my neighbor was going to get rid of his 88 ranger and asked me if i knew anyone who needed parts.i checked with my nephew and he wanted it so i brought it home for him. turned out a guy made my nephew a real good offer for his truck so he sold it. i got my tape measurer out and did measuring. wheelbase is within 1 inch. iam going to strip off the cab and box and will do further measurments. if it works out all it will cost me is some labour but its not really labour if you like what you,re doing and it works out in the end.

 

You are exactly right, orry. If you enjoy the project, it's all gravy. Glad you got a good deal. There is a lot of interest on the forum in frame swaps, but not too much information on actual projects as I recall. Take lots of pictures and put them in your gallery. Keep us posted, as I'm sure there are a number of folks who would like to see how your truck turns out.

 

yea pictures are coming and a frame swap looks easy in your mind but is it really that easy.{i,ll letyou know in a couple weeks when i get started heavy into it}

 

Most of the posts on these forums seem to indicate that a frame swap in vey hard to do ( body mounts ect) but after having a front clip installed I am begining to think that a frame swap may not be that much harder . I know that a frame swap won`t be as easy as it looks but a front clip is for experinced pros only with a lot more experince and skill than I have.

 

won't be able to work on it for two weeks now have to go away. haven't even left yet and already looking to get home.

 

Be sure to check the track width, engine location, steering box location etc before you get to cutting. Best thing to do is set the two trucks side by side after removing the front sheet metal with the wheels lined up, then look at them from all sides mentally merging them together. How close are they really, will the engine and tranny clear your firewall or will you need to do a lot of cutting? What about the steering column/wheel location? How are you going to deal with the pedals and linkages? What about the front sheet metal, how are you going to mount it? Radiator? Wiring?
Are your fabbing skills and equipment up to the task? There is a LOT more to a frame swap than just dropping everything into place and tightening a few bolts, expect to spend a couple years and thousands of dollars in the process. You need to go in with a realistically open mind and decide if you are you ready for that much effort before possibly destroying a perfectly good truck. Sit down with a piece of paper and write down exactly what you will have actually accomplished with this swap when you are finished and then decide is there an easier, quicker and/or cheaper way to accomplish those same results utilizing your present frame i.e. engine swap, suspension swap, updated controls, etc.
PS, a 1" difference in wheelbase will be noticable and look odd unless you move the fenders or wheel opening(s) to match, ask any stock wheelbase 53-56 F100 owner.

 

ax. can't put the trucks side by side. don't have the 51 frame yet. just the cab and front clip.everything was already in pieces. measuring tape and cab on frame will have to do for now.