Thread: Frame work

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That went from butcher block to art, nice work. Do you have a preference on what clips you like to work with? I hear the Dakota one is a popular swap also.

Yeah Guys it was a horrible installation. Like I said it was the worst I've seen. Angle iron, different gauges of metal just slap together with what ever was laying around.

Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

That went from butcher block to art, nice work. Do you have a preference on what clips you like to work with? I hear the Dakota one is a popular swap also.

I've installed many clips and if we are talking about donors I like the 78-88 Monte Carlo for that for the mid 50's trucks and S10 for the late 40's and early 50's trucks. I don't know why people use the whole frame but they do I just use the S10 front section. I try to stay very close to the original track width, so of course it depends on the car or truck as to what I start looking for. The Camaro is also a very good clip but I perfer the 78-88 Monte Carlo because of the 58 inch track width I like the steering box a little better also. But the Camaro is an easier clip to work with because of its reference points it's easier to get square.

I don't touch the Volare anymore but it was a very popular donor in the past because of its ease of installation. Notch the frame and install and no worry about sheetmetal alignment like with any clip that you have to cut the front section of the frame completely off. But its hard to find parts and you have to offset your engine because of the big steering box and header choice is limited.

I have a buddy who just installed a jag frontend on his 57 Chevy truck. It came out nice also no cutting the off of the frame you just notch it. He also installed the IRS. The rear was a little more involved but he did a pretty nice job. People take them out of the cage but he used it and modified his rear frame and made mounts like in the car.

If we are talking aftermarket I love the Flat Out Engineering cross member. You just bolt on vette stuff after you install the cross member you can do front and rear if you like. They also sale the same for the Dakota and I have a friend who installed that and he likes it alot. Its a pretty nice healthy looking cross member.

Imo it all depends on what you are looking for. For simplicity of installation I would always go aftermarket but if you are on a budget nothing is wrong with a donor clip that is installed correctly.They ride just as nice in my opinion and are proven. Now if you are building for bragging rights or shows thats another story.