The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Swapping out a 52 1 ton with a camaro clip

I was considering swapping out the front end of my truck with a camaro clip, pretty common from what I have been reading. The cash issue that I have is dropping a chevy 350 in though. Although I have a motor, I would like to continue to use my straight 6, do I need major modifications in order to use this engine in the camaro clip?
Thank you,

I guess another question just came up....Will a camaro clip work with the 1 ton ? I never thought it would be a question that it would or wouldn't considering how wide the front is on the 1 ton, but I see in other posts that this may not be the best choice so I was wondering why.

The width issue has more to do with what fits under the fenders than anything else. Unless you're talking about a real early Camaro the track width is wide enough that it creates problems. Some of the other IFS swaps cause similar problems.

The truck frames are very similar from the firewall forward, so there are not any real width issues from a frame standpoint that are not common to a 1/2-ton.

Will a Camaro clip work on a 1-ton? Some will argue the clip approach won't work on any truck. You need to start by defining how you intend to use the truck. If a lowered hot rod that has limited load capacity is your objective the Camaro clip may be a workable option.

Regarding the motor mount question, here is something to think about. Clipping your truck means cutting the frame off near the firewall and eliminating the front crossmember where the motor mounts.

So after clipping the truck, in addition to needing to create a mount for the front fenders you'll also need to create that front motor mount.

This brings up a good question, will the weight of the frame be too much for the front clip? Now I was also thinking about going to a 1/2 ton front axle and swapping it out with the 1 ton's is that also an issue?

You need to start by defining how you intend to use the truck.

I just want to drive the truck around town, no real use other than that. It will never carry anything again.

To put a 1/2ton front axle under it you'll have to open up the holes on the axle to work w/the width of the 1ton U-bolts because of the width of the spring. You could also take a couple of leafs out of the pack to make it ride softer. Don't know if the 1ton cross linkage will work w/the 1/2axle...joe

If you are not going to load the truck I think the Camaro stuff will handle the weight. The frame is heavier than the smaller trucks, but the total empty weight is not that much more than the late 70's Camaros.

The key issue in my mind is the brakes. The Camaro overloaded with everything you could stuff in it would never gross near the 8800 the 1-ton is rated to carry. If you were ever to load the Camaro suspended truck like a 1-ton truck you would not have the brakes you would really want for stopping it.