Thread: frame swap out

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i have a 49 buick and i would like to redo the whole drive train. engine, trans, rear end, and then i would have to do brakes and the list goes on and on.. does anyone know if instead of all that if i could swap the body of my sedanette onto a more modern vehicle frame? so as to save myself money and/or trouble..? if so, how would i find what would be compatible, or does anyone know what would work? any help is much appriciated. -Riley

Riley, I'd be thinkin' front clip and rear clip, leaving the middle portion of the frame intact.

Do a search and find out what the front and rear track measurements of your car are (track is the measurement from the center of one tire to the center of the tire on the other side of the car). At the bottom of this page is a chart of popular clip donors. Use the latest model that will be close to your car so that you'll have front disc brakes and later model technology. There's also information about the rear dimensions, so pick and choose. You may have to do some tape measuring on your car if you can't find exact info.

the other thing about using clips is that you can set the ride height of the car as low as you want without screwing up the suspension geometry. Just move the entire clip up in the car where you want it to lower the car.

Remove the springs and replace them with tubing to keep the control arms/differential in place in relation to the frame just as they were designed by the factory while you do your positioning and fitting of the clips so you will know exactly what the stance of the car will be when done.

once again thanks for your help inspector.
so if i was to replace the front clip would i bolt it on? or would it have to be welded? if i welded it would it comprimise the strenth of the frame? you mentioned at the bottom of the page would be popular clip donors, but i didnt see what you were refering to. i found a web site that told me of the exact wheel base of my car, but im gonna measure my car myself to be sure.
if i was to install "air ride" suspension, should i do it while in the process, or should i put the tubing in first to keep the control arms and all in place, and then put bags on after im done?

Sorry, in my old age goofiness, I forgot to give you the link to the page I referred to...DUH...
http://www.teufert.net/other/rear%20...dimensions.htm
You would weld the donor clip to your frame stubs and use plates of 1/8" thickness steel to fill the gaps and also to double up on the joint for strength, it's called "fish-plating".

If you are planning bags, do your research to insure that bags are available for the clips you're gonna use before you do anything else. You need to have all your ducks in a row before you ever lay down any money for the clips.

Also, you wrote "the exact wheel base of my car". Of course you need to know that, but perhaps more importantly, you need to know the TRACK WIDTH. When choosing your donor clip, also take into consideration the wheels you're going to use. Will they be wider than the stock wheels and contribute to a wider track width? If so, you may consider a donor clip with a slightly narrower track in order to keep the aftermarket wheels and tires in the wheelwells to prevent the car from looking "mickey moused".

A couple more thoughts....

You might consider what motor you're gonna use and choose a front clip that used that motor from the factory. That way, you'll be able to use off-the-shelf mounts and even bolt-on headers.

When choosing your motor/trans (If buying a boneyard package, I would buy them as a unit so that you know they were engineered to work together), also purchase the transmission crossmember. Save the old Buick crossmember. Cut the ends off the donor crossmember and bolt the 1/3 middle part of it to the transmission after you have the engine/trans in place. Cut the center out of the Buick crossmember and bolt the two ends into place on the Buick frame. Now, weld the donor stub to the Buick pieces, using 1/8" plate to fill in and complete your new hybrid, homebuilt trans crossmember. Pretty neat, huh?

Use the parts which will work best for you, no matter what they came off of. It doesn't matter if the best front clip match is from an AMC Pacer, if that's what works best for you.

i didnt understand exactly what you were saying about the cross members because i must be alittle slow, but i crawled under the car and i realized what a good trick that is.

the car is in a few pieces right now because i had to replace the clutch, and a few seals in the transmission because it leaks like a civ. unfortunately the drive shaft is in one biig tube, so to get to the driveshaft out i had to back the rear-end off 6 or so inches to get the driveshaft out of the transmission. (i couldnt just unbolt the U-joints because there were no U-joints) my transmission mount is shot too, and i havent found an aftermarket one yet. but i still have a few days because i gotta wait to get my tranny back from the shop. they gave me a good deal just to replace the boot and the seals so im happy.

that was my first time pulling any of that out and i learned how a clutch works after i pulled it apart. go me, huh? im more of the hands on type. i have to get in there and do it myself if im going to learn anything. the only reason i knew that i had to back the rear-end off is because i have a friend who had to do the same thing on a '51 buick and gave me a few pointers over the phone.

so with the rear end, are you saying that i should cut off the back of the frame and weld the new one on? or would it be better/easier if i bolt another rear end instead? (I.E. like a ford 9" or whatever i find that fits properly)

i had originally thought maybe going with the caddilac 500, but i decided i dont really want to haul ass around everywhere in my baby, so i think the best one for me would probably be the usuual chevy 350. its plenty of power for me, and i can learn to work on an engine thats more common for parts. it just seems more realistic for me to go that route. the straight 8 thats in there now is HUGE and heavy, giving me about 5 to 8 mpg, and i dont have any power to show for how gigantic it is. (it looks like a desiel engine almost that you would find in a D-6 dozer)

with the front clip could i get away with just pulling the front fenders off? or do i have to pull the body off the frame, like if i was to swap frames completely?

im not real good with computers, but ill try and find a way to get some pictures of my car up on the computer if youre interested. i would like to show it off anyways.

Anxious to see some pictures of the Buick. Posting them isn't that difficult, heck I figured it out!!!!!!