The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks 60-66 body on late model frame

Hello Everyone, I know similar questions have been answered, but I'm looking for something a little different. My 15 year old daughter wants a 60-66 chevy 4x4 (proud of her good taste in trucks), and I want her to drive something with disc brakes and airbags(SRS). I'm thinking of swapping a 60-66 body onto a 99 or later frame. I can do all the fab work necessary, like shortening a frame, but I'm worried about wheel width and other unexpected hurdles. I would like to buy a donor 4x4 and use only the body off of the 60-66. Any suggestions for frames to use, or even better, has anyone done something similar?.

Swapping frames seems logical, but once you dig deeper, not so much.

This has been cussed and discussed many times. The newer frame will indeed have a wider track width and the frame itself will not lend itself to mouunting the older cab and bed without significant modifications.

The more cost effective approach is to modify the existing frame by using the front suspension from a newer truck. As for the rear suspension it's good to go as is, or you can swap out a newer one if you so desire.

Plus there are the "legal" issues involved with swapping a frame into a truck, and the associated VIN number related issues.

As for the SRS in-cab air bags... yikes! That one will be quite the adventure. You'll need to swap out the sensors, and likely the dash and column out of the newer donor vehicle.

Given enough $$$ and time anything is possible, but updating your truck and frame is the most logical approach, IMO.

Thanks for your response. The airbags are the big reason I was thinking of the frame swap. Someone brought up the point that airbags are designed to work with that specific vehicle, so that was why I was thinking of only using the body from the 60-66.

I don't see why you couldn't simply use the sensors off the donor truck. I'm interested... what say we dig in and see what more we can find?

yes but the airbags work with the body not the frame. it is all synced with orig body and frame I should say.
HRJ is right in his statement of using the orig frame. 73-87 donors work best for the swap. 71-72 axles are between the early60-66 and the later 73-87 for width and have disc brakes on the frt. the axles basically bolt into the 63-66 4 x 4 with the exclusion of having to just relocate the spring perches on the rear axles. engs are easy mounting
ron

Here's an interesting article inregards to SRS air bag systems:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/airbag01.htm