Thread: best frame for 44' ford cab

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My Grandson (oldest) and I are working on a '47 ford truck. The cab and fenders came off from a one and a half ton flatbed truck. That frame was waaaayyyy toooo heavy to use, so having read a lot on the net about frame swaps, we elected to go with an s-10. First, the donor was wicked rusty, Maine road salt and old age, so we were days scraping, sanding, grinding, and painting POR-15 to get it looking and being good. Then doing a trial fit of the cab on the frame showed that the frame would have to be modified. Just in back of the motor area the frame gets bow-legged, a short section actually bows out and then back in just where the frame rails jut up in the air at the motor compartment. These stick out from under the cowl area of the truck cab. I made cardboard patterns and finally cut the offending sections out, swapped them side for side and welded them back in with fish plates for re-inforcement. I have since read/learned that you can take 5" C channel and attach it on the inside of the frame rails bridging the offset sections, weld them on to the frame rails, each side. THEN cut out the bulged out pcs. of rail, then put another C channel on the outside of the rails, making a boxed spliced replacement for those original rail sections. Wish I had discovered that before I did mine. It is all well and good for the old time car builders to say just make a new frame, but if you don't have the equipment, money, and expertise to do that, it is really discouraging, a definite turnoff, makes one want to take up fishing or such! Anyways, the long wheelbase s-10 is quite close to the correct wheelbase for a 42-47 1/2 ton p/u stock truck. The kickup in the back is quite high, and will force you to french the body down over it to make it look right with the cab, but to me is no worse than the hump some make over the axle, you still have to modify the floor of the bed to make it sit right. I ended up having to buy all new suspension and steering parts, as well as brake parts, to make my project safe. Again, old age and Maine weather etc.. I'm afraid I'm not very good at explaining things. Anyways, part way through I read on another forum that a guy put his '47 on a Ranger frame. So I bought a cheap old ranger, took it apart, sanded and such, and tried the cab of our '47 on it. No soap! For my money, the S-10 is a much better fit. And I (like others) didn't like the twin I beam front. The frame of these things look like a sway back horse!! When I get home from Thanksgiving with my Daughter's family in Ct. I will try posting some photos to show what I have done. OH, where is Brian Rupnow? He is so good at explaining, and he is GREAT with drawings of things, I'm sure he (and maybe others) could do better explaing that frame mod. Best of Luck. oldrodder43 Perley