I started this a few days ago as a NEWBIE in the introduction area, My Mistake. I also have decided more pictures are needed. I recently purchased the pickup (note it may have a 1952 hood but I have a spare hood -really little difference). I want to get started with a number of little upgrades but FIRST I need to lower the front end (some reasonable way) so that truck will appear more period and really just look right. Currently it sits about 4 to 5 inches higher on front than rear. I have talked to some ?? mechanics and to manufacturers. Some say cut springs, some say new springs with drop spindle. The problem, I think, is that the engine now sits too low under the hood. My guess is that this was not the best chassis to use but it would be too major to swap chassis as a lot of work was done to get the mechanical working good on this chassis (runs and drives good). I am looking for the good H.A.M.B. (from what I have read there is a lot of knowledge here) advice. THANKS from a NEWBIE in South Carolina. Chassis 1977 Chevy Pickup (Silverado) Rebuilt 327 engine w/ 350 tranny)
Yep...wrong chassis...... Dont your wheels stick out a lot?....I used a Nova clip on my stock chassis and its a tad wide, I can only imagine how wide a full size pickup width is.
Box, It is low! The engine compartment would benefit a lot if body could be lowered on chassis but I have considered it and I think it is an option. It would require a "metal person" that could think through results of cutting parts of under body and what impact that would have to other items.
Gman, I don't mean to be an ass, but this is a prime example of why chassis swaps are such a bad idea. The original builder probably thought it would save himself some time and money, but now it is just an ugly abortion that you now get the pleasure of fixing. Drop spindles and springs are probably your easiest option, but I don't know that will offer you enough drop to get to level, let alone a bit of a rake. The following is just my $0.02, but I hope you bought the truck cheap, because if you want to do this correctly, there is really only one option. Buy a original chassis and put the body back on the frame it was designed for. The 327 will be a fairly straight forward swap into an original chassis, or you can spend some cash and buy a new chassis from Fatman or some other chassis shop that will allow you to bolt that SBC right in. It is really a pretty decent looking body, so it would be shame to let it suffer like this. If you need some ideas, check out the F1 / F100 picture thread. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=317676&highlight=show+your+f100 Also, feel free to check out the pics in my album of my '51 F-1. It still has the original chassis, with just a MII front suspension, 351W, and 5 spd. Good Luck
i agree with the others. bad chassis swap. i have a extra f-1 chassis complete , only missing front axle i will sell you cheap if it will help.
Gasman - Thanks but how would that impact other work that has been completed - brakes, power steering etc..... BTW it was a swap out in Georgia. I am seeking advice. I am not a mechanic but I don't mind working hard and I usually can get a job completed. I just need a good bit of direction. What would be involved in swapping out to get it back to current operational condition. An easy way would be to list work required or just kind of quote what a typical expert or qualified person would charge to fix this issue and get me back to the current operational stage of truck.
There you go, and fairly close. Wrong chassis and wrong engine- the truck ain't a Chebbie. Someone will want to pay for the 327, and you could pick up a donor car cheeep with a 302 or 351/AOD setup and 8.8 and be in business
This might be a decent daily driver for a guy who wants an old looking truck with newer suspension to use as a real truck to drive to work and haul stuff to the dump in as far as the chassis swap goes but it isn't hot rod or custom truck material. to Looking at the photo of the left A frame you can see where they either set the original frame on top of the Chevy frame or used a piece of angle, channel or tubing to run from the front kickup of the Chevy frame to the back kickup. That let them set the Ford body on the Chevy frame without cutting the fenderwells and disturbing the sheet metal. Great for a cowboy go the bar truck but not so great when you want to have a low custom truck You could do the standard lower the front of your mid 70's truck mods and lower it several inches if you want to but that doesn't fully cure things.
What I am looking for, ultimately (hopefully), is a truck with original appearance (exterior) but with upgraded drive-train and interior. Also, I like the P/S and P/B, etc.
Then put it back on an original chassis. You already have the power brakes mounted on the firewall, so all you will have to do is run new lines. The power steering is not hard either, there are plenty of kits out there that will take care of that. The other big bonus of putting the body back on the correct chassis is you will double (or maybe triple) the value of the truck instantly. Right now you have a project-gone-wrong truck that is worth the clean body only. Another option is to re-sell it, chalk it up to learning experience, and use your new found knowledge to purchase a better built truck.
Dropped spindles and suspension mods are not going to do it........the body is sitting too high on the frame. As said, to do it right you will have to start over with the stock frame. Unfortunately that means a bunch of work and more money spent. If it were mine I would raise the rear for the off road look.....but that's me.
I see your challenge this way- Putting a stock frame under it will more than likely end in a project which never gets finished or costs you a large sum of cash due to your learning curve needed to pull that off. So while that's the most effective option it's also the longest road to perdition. Stock F-1's sit pretty high from the factory so you could raise the back up to match and just have a neat old truck. Or lower the front with cut coils and drop spindles to try and achieve a lowered Hot Rod look. It's going to ride a little rougher with the cut coils, but no rougher than a stock set -up. Or three sell it and get a stock one and start fresh. If you want it lowered then buy a dropped axle and block the back. Stay away from the Mustang II stuff it's not really needed for an F-1. The dropped axle will be easier and sit better anyways. It doesn't look bad as it is, I've owned a few F-1's but drove one named Pete all over and it was great. Just drive it and work on it a little at a time if it's what you want. Yes the frame transplant is a little Hoakey but it's all good at 65 MPH and this is Hot Rodding. You already own it, clearly liked it when you got it, and hopefully got it for a good deal. There's plenty of folks out there that would like your Cool old Truck. The Masses don't know just us picky Bastards on here ;-). Have Fun, Tim
Thanks Tim, It does drive well and 65 mph is no issue - I have not installed replacement gauges (have them) but I had wife lead me at 55 MPH and it felt like I was creeping. I have had it easily up to 70 w/ a smooth ride. Question - I can get 3 inches of drop with spindles. Viewing from outside front would be only about an inch above back. Would typical individual even notice drop spindles (about a $250 item.
Based on what you say about your skill level and general knowledge about old cars, I think the best thing to do would be sell it and find another one. Plenty of decent F-1s out there and with the value of hot rods and old cars/trucks being what it is you should be able to find a pretty decent, well built truck that either fits your needs or needs much simpler modifications to meet your needs without spending your future retirement fund... Power steering and power brakes, along with other creature comforts like A/C, are easy to install and pretty cheap.. Same with changing over to either a Ford or Chevy small block and an auto trans.... This era of trucks (both Ford and Chevy) are easy to work on and a great way to get into the hobby andlearn how to build a hot rod.... Given the way your truck was built it will be a lot more difficult and challenging by multiple factors.... You should think in terms of how long and hard you want to work.
Rich, I guess I am not a give up kind of person. Worked hard all my life and have a reasonable investment already. It would take time to sell this then time to find replacement and I looked for months for this one. I hear what you say and really understand but it is hard to tell a 57 year old southern red neck that he screwed up and best quit. i have to tray and am thankful for EVERY recommendation.
It won't be a perfect truck by Frozen Merc's or RMR&C's standards unless you spend several thousand dollars to by a replacement frame and buiid a new chassis. I'd think damned few people who just ran out and bought a somewhat finished truck are prepared to go out and spend the price of the truck again for a new chassis. It won't be perfect in some eyes but it will still be a safe, solid and reliable little truck if you get a set of lowering springs for the front from one of the custom suspension suppliers and maybe a set of dropped spindles. The redeaming thing here is that it's "just" a mid 70's Chevy C-10 chassis and custom suspension pieces are readily available. The top two on this page are two or three inch lowering springs. http://www.summitracing.com/search/year/1977/make/chevrolet/model/c10/part-type/lowering-springs Spindles http://www.summitracing.com/search/...roduct-line/classic-performance-drop-spindles Both of those are for reference only and not an actual suggestion that you buy the pieces from Summit or buy them at all. It is a viable and somewhat affordable solution to your problem though. That would let you lower the truck in an afternoon and after an alignment be out driving and grinning and not have it sitting in the shop torn down for years. It would even give you time to decide if you want to buy a stock Ford replacement frame and build a proper chassis while still driving the truck and then do a swap to the new chassis when it was done. The great thing is that it looks like who ever did the frame swap didn't hack the Ford body parts up and worked overtime not to. That means you shouldn't have to undo someone's hack job as if they had tried to set it low on that chassis if you decide to put a different frame back under it later. Just drive it in the shop, lift the cab and bed off the frame it has now and set it over on the newly completed frame and finish things up. That way your down time would be minimal.
I had looked at this option and it is cost friendly and I agree it would be fine this way for years. I do eventually want the frame/chassis corrected one day. What should I expect to pay for a frame and what is involved at that point. I have access to sand blaster and a fully equipped shop. Everything except a lift. I know this is painful but what would be needed to make the swap now! I would like to compare options.
You should be able to find a stock frame fairly cheaply. I sold a rolling chassis complete for $500 last year. Personally, I wouldn't mess around with the current chassis. I would find a stock shassis and swap over the driveline and body.
Frame cost is who's buying who's selling and how bad you want it along with the condition it's in. If you wait a nice one will one day find you for a reasonanble price. You might even stumble on a nice original uncut and rolling chassis that someone pulled out of a truck for a frame swap. With all the S-10 swaps that isn't that far fetched if you stash back a few dollars in the frame kitty to be able to jump on one if it pops up. I don't think a nice one would be all that expensive though. It's all the other pieces in the pie that will run up the tab. The way the truck is set up now it looks like they didn't hack anything on the body or nose to fit the frame under it and while it left it sitting sky high you don't have to fix any thing that is normally modified in a frame swap on older trucks. That should mean that it will for the most part be an unbolt, lift up, clean up and move over and set down and bolt up process. There may be a few mods that were done for the swap that need undone but not many from the looks of things. I can't see the core support but I'd check to see if it had been modifed on the bottom to fit the Chevy frame. I don't think it was though. I think you will see a piece of metal welded across the Chevy frame for the core support to sit on instead.
I think I am now officially looking for a chassis! Not certain what I am getting into but it is time to make a decision.
The Jalopy Journal
