Stovebolt.com Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Frame Swap Compatability ?????

I have a 1953 Chevrolet Panel Truck 3100 1/2 ton original 216 motor and 3 on the tree transmission. My question is this : Would my 53 Chevy Panel Truck body mount on a 1985 Chevrolet El Camino rolling frame without much trouble ??? would this be better than using a Chevy S10 rolling frame ?? I my have access to that 85 E Camino , but not a S 10. The El Camino has coil springs and shocks up front and air shocks and coils in the rear.

Been suggested that this question would be better addressed in the HiPo forum rather than Paint and Body. So, am moving it there.

The underlying question is what you want out of the vehicle when you are done. Are you looking for a car show cruiser? A truck with modern handling? A low-rider? Just a modern drivetrain and/or brakes?

After that, look at the wheelbase and track width of the original and the proposed donor.

You can adjust the wheelbase by cutting the frame, but that requires skill and knowledge to be safe and has knock-on effects like changing the steering dynamics, driveshaft length, etc.

You can adjust the track width *some* by picking wheels with different backspacing, but too much change and you can get yourself into trouble.

As far an the el camino, also look at the GVW for it and the panel truck. It will have much softer suspension and sit lower to the ground. Is that what you want? If so, that could be worth it to you.

The advantage of the S10 is that it has very close to the right wheelbase and the right track width already. It is also a similar weight vehicle so the suspension dynamics work decently with no modification and can be made to work very well with off the shelf parts. That swap has been done enough times that the gotchas are pretty well known and multiple kits are available to do it with minimal skill or pre-knowledge.

If you want to do a swap to something new/different, you will be in uncharted territory and there will be a lot less ready-to-go help/knowledge for you to tap into. Is that a bad thing? Depends on your level of skill and how much effort you want to put into it. None of these are reasons not to do it, just things to be aware of so you have some idea what you are getting yourself into.

I have seen people put TF trucks on everything from a GMT800 to an S10 to a 90s Caprice. At the end of the day, the process is to get the tires in the right spot with frame/axle/wheel mods, then add body mount adapters to the right spots, then bolt up the body and hook up the steering/brakes.

It is a simple process to describe, but the devil is in the details. If this is your first major vehicle swap, I would personally recommend going with a more established solution. If you decide to go down the El Camino route, please post about it and we will happily do what we can to help you along the way.

El Camino wheelbase is 1" longer than AD trucks so rear wheel might sit closer to center of wheel well. What about engine and trans? Is there enough clearance under the hood and in front of the firewall?

The phrase "without much trouble" makes me laugh.

GarageGuy: that is a valid point. What do you mean by "without much trouble"? I considered dropping an LS/4L60e in my F150 to be not much trouble. It took 2 months to do, involved modifying the frame and crossmember, and a lot of custom parts.

If you want to just bolt it up, that is not feasible. I have been doing custom engine installations and suspension swaps for over a decade and I would consider the el camino frame swap a major project.

Can you do it? Depends on your skills and dedication. Will it be easy? No.

Thank You very much Fibonachu for all that good information. It was very well explained and written. I think you just saved me a bunch of future problems that i didnt need. Appreciate your time to reply with all that info. I have alot of metal work to do, replacing floor pans, kick panels,inner and outer cowl sections,firewall,above the windshield on the inside ,i can mig weld so Ive got abouta year to year and a half of just replacing and welding in new panels. This it not going to be a show truck,just a good looking and straight truck ,as I also can do bodywork,I have restored a El Camino and a Chevelle in the past. I will probaby use a good single stage paint system on it. This truck I think id like to experience it like it was built from the factory. I grew up riding with my Dad in his 1954 Chevrolet 3100 1/2 ton Panel Truck and I have wonderful memories of that time and I even have had some wonderful dreams about Dads truck. So the truck my 1953 Chevy Panel 1/2 3100 will not see any interstates (because it wasnt built for that back then) I would like to just drive it on rt.40 and on backroads only. I really always loved these trucks and the stomp starters and how the pedals go down into the floor rather then up under the dash. Is there anything I could do to make it ride a little softer ? Thanks again for all of your help. Have a good rest of the weekend. Mark.