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.