The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1951 3100/ 1971 c10 frame swap

I have a 1951 3100 with a 235. Just today I bought a 1971 c10 with a 350/350 and 12bolt rearend. I plan to put the engine/tranny and rearend in my 51.
Can my 1951 straight axle front suspension handle a V8? I haven't seen too many trucks like mine with V8s who haven't gone with the IFS.
Would I be better off trying to put my 51 body onto the 71 chassis? I had a friend swear this would be my best bet. (even though the 71 is a longbed, his answer was to cut a section out of the frame). If anyone has any ideas, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks,
- Jeff

I think I'd stick with the early chassis, and add a leaf or two in the front springs, if necessary. Doing a body swap is going to involve a lot of work, and there's no guarantee it would look right when it's finished. Cutting and splicing a frame is a tricky job, too. We do it on the roundtrack cars, but that's an entirely different situation than building a street machine. BTW, the weight difference between the stovebolt and the 350 isn't much. Those old sixes are HEAVY!
Jerry

The front suspension from the '71 can be adapted to the stock '51 frame. You need to make some spacers to fit between the frame and the crossmember, and between the steering box and the crossmember, to make that work. And you still have the track width problem.

Plus, the rear from that '71 will be too wide under the back of your '51.

You'll be looking for offset wheels for both ends.

Provided you aren't worried about the track width issues, I'd rather adapt the front suspension than shorten the frame and build all new mounts, but that's just my opinion.

Jeff,
You might want to search the archives at one time someone had a question about the weight of a 235 (6) compared to a 350. If memory serves me right the somebody posted weights of chevy motors and the 350 is actually lighter than the 235. So my advise is to keep the straight axle, put the 350 in, and ditch the rearend at a swap meet and find something that fits better. By the way I am a born and bred husker, currently living in the Land of the Big 10, be still show my colors.

Willy 57

I don't believe the rear axle is too wide. I put a 80 Chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 rear axle in my 51,only an inch or so wider than the original, I bet the 70 something axle is the same width as the 80 axle.
The small block will fit, you have jimmy the steering box over a touch,the stock exhaust manifold is a tight fit on left side.Some use a right side mani rear dump on the left,some say a rams horn works, a little trial and error.
If ya drive hard,it's best to add discs in the front,the stock drums are marginal for fast driving.

Thanks for all your advice. I've decided to pull the engine/tranny and rearend. The rear axle of the 71 measures out about the same as the 51, but the 71's front axle was alot wider. And with the body/frame swap, I think I'd be looking at alot more work with 2 trucks cluttering my garage for a longer period of time. Thanks again!

Jeff

The rear axle under my '72 C10 is too wide to go under my '55 1st Suburban. I know axle widths have been different year to year, but I'd suggest measuring carefully before committing to a course of action.