hello!!
i bought a 73 model parts truck today for the disk brakes and power steering when i started to wonder if i could switch the whole frame any thoughts on this? it would be perfect if i could swap it out with my 70 since im doing a frame off resto anyway.....
The wheelbase on the later truck is 2 inches longer which will be visually evident unless you address it. And the bed mounting bolt holes will not line up since the later frame is wider in the rear. Other small things you may encounter is the shift linkage geometry on a column shifted automatic, and speedometer cable styles.
Great ideas have always encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds.
I'm in the process of puting my 71 on a 73 frame. You will have to shorten the wheel base 2" as willowbilly3 said, which can be done by moving the spring mounts froward or by shortening the frame. Another plus to using the 73 frame would be the under bed gas tank.
thanx for the info guys. with this in mind i guess it would be less constructive to just swap the front end for the disk brakes and keep my old frame.. although it would be nice to get the gas tank out of the cab, (good point)! somthin els to consider.
thanx: jack
So if I understand correctly...the cab mounts are the same? I'm interested in doing the same for my 69 on to a 76 frame. Is this info the same for a long bed? What about the speedometer cable and shift linkage issue? Does anyone have pictures of this frame swap?
That's a good tech article on the gas tank...but how trick would it be to have the filler tube come through the license plate opening with a flip down plate!!
any thoughts on this? it would be perfect if i could swap it out with my 70 since im doing a frame off resto anyway.....
