Nope this is not just another newbie asking about a chassis swap

A mate of mine has decided to put his F-4 cab onto a mid 80's Bronco 4WD chassis, with a fifth wheel hitch in a custom tray.

If there is enough interest I will take some photo's of the process so we at least have some sort of reference as to the level of work compared to an update of an original chassis.

The guy involved is a professional sheet metal worker, who runs a trailer business and wants the completed truck to haul the big gooseneck horse floats that he builds. His engineer had a preference for basing it on a late model chassis.

So far he has replaced the sills with 4x2 tube, sliced out the entire floor, raised the stepup in the rear panel 4" and raised the centre of the rear body mount crossmember 4".

He has completely removed the front body mounts and will fabricate new ones from the old Bronco mounts.

He is intending to channel the truck 3" in the process.

I have to say from the outset that I am a firm believer that the best chassis for a truck is the one it left the factory with, and that updating suspension is FAR easier than a body swap......so I am liable to be playing "devils advocate" on this project.

It will be interesting to see what results a professional sheet metal worker can achieve on this. He has already spent about 8 hours on it and there is a VERY big hole where the floor should be.

If it works out, I may have a go myself at mating together a 53 cab with a 76 SWB F100 chassis, simply because I can't find a 53-56 chassis here but have the F100 chassis.

Last weekend I saw a '48 on a 76 F100 chassis at a rod run. Very neat, finished, good driving rod......so this is acheivable.

Anyone interested in seeing a tech series on this swap, or should I not bother ??

 

The chassis swap question comes up quite often so I think anything you could document would be of help for the future. Glad you are willing to do it.

 

I too think that it should be documented, if for no other reason that to keep someone like me who KNOWS that their skills are enough to do/screw up anything.

Maybe it would save one more Ol Truck from the scrap yard

 

Please - I want to see it. To me it would be of interest and something I might even copy.

 

Yep.

I have seen the question come up often enough that I thought having photographic evidence of how much work it is might save a few trucks from getting butchered and abandoned.

 

Is this the same guy who started to write up his adventure on the HAMB? Sounds like a project that really needs photo documentation and some written record of the steps (and missteps, if any) that he is going to take.

Give us the write up and we'll settle some standing discussion of this topic... or at least be able to point it out to those inquiring minds. Thanks, halfdone.

, himmelberg

 

Don't believe he is a HAMB user (I am), will check.

Got a link too the thread ? I did a quick search and could only find a guy doing two F-1's one slammed and one big foot style......that it?

 

I too think that this would be very interesting as the thread comes up alot. Thats great that you are willing to document it. I look forward to it.

Not long ago (few weeks) there was a 48 COE on E-bay that had been mounted on a late model Bronco frame but there wasn't too many details given about it.

Good luck
Bobby

 

Funny that.....I see lot's of half finished projects on ebay with weird and wonderfull combinations of body and chassis, but not many finished ones

Maybe the finished ones are so good no one ever sells them

Or maybe not......

 

Hey, I'm the "newbie" with the '56 F-100 on the '78 F-150 4x4 frame. It's coming along nicely and is just the opposite of the Aussie project. Not one piece of the '56 will be harmed in the making of this truck. All adaptations are on the frame.

So far the frame has been shortened 6" under the cab area and '56 style mounts fabricated to the frame.

It's a lot of work, but not as much as some of you would say. On the other hand, so far this Aussie project is more about channeling and customizing the cab than chassis swap, so you can't fairly compare the time or effort involved.

As far as butchering, I'm generally into purist type car restoration. But when it comes to my truck, it was built as a truck and it's going to remain a truck, not a chopped, channeled, lowered rod with car suspension and a blown engine. To me, that's a butchered truck too. But that's just my humble opinion.

Glad to see most of you guys are keeping an open mind to these projects.

--van

 

Van,

Pictures, pictures, pictures!! Lets have a lok at it. It sounds like a really interesting project so far.

Bobby

 

Van,
Pictures, pictures, pictures, and even more pictures! I too want a truck that remains a truck - something you can drive accross a field or accross a sandy stream.

The only chassis swaps I have seen look like they were given a 3" body lift - which I do not want. If yours turns out looking about stock, I will copy you.

 

Mine will be about 3" lift. But it's set up so that could be removed with minor suspension modifications.

The bed is now secured, everything looks pretty good.

Will work on pix.

--van

 

The 3" lift is what it had before because it's a 4 x 4 chassis.

--van

 

Sounds great, looking forward to seeing it.