The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk New member. Advance design project questions

Hi. I desire started a 1/2 ton 5 window Advance Design truck soon. I do not have the truck but I am doing preliminary preparations. I will make it a restomod. Right now I have a question regarding frame/chassis. I am wanting to upgrade the suspension, brakes, steering etc. I am not really looking for a show truck just a nice driver and to make improvements that could increase the resale value if I ever need to sell.
Should I use the old frame or buy a new one? What is the cost effectivness of buying a new frame with new mustang II suspension as opposed to using the old frame and having a suspension proffesionally added? What is a good company to buy the frame from? This will be a first project for me. Thank you for the help.

Smittster,

Altho I don't have any answers to your questions, I wanted to welcome you to The Stovebolt!

You will find a wealth of experts willing to help here on the stovebolt. Great location to get your needed help and advice. I am sure several in the know will be providing useful advice.

Again welcome to the stovebolt community!

Brian

I'll second the welcome.
If you're wanting to go completely to moder suspension/brakes/etc. consider doing the S10 chassis swap. Very popular with the AD guys here. The swap will get you upgraded brakes and suspension using commonly available parts, and is much less that an aftermarket frame. You'll want a long bed standard cab S10 to do this, an early ('83-'87) can be had for under $1000 for the whole truck. I'm certain that some of the guys that have done this swap will chime in with their opinions on it.

Sounds like you are on the right track, ask all the questions you can think of, and do some searching of past threads on this site.

For a first project I recommend keeping it mostly stock and adding upgrades like disk brakes and such a little at a time. That way you can drive it more often than not, this will help keep your enthusiasm up and make the process more fun. If start your project by disassembling the truck and buying new stuff like frames and engines you will quickly be surprised at how much money you have in a truck that is still a very very long way from driving. I would not recommend this method for a first time project. After you have played with the first one you may consider this approach for the second, or to further improve your truck in the future.

I see you mentioned "resale value", generally any major modification from original hurts it, with the exception of a 235 in place of a 216. However, if done exceptionally well any practical modification could help the value if you find the right buyer. I think it takes an extremely well designed and made "hot rod" to top the value of an excellent original restoration, And the original will probably have less money tied up in it than the modified one. In all probability you will never sell it for more than you have invested in it, you can easily spend more on parts in the first month of working on it than you can ever get back out of it.

If it's an old truck to play with and enjoy, go for it.
If its money you want to make, you will have better luck with a lottery ticket.

Smittster,

I want to add to what Grigg has said above. He makes several EXCELLENT points.

The cost of restore, resto mod or not, will add up VERY QUICKLY and can eat you alive and will certainly cost more than you expect and will total more than a market resale price. Esp'ly if you hire the labor.

Many individuals get discouraged with their project because weeks turn into months and months into years. We don't want to loose you
from the enjoyment of this hobby and/or from Stovebolt.

Brian

Keep the original frame...it was made for the truck. Heidt's Hot Rod Shop makes about the best quality MII front suspension from what I hear.
They are not cheap though.
Link

Thanks for the information so far. I do really want to keep the same frame. I am not looking for a good resale value, I just do not want to do something to the truck that would discourage most people from buying if I needed to sell. The S10 swap is interesting, I will look into it. I will also look into Heidts products. Thanks for the welcome to stovebolt. I imagine a project will take me a couple of years. I am going to look at a 5 window 1954 tommorow. May have questions again soon.

One thing on what Grigg mentioned. While an all original truck is worth more, modified trucks are easier to sell. More people looking for them as drivers. "That's just my opinion. I could be wrong."

Welcome to the BOLT! My first project became my parts truck for my second project. I had it all tore apart and just "never" got it back together. Second project became a reliable driver and I did upgrades that took 3-4 days to complete. It will still be years before it is finished. However, I know all the parts are attached to the truck and not scattered all over the place.

i have driven my 54 since 83 with the only mods being a pacer front suspension and a nova rear end. now i am in the middle of a complete over haul hoping to drive it another 20 yrs. the problem is i am 64 this year and hope to be healthy that long. i have added fenton headers, offy intake, t-5 trans, alternator. the body is being redone, has been in good shape but needs a few repairs. don't worry about the value later, the value is enjoying it now. if you bought a new truck at say, 30,000, deduct 20% as soon as you drive it off the lot, that is 6,000. think what you could do to the 54 for 6,000. just my rationalization. BTW welcome and have fun with truck. Ron

I suggest you buy as many books on rebuilding old Chevy trucks as you can find. Everyone here will give you advice based on their own situation. Their intentions are good but might not fit your particular situation. If you can afford the expense you can do a frame up restoration or alteration. It sounds like you want a daily driver that has more comforts and safety than the original truck.
I have found the books listed below to contain a wealth of information that helped me make those decisions about what to do and how to do it.
The books I would suggest you buy are:
Motor Books “How to Build a Hot Rod”
Motor Books “How to Restore your Chevrolet Pickup”
Motor Books “Hot Rodder’s Bible”
Motor Books “How to Build Hot Rod Chassis”
Hot Rod Library “How to Build Hot Rod Chassis”`
Golden State Pickup Parts Inc. “1947 – 54 Factory Assembly Manual”
Various vendors “Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual”
Various vendors “Master Parts Catalog”
Hope this helps.

BIG CHEVY 3600,

I love your signature !
"Excuse my ramblings but my wife is out of the house and someone must fill in."

Great !!

Colettesbro:
I like your sig. as well. Everytime I read it I go out and buy another part for the truck. Thanks a lot.

Does this truck run and drive? Why not drive it like it is for a while. You might find you like old trucks.

There are two sides to the coin as they say. My 49 truck is all original except for a 235. It has Huck brakes, vacuum wipers and bias-ply tires. I don't drive it on freeways and seldom above 50 mph. I drive it in the rain and do not worry about where I park it. I really have fun with it.
Now I also had a frame-off restored 53. It was beautiful but I was reluctant to take it out in the rain, afraid of where I left it and had nightmares over paint chips and such. Beautiful but not as much fun as my 49 so I sold it.
My idea is to have fun. If it gets scratched it is not a major problem although I won't be happy. I like it original because its old and I like them old.
Its your truck, you can do what you wish with it but do have fun. If you are interested in an S-10 frame conversion check out www.adengineering.com. They make a nice set up.

Thanks olblu49. Good story. Good ideas about how far to go on a project.

I really like cletis' answer
drive this for a while first
there is not much in the re-sale market after you spend thousands on her. old trucks are alabor of love. they are not 32 fords.
there is nothing wrong w/ this frame. since you want a mod, then mod the frame. if you need to box portions add an IFS or 4 link you can
a new good frame might cost you $5K PLUS, w/ blasting, an IFS, and paint.... etc.
them again depending on who welds a new clip or IFS on might cost the same. that all depends on you.

there are SO MANY FACTORS involved in what you may want vs. can afford
drive her first
then ask questions
this AIN'T going to happen overnight or in a month. :blat:
then consider a frame swap w/ an S10 b4 you go out and buy a whole new frame/
http://www.ad-engineering.com/

Welcome.As far as replacing the frame,that all depends on what condition the original frame is in.The frame in my 55 2nd was just like new so I put in a TCI M2 unit,comeplete with power rack and pinion steering.It has worked out very well for me.I also lowered the rear with a TCI 5 leaf spring kit.This involved flipping the rearend and putting in new springs, mounts,shackles,shocks,etc.Course if your original frame is in bad shape you might wanna look at a whole new frame setup.I used TCI stuff,but there are several other good companies out there,such as Heidts,Fatman,etc.Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Hi Smittser
Congradulations on joining this great website. I joined approximately 6 months ago when I started building a 51 Chevy 1/2 ton shortbox. I have nothing put praise for the people who go out of their way and want to help when I ask a question. I was faced with much of the same questions you are asking now. Anyhow this is the plan I decided on. Build a cruiser, 6 cylinder v6, 700r4 Trans. & 69 Olds. rear 273 highway gears.
My son lives in California about 5,000 miles away and my dream is to drive to California to Visit and take my little grand daughter cruising, we plan to drive up to British Columbia and back home to New Brunswick Canada. I would like to keep the rest of the truck Original as possible.
I like the Idea of the s10 swap and did some research and talked to some guys who had done them. They said if I didn't want to cut the Sheet metal to make things fit I should consider a Mustang II front end kit made for my frame. Thats what I did & it fits perfect and the rest of the truck is still under construction. No drop spindles will lower it some but not that much. I was at a cruise one night last summer and saw one done up just like mine the only difference was that he had a 350 engine.
Whatever you decide, these are just Ideas.
Good luck on whatever you decide on.

Vic

Smittster,
You have received great advice from everyone; thanks to the Bolt! There is no substitute for the experience and insight that these guys have.
As a new guy, I stumbled into restoring my buddy Baxter, a 1953 five window middle tire stepside shortbed half ton. Not much of which I knew about when I bought it from a guy in Oklahoma. I knew since I was a little kid that I wanted a 53 Chevy truck, and here it was. I wanted the five windows and the middle tire, though. Great buy on E-bay.
Advice I have is 1) expect to spend more money after you buy it on the entire restoration project, 2) SHOP repalcement parts from all the popular vendors and KEEP A RECORD OF WHO YOU BUY FROM. Plan to send some parts back because they do not even pretend to fit, and plan to refurbish several parts you already have that you cannot find from any of the usual suspects. Don't throw anything away until you have a replacement that works. Take lots of pictures before you dismantle.
E-bay can be good for some parts, but READ the descriptions carefully. There are some very good buys there, so use it to your advantage. We learned a few lessons early about things like fiberglass fenders and hoods; we wound up sending all fiberglass stuff back as it was junk that would not reflect show quality.
You have a choice: change the old for the new and comfortable, or change the totally worn out for the NOS, new, or rebuilt to keep the strength of the original. We have decided on the second choice and are not disappointed. It will be only two or three weeks before we affix the rear fenders and roll out to state inspection and front end alignment. For example, nobody had the "dimpled" fender. so we blasted the old one, and we will finally finish the whole shebang by adding the radio that we have had so much difficulty replicating reliably. Spent a bundle on an "antique radio" only to be dissapointed as of now. (That will take a whole 'nother post.)
Above all, expect Murphy's law number 302:
Everything takes longer than it takes! You will spend more than you will recover if you sell it (as of 2007), but these trucks are getting more rare every day. Check the sales to see what I mean.
Go at it carefully, be patient, and expect great results. Also, plan to come back to the bolt for questions; there is somebody out there with an answer for everything you will ask!

I'm with you Olblu49 ! I have a 57 chevy pickup that I love. rubber floor mats, no a/c (and I am in Florida!) no radio and when I get to drive it on the weekends, the world stops and all I hear is the hum of the motor and the smooth shifting of gears, thumbs up all around. I tinker around with my limited knowledge, learn some, get on with this group, learn some more and don't feel the pressure of yet another "project" that I have to get to. One cylinder smokes a bit, the wipers don't work, it has a slight bit of rust here and there, but it's really in great shape, being a TX truck. I'll get to the undercoat and a wiper motor and fixing the heater correctly one of these days, but still get to enjoy it in the meantime. If she was perfect and paint was perfect etc... I'd be nervous all the time about it. The dog rides in the cab with me and occassionally the wife too.

Good luck,

Bob K