Thread: Frame swap

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rained for 3 days strait quit today at noon , drove her today( and I need to raise the seats about 5"s )....
will "make" the fenders fit tomorrow ( was going to do it today but started playing around with the tail lights! )
every thing is still strait , was worried about the doors not closing properly, but every thing looks alright. Did get the gas door cut out today,( new gas filler will be right between the bumper and trunk ) weld in a patch piece tomorrow to fill that in.

and try and get more of the body finished welding, ( just spot welded still ) want to make sure the fenders line up the way I want before I weld her all up to finish.

Been looking at welding the front fenders and hood together to make it a one piece tilt front end......? still pondering
not sure ,,, " But bad back and being lazy are pushing me to think it is a good idea to do it ! " just the hood and fenders would tilt the grill and bumper would stay and I remember from the 4x4 days how to make the hinges that bolt to the frame rail and will allow you to take it off at full tilt.

need to start looking for the air ride ( or something like it ) for this model , so when I do drop the back, I can still get down the drive.
( if your wondering the wife gave me a "kick" when I had it tilted up in the back and was going to cut it so it would hit the ground, .... women ! )

thinking I'm going to mold the mustache piece of trim in to the front with the hood and fender, maybe leave it off ? it's broke and I don't like it anyway ....the hood ornament is already gone (I took it of ) welded the holes up, not sure what to do in the big hole in the front? don't want that emblem but I want something there not just smooth skin , ?

any way just an update " most of it from here on out is just > make it fit<< "
tell me what ya think? any ideas ....
other then "show me pictures !" and yes I'm still taking them
T L

TL .. Great thread.. about the nose ornament, that's a tough one. I saw an old photo of one with the ornament taken out and just the trim left, looked good but that hole starts looking really big. Maybe keep the hole. just reshape it a bit to mimic the lines of the front of the hood? and then it should follow the lines of the mustache you plan on molding into the hood. Or just smooth it out and get some nice pinstriping on it, suttle but effective. the little details are always a brainer because you spend so much time in working out the big stuff that in the end you want the drive by stance to be bitchin'... .. !! but again Sounds great and i cant wait to see the pictures.

Vino : I may just do that , "cover it up and do a little pin striping on the front! " I was going to have a little here and there " kind of hidden, except for the trunk ,........ not much,........ don't want to much. But that's a good option, I don't know about "just a'hole" ? even shaped right, ........? I'll sI-fer'sum on it thou.
And thanks for the comments!

And the update : Well not much , been pretty humid!and hot out there, but I been working on my old blazer for the wife, she's wanting to drive it and I want to practice on it . " Been practicing my flip front end"
>> May sound stupid but I'd rather have to find '78 blazer fenders then '51 Buick fenders ......
" Just mainly refreshing ( been a tough year for my ol'brains ) & getting me thinking about how I should cut the buick , and,,,, I told her I was going to do it a while back "

Did take the dash insert out and got to thinking how I should mount the radio/ heater/ air/ "every thing I don't want people to see " . Going to make the insert flip down , and have all the controls hidden. but I'll bolt/brazen the old knobs to the chrome insert in the back . ((I'll try and find a pix of the dash like mine to post to give you an idea )) Maybe if it works out good, I may be able to make some of the knobs functional ? not priority tho' "

Steering looks like I can make it fit perfectly , like it was made to do what I'm doing. looks like I get to use the Olds back seat.

Oh ya just reread what I was writing last post : I did get the fenders lined-up and fitted , leaned the radiator back 1,1/2" on top . ( had 4" to play with )
Using the plastic inner fenders from the Olds . looks good but , I still have lots of work to do.

Got the gas door welded up " not the prettiest thing in the world but should clean up good. "

Ummmmmm? found out that "Air Ride " , Ain't cheap! well.....? for the control panel I'm wanting with the height sensors all the way around anyway .
>> " I just think it'd be cool to pull up and shut her off and the car slowly rests on the frame! " <<<< don't want to hop or that 3 wheel crap!
I ain't no low rider !!!! " , I just want a good tuff stance, but also << be able to go down a "normal " Oklahoma road. but I don't want to be ..... cattywampus from the airride either .

will see what I get accomplished in the next few, got 10 things going on around here, trying to make up for the past year and a half. ............. "I love it ! "

And ya "ain't" ,ain't a word but I hate reading post we're the guy looks like he speaks in monotone and it all runs 2gether,
and has no character >> just MHO If'n you don't like it ......... iggy me.

well I'm rambling, should get to town this weekend and I'll do the one hour photo than'G. and maybe ????? have some pixs for everybody sat/night............. maybe.....? Thanks for reading

T L

here is the dash I wanted to keep...... ? and now I have to make work crazy hu ?
best I could find but you get the idea.
don't think I'll get to use my old steering wheel? maybe to big....... "or I'll have to keep it tilted all the way down " not worth it.

For the hood emblem; use some 3/16, maybe 1/4" round stock. Form it to the oval shape of the perimieter of the hole. Weld it on, fill the "gap" with a flair of weld bead, smooth it with filler. Now you've got a nice "frenched" opening that gives the front of the hood some "texture" and style. Then cut the Buick shield from the stock piece, mount it with some flat black strap on the back and center it in the opening. From a couple feet back it will look like the emblem is floating in the center of the opening.

Wow, Tree you are making great prgress. Really looking forward to the pictures. Al or Bob, if you ever find that Dick Dean article I sure would like a copy of it, either scanned or hard copy.

Pat

What a great thread and idea. This might just be the answer I am looking for to upgrade my daughter’s 51 Chevy - just have to locate a suitable donor vehicle.

As has been mentioned, Oldsmobiles from the 70s and 80s are a dime a dozen right now but they came in a variety of wheelbase and track dimensions. Does anyone know of a site that lists the dimensions of the different models so that I can match the dimensions to those of the Chevy? It would save a lot of poking around with a tape measure and let me know which models I should be looking for.

Also, any thoughts on other possible donor vehicles? It would have to have a full frame and should be equipped with a V8, modern disk brakes etc. – possibly another GM car or something from the Ford line (I think the Crown Vic is still built with a full frame but I have no idea of its size.)

RestoRod : here is one for the Olds, Ninety-Eights
http://encyclopedia.classicoldsmobil...ght/index.html
"wheel base , motors and such. "

I think that would look cool , MBBob " I been drawing stuff up but still not sure........ ?
thanks Pat. " And I haven't found that Dick Dean article either, but I would also like to have a copy. "

I'll edit this later and add more, tonight .........

Thanks TL - I guess that eliminates the 98s - the shortest wheelbase is 119 inches and the Chevy is 115. Great info tho and saves me a lot of looking.
Any other suggestions??

well her we go ........ I hope they all post .
this is what I started with, found it while I was out working, got the "Original motor , seats, radio, everything was there, the plan was to restore, but I have learned >>>>>> " I Am NOT A Restorer Kind of Guy" <<<<<<<<

I wish I could have posted these as I went along /w dates but ........
and can't post a pix to an already submitted post. so you'll get the idea.
now remember I'm poor, and slow "physically ,....... not in the head " so she's a work in progress .
hope you guys enjoy this.

"this first is of how we found her, and of gubersmooch that sold her. "

Ok that work ,this is of the Olds and buick the day I started cutting, and of the dash "gone" , then of the body gone < I know it's a big jump but I guess nobody stoped and took pixs ? We were all having to much fun cutting it up

as you'll notice I switched hub caps by then,

next will be the Buick before w/ my pedal car in front , then blocked and going up, then back down after the frame was pulled.

Now I have the body off ,of both .And the Buick getting dropped over the Olds frame. then a pix of how I cut the Olds rockers so it could slide right over and I'd have some metal to weld under the Buick rockers, Perfect fit ! " I spent 3 days just measuring and thinking how things should go ." worrywart HU ?

Then the last is of it before the tack welds and getting everything level .I ended up leveling the frame all around (corner 2 corner and front to back ) and dropping it a little more then this pix ,and tacking it , Before the fenders were set in place .
" see all the parts in the back ground / " ... "You have to love a wife, that'll put up with this ! "

"this was taken just the other evening so this is exactly what she looks like now" , the fenders are fitted and bunged on until I get ready to flip the front end and start sand blasting again.

"If you look at the closest pile of scrap metal in the pix that's how much I cut off the front to make them fit "

you can kind of see where the gas door was. right over the back drivers side tire.

The tires are different sizes ? .... in the back and she's sitting on a hill so looks like she has a weird stance ,but really she sits perfectly level. all around I'll switch tires and get some pixs of her on a flat spot so you can tell .

and in the back ground the trailer is full of old Olds parts, under the brown tarp. that someone wanted.

I'm still taking pixs so I'll try and keep this thread going until she's primed and ready for paint. I haven't done much on the inside other then what I've said but I'll get pix of everything as I go.

Try and get before and after of every thing,
hope ya liked it
and sorry to the dial up guys for the bit rate .
T L