were err not so well thought out, and the poor guys had allready thrown out their original frame, that kind'a stuff can kill a project, so think it out. I would think if You could keep Your stock frame and update it, that might be more simple in the long run, that way You could gain the upgrades in brakes steering and such and still have a nice fitting frame without alot of extra work, do You plan on chaneling this body? Von Doc
Yes its already been channeled 5". Check out my recent post with pics of the car, titled "'57 Stude Scotsman pics" or something like that.
O-kay I checked the pix, nice car. What I'm getting at is that with a frame swap what You gain is basically a different front clip, right? I'm just think'in it might be more easy to clip the front and use a different sub frame or maybee the Mustang 11 that is so popular now-a-days or keep Your stock frame intact and just change out the brakes and steering. Either way good luck on Your project and post updates as You go along. Von Doc
[ QUOTE ] btw, docfranknstein... did you create me? master? uuuugh! [/ QUOTE ] That's funny, besides the 3 kids that I made with the wife ( The Bride of Franknstein) I keep My creatures to the metal type. hahahahaha ( mad doctor laff) I gotta get back to the lab. Von Doc
monster welcome to the hamb. I generally dont like studes but yours is cool. i have 3 cars right now 1. a 40 ford sedan 2. a 48 ford pickup 3. a 48 olds wagon the 40 ford has a bolt in crossmember and retains the stock chassis the 48 pickup is on a 67 chevy truck chassis and the 48 olds has been subframed. I personally like the 40 ford the best. I would suggest that you NOT change chassis. yeah it might be a little cheaper than the updates you mention however in the long run things take alot less time and look alot better when you stay closer to original.. i only used a chevy chassis under my 48 ford because I didnt have a frame! and even though the stock olds has antiquated knee action front suspension I'd rather it had the orignial style rather that the ugly shit it has now! so IN my opinion. spend a few more bucks buy the disk brakes, rack or power box (if you can) and be done. oh and you will not have to build body mounts, fab mounting points for radiators, rework the steering column etc. later and good luck sawzall ps if your looking for a better ride out of the front suspension think about running airsprings..
Thanks for your input Sawzall, thats some great advice. My brother and I helped my dad do a frame swap way back when I was in middle school on his '51 ford. He needed a towing vehicle for his custom engine stands, and he wasnt about to buy or drive a truck. so he swapped in a 79(?) ford ltd station wagon frame with power steering and discs. It was a beefy frame and did the trick, and it loooked a bit cooler showing up at the swap meets with your rod, rather than a truck. Dont get me wrong, theres plenty of bitchin trucks out there, I own one myself, but for him, it seemed like the right thing to do for what he was using it for. The Stude doesnt need that beef in the frame, so I guess it comes down to: do we fab up motor and tranny mounts to this frame, or fab body mounts to a different frame? Just looking for everyones opinion.
would anyone else like to voice their opinion on "to swap or not to swap"? I'm looking for more of your feelings on the matter, do you think its a sin or does it matter to you either way? thanks
http://photo.starblvd.net/SKR8PN It is a SHITLOAD of work to get the body back on the new/different frame,straight and square,fenders/hood lined up,body mounts fabricated,and floors put back in,firewall redone,rad shell mounted etc.etc.etc. BUT,sometimes that is what you HAVE to do to get the stance you are after. When this truck is setting at ride height,the driprail on the cab is 14 inches LOWER than it was STOCK.......And no,I did NOT chop the top or section the body! That 14 inches was done with chassis,suspension and a 6 inch body channel. Think before you cut.........$.02
As others have mentioned, it's a lot of work to swap frames. One other advantage to keeping the stock frame is being able to do a piece at a time and driving it inbetween stages. getting doors to line up after a frame swap can be a nightmare.
I was going to do a complete swap but the floor in my Merc was too nice to cut up. I opted to use a Corvette sub in the front and fabricated my own frame section to mount the Vette IRS in the rear. It's not for the faint of heart or the novice but it's a kick in the ass when it comes together...
If you absolutely can't live without power steering and power discs, I say clip it. I've never done a complete frame swap, but with a project that size just keep this in mind: if you think you have thought of everything, you probably havent. There's bound to be some detail that will come along and bite you in the ass. Things like fuel tank placement, rear frame kickup, etc.
Hey Sawzall, you forgot to mention your old sub-framed '46 you built. I agree, don't attempt to sub-frame a car unless you know what you are doing. BTW, word on the street is the guy with the '46 was stranded and the temp gauge hit 913°! I can't believe it still runs. The death of the '46 is eminent.
My opinion is i would prefer not to, but do what you got to do. If it gets to the point where the frame is really damaged/too rusted out, then i'll just look for another car.
I asked the same question, here is what my replies were, Checkout, Here we go again frame swap from Scranton Pa.
The Jalopy Journal
