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Hello All,

This is my first post, just wanted to say hi, and increase activity in the HiPo section...one page of posts in 30 days might be changing.

I am currently working on a 58 Apache street rod, I guess its a frame off project, I just finished the camaro stub rebuild and welded it to the 58 frame. I plan to pick up a 383 connected to a T5 this weekend and get the cab prepped for pedals and brake booster.

I will post some pics at a later date after I find a site to host them; any suggestions on this?
Good site BTW.

Welcome to the `Bolt! Sounds like a fun project. I have noticed that most people use webshots.com to host their pics.

I hope your T5 is a World Class T5, otherwise, I think the torque from the 383 will destroy it. I had a t5 in a 2800 pound Camaro that was putting out 325hp. The t5 did not like that much power, so it was replaced with a th350 automatic.

Keep in touch,
Phil

I use the Picture Trail site to post pics of my progress. There are others as well such as photobucket but PT provides a quick and clean access for viewers.
Welcome to the bolt.
What method are you using to attach the subframe? There are several I have seen with the best being the method shown in the videos from No Limit Engineering IMO. That is the process I plan to use on my 59 when the 54 is done.
Show us some pics soon.

Wow Houston nice job on the frame. How long did it take to fully box that? And it looks like you're going with an under-box fuel tank, is that a special tank or a camaro type?

As for attaching the camaro subframe, the inner walls line up with the inner flange of the C-Frame quite well, welded all seams, then I added a boxing plate and welded all the new seams. The inside surface looks good but the outside edge of the camaro frame overhangs by about two inches on each side. I may add a formed piece to blend the frames better but the cab mounts stick out over the edge.

As for the T5 I don't think even a world class will hold up after the supercharger gets put on, 600 HP, & ft*lbs (ballpark #'s). I hope to run 11 inch tread width tires so I can hook up and also thinking about building a ladder bar rear.

My goal is to build this truck in one year and Im 3 months in. I have a moderate amount of body work to do and plan on doing the wiring myself.

Pictures soon...I hope.

Ok, here are a few pictures....hope it works.

Project Pics

FI,
If you are serious about a mill that size then boxing the frame would probably be a worthwhile effort. These frames were designed to work with the leaf spring suspension and flex to help absorb some of the forces transmitted by the springs. Since you have already modified the front suspension and have plans for the rear then making the rest of the frame rigid will improve the performance of those components. If almost sounds like you are flying by the seat of your jeans though. Do you have a distinct plan for the frame? Again with the HP/Torque you are planning to have, the running gear needs to be able to handle it or you might wind up in a ditch or around a pole somewhere down the road.
Boxing the frame is pretty simple. Use construction paper to make your templates. Then transfer this to 12 ga or thicker sheetmetal and cut out your pattern. I used my cutting torch and then cleaned up the edges to fit just inside the frame channel. The holes are there to provide access to bed mounting points and other locations where things bolt back onto the frame. They are not just there for appearances so plan their location as needed.
I would think a four link rear with coil overs would be able to keep the axle in place. I do not think leaf springs would be up to that task but other may disagree.
Your schedule seems tight. In order to meet it you probably will need lots of money, no wife or kids, a nice garage, and plenty of time. If you have those things now you probably will not after the fact if you keep to a 12 month plan. Just joking...I hope.

The pics look good. I would definately reinforce the outside of the subframe. If you have not already done so, you will want to test fit the front sheet metal now to ensure the wheels are where you want them. The gas tank I used is out of a 67-69 camaro. I am currently thinking of changing to a 31 gallon tank from a full size blazer for two reasons: 1. more capacity and 2. the width of the camaro tank prevents me from running the exhaust on the sides of the tank. Right now it will have to come under the tank which may be just fine but will make dropping the tank difficult should I have to do that in the future.
Good luck on your project and keep us posted. We like to see other people work.

OK I ran some quick calculations, by boxing the frame the polar moment of inertia increases by 42% for the entire cross-section. That means a reduction in frame twist by about 30%. Boxing does look favorable at this point.

My intentions for this truck is a semi-moderate drag setup so I can take it out on the weekends and occasionally drive it to work. This will NOT be a show truck just a clean street rod that will be driven.

As for the timeline.... no wife: check, nice garage: check, Plenty of time: check, Lots of money: hmm...just got a raise

sounds close to my build:

59 apache with a 385 sbc

Why not go bigger? I've been thinking about a 502...

if you were refering to my post, because i got the 385 brand new for a steal.

The WC T5 is fine with nearly any amount of power...if you don't power-shift into third. There are guys on the Corvette forum who have run them behind big blocks without problems.

I heard that 2nd gear was a weak spot in the T5, by a mustang owner mind you.

Just fabbed up some bumper brackets this weekend. The camaro frame offest at the front is different, the left side is 3 inches on the diagonal while the right side is approximately 4 inches. I didn't realize this until I put the first bracket on and saw that the bumper was shifted right by nearly an inch. At least it was easy to fix with a little heat to adjust the Z-Bend.

Also picked up a 383 thats built for a blower, high nickel block with forged everything at 8.5:1 CR . Aquired a pedal assembly and a tilt steering column too. Lots of parts to keep me busy.

so you didn't weld the front pieces of the original frame back on to the front of the camaro clip?

any pics up close? how are you hanging the front fenders

1-Ton,
I added a few photos of the bumper brackets to my photo album (see link above). I still need to add a rib to stiffen the long portion of the bracket that reaches out to the bumper.

I didn't want to reuse the old C frame because it would have looked awkward, too much frankenstein work, plus I was a little torch happy earlier...RIVET MEET YOUR MAKER!! The thing I like about this design is that it serves as a frame end cap and as a radiator support too.