Moparmat2000
I'm Awesome
Nice build. Heres an idea for you that would work. I did this on a 1963 dodge town panel for a guy. The 63 dodge townie is 114" wheelbase. Same leaf spring front end. Same exact frame under it as yours. We found a 1979 short bed standard cab dodge pickup and used its frame. Same frame all the way up from body change in 1973 all the way thru 1993. This should make it easy to find one. Avoid a ramcharger or trailduster. Those are like a SWB 1970s bllazer, and are 108" wheelbase
73 up its 115". It has independent front end and big disc brakes. 12" rotors, and 2.75" piston calipers. This requires a 15" rim minimum. A ford 9" from a late 1960s mustang around 67-68 is the exact width and is a direct bolt in, its also the same bolt pattern as a dodge truck. 5 bolt 4.5" circle. That extra 1" in frame length shouldn't be a big deal as the front wheel openings are huge. The steering box will be a Saginaw box, and adapting hoses to it from a GM shouldn't be too difficult.
Plus if you find a V8 or newer V6 frame, it may be easier figuring a mount setup to to in. Slanty 6 was made I believe all the way through 1986. After that they went to a 318 derived V6. Kinda like the chevy 4.3 is a shortened 305.
The utiline short bed is the same stamping from 1955-1987. All its holes should line right up as a direct bolt in to the newer frame. How we did the cab mounts on the townie on the 1979 frame was we cut off the 79 cab mounts from the 79 frame. Made temporary spacers to support the cab giving a space between it and the new frame. Then we cut the cab mounts off the old frame, bolted them in place on the cab lining it up with the new 79 frame, then welded them in place to the new frame,. After that, we
knocked the spacers back out. I think we used 3/4" plywood strips as temp spacers.
Nice project
Hope this helps.
Matt
73 up its 115". It has independent front end and big disc brakes. 12" rotors, and 2.75" piston calipers. This requires a 15" rim minimum. A ford 9" from a late 1960s mustang around 67-68 is the exact width and is a direct bolt in, its also the same bolt pattern as a dodge truck. 5 bolt 4.5" circle. That extra 1" in frame length shouldn't be a big deal as the front wheel openings are huge. The steering box will be a Saginaw box, and adapting hoses to it from a GM shouldn't be too difficult.
Plus if you find a V8 or newer V6 frame, it may be easier figuring a mount setup to to in. Slanty 6 was made I believe all the way through 1986. After that they went to a 318 derived V6. Kinda like the chevy 4.3 is a shortened 305.
The utiline short bed is the same stamping from 1955-1987. All its holes should line right up as a direct bolt in to the newer frame. How we did the cab mounts on the townie on the 1979 frame was we cut off the 79 cab mounts from the 79 frame. Made temporary spacers to support the cab giving a space between it and the new frame. Then we cut the cab mounts off the old frame, bolted them in place on the cab lining it up with the new 79 frame, then welded them in place to the new frame,. After that, we
knocked the spacers back out. I think we used 3/4" plywood strips as temp spacers.
Nice project
Hope this helps.
Matt
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