i guys and gals, i recently got my hand on an oldy, mainly surface rust. it is a Canadian built truck, so the VIN numbers are hard to decifer. VIN 7143301199 Model 1433 Body Trial 124 Trim 394 Paint 730 Eng x182 319 the reason i am taking on this project is to have a reliable truck to tow my 25 foot toy hauler [aprox 6000lbs]. what would be the best route to go: buying a mid 90's 3/4 ton four wheel drive and fit the '49 on to it or change out the '49 with new engine, front end, tranny and rear end? If the best way to go is a newer truck retrofit, what year and make?
Hi Glenn, welcome to here. All I can figure out is that the 14 in your number indicates a 1 ton. It looks like you have a lot of work to do no matter which way you ultimately decide on going. Personally, I would keep the frame, swap motor tranny & maybe the rear end. At the end of the day it's your truck, and any way you decide to go is the right way. Thanks for joining the forum, looking forward to following your build.
thanks for the input. i will do a full photo diary on this site. Hopefully we can get some good debate which way to go and i WILL do what the professionals recomend.
It's like Deja Vu all over again! Welcome Glenn! Will you be disappointed if I tell you that your truck might be a 1947 and not a 49? After reading your post, it donned on me that we had done this before, so I searched the older threads and found this. https://talk.classicparts.com/showthread.php?t=6267&highlight=aubrey Looking forward to seeing some pictures and once again, welcome. Ken
hey Thanks, older the better! Do you have any input on using existing frame or fitting the 47! on a new model?
keep frame I just did this to my dad's (soon to be mine) '53 3800 (One-ton.) He restored it about twenty years ago so I started with a great truck to begin with. But I blew up the engine so I decided to put in an IFS from an '87 suburban 3/4 ton and a 350 from an 89' Suburban. That gave me coil springs, power disc brakes, power steering, a THM 400 automatic, fuel injection, all without ruining the integrity of the original frame. I found it easier than dismantling the whole truck. As for you, if the truck has to be taken apart anyway, a new frame may be easier. -Nick
Thanks, was the Suburban four wheel drive? Would it mean custom drive shafts, all new brackets, frame modifications. Since I am redoing all the cab, should i just infill weld and prime all holes [pedals, steering colomn etc] and cut to fit after?
Newer full size trucks have a wider track width than the older ones. If you aren't lowering it, it should not be a problem. Mount the cab to the new chassis so that the front wheels line up and the engine fits the firewall. Make your mounts, then lengthen or shorten the rear to get the wheelbase you need, get driveshaft made up, run brake lines, and all the finish work.
Suburban IFS The suburban was two wheel, I have no need for four wheel especially with duals in the back! The nice thing with this swap for the one-tons is that the height works out well. If you want a slammed truck this isn't the right thing. I had to make a 3/4" shim for each side between the frame and the suspension because the original frame is narrower. The power steering box needs a fabricated bracket. I bought an under the floor master cylinder with power booster from our host. I cut the original steering column down and used two u-joints and a 3/4" DD shaft to connect to the steering box. Depending what you want to do for the engine there may be some mods for the mounts and or driveshaft. With my 350 I made some motor mounts, shortened the driveshaft, moved the radiator forward and made a fancy throttle control from a volvo. Like I said before, in your case either option may be a wash.
Nice ! Where's that junkyard ? . Take lots of picrtures now as well as later and save all the old dead stock parts ~ folks want 'em .
1 ton refit Mine is a 1952 1 ton Chev. After a lot of head scratching, I settled on an '83 F##d 4WD 1/2 ton frame/engine/trans/everything else. The wheels sit a little wider than stock. I started with a long box supercab based on availability, took an 18" section out of each frame rail and had the rear driveshaft shortened by the same amount. The frame rails are a bit wider than stock so I had also to shorten the running board brackets to make them fit. The rear mount would have landed right on the front hanger of the rear springs, so I moved the mounting point on the r/b. The adapter brackets for the box crossbeams and the cab mounts were pretty straightforward. When it is all together, the driver's seat is pretty high in the air, but no worse than a lot of new trucks on the road. The main issue for me was to not have to design and fabricate my own frame/suspension/drivetrain. I am OK with shortening the frame because I know that there are a bunch of different lengths that all have the same components. If I was more of a purist, I would have looked closer at Chev frames, but one big drawback in my mind was GM's preference for putting the gas tank outside the frame rail. It would interfere with the running board, so I would have had to find a new spot for the gas tank.
Scuba thanks, i think i am going to try my damnest to use the original frame. I see you are in Calgary, i was talking to Street Heat Rods, and seem to think i should use the original frame, put in a 350 [350hp, 400lbs], turbo 350, F**d 9" [5-1] rear end and Mustang super glide front end. They figured about 20k for the chassis. Remember this is to tow a toy hauler at about 6000lbs. ???
6000 lbs My truck is going to be used to haul about 6000 lbs, in the bed (2 yards of gravel, at least.) I would look into using a Chevy or GM IFS from a 3/4 ton truck from the late seventies through the eighties. Could save you money on the Mustang front end. My whole build cost about $1000. But that was only doing engine, trans, brakes and suspension. And a LOT of evenings and weekends! Here's a shot of the front end installed. I can get you more if you want. https://talk.classicparts.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=2254&size=big&cat=
I concur with the 1947 model year. I think that was the only year the gas tank was not in the cab. Did you get the box as well or are you going to build a flat bed? With a 5.00 diff you could haul your trailer anywhere you want, but not very fast. I thought my 3.55 was a low ratio. What kind of transmission do you have in mind? I have an E4OD in a 91 F150 and they seem pretty bulletproof. I am actually about a 40 minute drive west of Calgary. If you are interested in seeing how I matched up body and frame, drop me a PM.
