The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Coverting a 1951 GMC 1/2 ton to 4 wheel drive

Hi. I am looking for some help. I recently acquired (2) 1951 GMC pick-ups, one a basket case and the other rebuildable. I want to make my truck into a 4x4. I want to know from those who have converted their trucks to 4 wheel drive, what is the best approach, either swap everything onto my chassis, or swap my body onto a later model chassis. I have average mechanical skills and above average fabrication and welding skills. Thanks

i converted a 46 1 1/2 ton to a 1/2 ton 4x4, i would have to say it probably be easier to use a 4x4 frame. ones ive seen i beleive use a blazer frame on the 48 to 54 trucks.by using a 4x4 frame steering is already hooked up, mounts for v8, trans, etc,i used narrower axles so the tires did nt hang out of the fenders to far because the 46s bodies are so much narrower

I'm a big fan of using the stock frame. Done right, they can look darn near factory. The cab and nose fit like they are supposed to. The hardest part is fabbing up the the brackets to hang the driveline. Heck you already have leaf springs all around. redo the perches, maybe a new set of springs, set the driveline, set the pinion angle. and weld up some shafts. Sounds like fun...

Are you building a rock crawler or a wet weather driver? Will you have big power and need the stoutest transfer case and axles or something mild?

I've seen a number of these trucks converted to four-wheel-drive.

There is one that you can walk under that has Rockwell axles under it. I've never seen it move and doubt very much its legal on the street. I've seen Grave Digger up close. This one is taller and has an original steel body instead of fiberglass over a tube chassis.

There is one I often see around locally, though it was on craigslist last year and may have moved out of my area. Its a long-box 1/2-ton GMC and based on crawling under it I'd say it has 70's 1/2-ton running gear on the stock frame. It was nicely done but never seemed to be a daily driver. It also changed hands quickly over the ten or twelve years I saw it around and I never managed to talk to an owner.

I've seen a number of them placed on S-10 4x4 frames with both V-8's and V-6's under the hood.

A project I've not talked about much here is putting a '54 GMC on an '87 S-10 4x4 frame. I have the frame in my shop, the cab, bed and fenders are on my trailer, and the engine, transmission and transfer case are in another truck parked next to my shop. I'm planning a look not unlike some of the tall 80's Toyota trucks I see around, but with a 454 under the hood to out power them pretty much all the time. Mostly the truck will be used as a bad weather driver and for moving my trailer around (usually empty) where my bigger truck gets too crowded.

The right choice for you is the intersection between what is practical from a build standpoint combined with what you really want the truck to do.

The approach I was going to take was by first locating and then buying an SM465 4-speed tranny, which I did. Came out of a 70's tow truck, so it has a PTO too. Next I was going to send it off to have it rebuilt with a married transfer case attached to it. The cost of that stopped me cold in my tracks. That would have been almost 3 grand. The third step was to find a Dana front axle to match the Dana 60 I located and bought for my rear.

I changed my mind because of the phenomenal cost involved. It would literally be cheaper to find a 4WD old truck and rebuild that. So I'm just having my Dana 60 rebuilt with 3.54 gears and will be installing that this month.
So much for the 4WD on this truck.

Around here straight axle four-wheel-drive trucks can often be bought for $1000 and less. If I wanted to go the big stuff route I'd probably buy one and only rebuild the parts that were really in trouble.

What I did was to actually cheat alittle bit. I bought a '63 wagoneer frame that was already set up for the AD body. The waggy has the correct wheel base and the closest axle width I could find. I think a good many of the older waggoneers are very close to the '63 but with stouter drivelines. I just lucked out on the set up, I simply bolted my sheet metal on. Alot of short box chevys from the '70 and '80's are close to the correct wheel base but the axles are too wide, especially up front. There are ways around that, but it may be what you are looking for. If you are looking for a lifted type truck a solid axle truck with the body rotted off is a good place to start. If you want to modify the stock frame some Wagoneer or Cherokee axles may be close to the same width as stock. Just head to the junck yard with a tape measure. Good Luck

I have future plans to convert an Advance Design 1/2 ton to 4x4 for use/work around my place, mostly for cutting firewood.

I will be using the original frame. The transfer case will be a Dana 20 . I like them because of their compactness as well as being a rugged unit. I will need a $475 adapter to marry it to the stock SM420 transmission, but It is worth it to me. The front axle will be a Dana 44 from a '76 Jeep Wagoneer with a passenger side drop and six lug pattern (same as Chev/GMC 1/2 ton). As Scott already mentioned, the Waggy axles are very close in width to the Chev/GMC axles.

the front axle i used was from a 84 grand wagoneer it s 60inch wms to wms. with drivers side drop to match the 700r4 trans and 241c transfercase. the rear is a dana 44 out of 96 honda passport with disc brakes.2 door cherokee chiefs front axles were 64 inch wms to wms , driver side drop also. to match the front 98 passports had dana 44 rears also but if i remember right they 98s got wider to 64inches,i think full size pickups were 68 inches wide. theres definitly alot of choices. like said before a tape measure and a trip to the junk yard.

Thanks for the help. I've seen quite a few on the Blazer frame and it was actually one I seen about 15 years ago at a car show that really planted the bug. It was really sharp and looked factory.

I have a 52 on a 79 short bed frame the hardest part was the cab location it took along time to get it right. The front wheelbase is a little wide but reverse rims help. I would look for a whole doner truck. You will be able to use all the brake clutch and steering parts with a little work! Leave the front clip on when you hang it over the new frame. I had to use a electric fan in front of my raidiator.Keep in mind your bed will need to line up also running board length and level. My truck is almost ready for paint. I am taking it back apart now so i can shoot it all over.Let me know if i can help its a lot of work but worth it.GOOD LUCK!