I have a close friend that will donate it to my project. 75 camaro subframe/whole assembly.

Anybody done this?

'49 F-3 to 1/2 ton lowered

 

You will need to check the track to see if it is to wide. The 76 camero track is 61.3. I am using a 86 Monte Carlo which is 58.5 track. Also if possible find one with tie-rods and steering box in front of the x-member. Several people have put a gm frontend under the truck. There are many articles about the installation. Sent your email and I'll send a couple articles to you. chuck

 

What do you hope to gain by cutting your frame in half and grafting on a Camaro clip? The assembly is incredibly heavy for what it is, you still don't get the benefit of rack and pinion steering, and you lose all your body mount locations. It takes a lot of work to ensure you have everything back together straight and level, and the margain for error is pretty high. IMHO, it's not the easiest or best way to "modernize" your truck.

 

jeff i had a frame under a 55 that had one of those consarned gm clips under it . it's a lot of work for nothing as like mentioned it adds a load of weight and i believe the track is going to be too wide for you bonus built . it's a possibility , but i think it's gonna be too wide for sure , than you have the issues of mounting the front clip as everything on these trucks mounts off the radiator support , and it isn't meant to mount to a camaro clip. suggestion : get it up and running with either the six or your choice of driveline and contemplate the options while beating on her . like i said personally i'd go m2 as they are already preengineered , bolt / weld into your frame , and the parts are everywhere . for the work it's gonna take just to line that clip up and get it in you could've had the mustang in it and driving in less that 1/2 that . i know were all tight ***** , but after having a couple of those brilliant "brain farts" that never got finished well ...................

 

The track is too wide for a f1, …………………..I used one on a 1946 other brand car frame and it worked well but it has a wider track.

 

Thanks to all! I let it go to the scrap yard. I saw a possible opportunity to lower my front end without spending a butt load of money on an aftermarket front end. yeah it would be easier but Dang its alot of money at least it seems to me. I need to just accept the fact that if I want it lowered then Im gonna have to get out the wallet?
I won't mind spending the money I just want as much bang for the buck as possible.
I am seeing aftermarket kits for like $1700 and does that take care of the front suspension basically? Hook the new rack and pinion up to a power steering pump and steering shaft mods? I mean I know its not free but anyone have some insight for me. Sorry for all the questions but I just want to know what works best both mechanically and financially...
Can I use the original steering column? I would like to...

 

Jeff- have you read the Tech article on the options for front suspensions? If not, it has a lot of good info. Check out the jaguar IFS and even IRS as they are a decent fit for your truck and you can pick up a whole car for under $500 in the model years noted. Look through all the parts (listed at the bottom of the article). good luck.
Front Suspension Alternatives for 1948 - 1960 Ford Trucks, Part One .: Articles

 

Thanks for the article link. I did read/skim throught some of this not long ago. I am reading more in detail and I am starting to have doubts! I am gonna take a break here and stop thinking so hard about this truck...
My head is starting to hurt! Sometimes I think I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder!

 

Then you will fit right in with the people in this group!

(perfectly normal behavior, it comes with the old truck, it’s a no cost built-in feature)

 

okay so the frames on an f-1 and f-3 are the same right? or same width right?

 

they should be . on my 55's the only difference was the frame material itself seemed slightly thicker , and the rails were "taller" if i remember right on the f350 , and boy were they ever bigger on the f-6 !!!!!!!!!! same dimensions though ............ there will be the obvious differences in length .

 

here's a couple pics of my bigger trucks in case you were to go the other way jeff !!!!!!! and one of the now deceased 55 on a modified 74 ford 1/2 ton frame using the cut down bed from the 1 ton ............ just food for thought as a big truck or getting creative .........Attachment 23418

Attachment 23419

Attachment 23420

 

All Bonus Built frames are 32" wide at the front, and SAE standard 34" wide behind the cab. The F-1 frame rails are 5.92" tall, 2.25" wide, and .015" thick. The F-2 and F-3 frame rails are 6.00" tall, 2.25" wide, and .019" thick. Stu

 

Trust me after you shell out the bucks for the IFS, it gets better. The rest of the things that need to be done are way more affordable. Yeah right. Sell a kidney or your first born that should cover the costs on building one. You need a "rathole".

 

speedway has some pretty nice looking kit's i was eyeballing and if you dont want the fancy tubular arms etc. they run about 1,000 . i was gonna go this route with that bird irs i have , and do one frame or the other up as a "hot rod " but with the 52 to deal with / play with besides the 53 that's way on the back burner now . i told you 60.00 for that bird irs didn't i jeff ???? make sure i quoted you the right price .