1955 3200 2nd Series Frame Swap Ideas

[DakotaKid08]

The Dakota wheel base is 131 which is to long but track length is good. I don't want a 4wd so the zr2 won't work. Now I'm thinking of just keeping the original frame. Jacked it up and everything looks straight and no rust.
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[av8tr33337]

There are NO dumb questions. We have all been there at one point in our lives.

I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, but on the website you found, the measurements they show as far as I can remember, should be track width and wheelbase.

Track width is the measurement from side to side which would be from wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface. For example: let's say that you took your wheels off of your truck and measured from where the wheel was making contact with the brake rotor or brake drum. That is considered the wheel mounting surface.

Wheel base is the measurement from front to back measuring from the center of the rear axle to the center of the front hub. If you are doing this on your own truck make sure the wheels are straight. If they aren't, it could throw your measurement off an inch or 2. you can make sure by taking this measurement from both sides of the vehicle. if the wheels are straight you should get the same measurement on both sides.

I've used the website you are referring to but for your own piece of mind, I would compare your own measurements on your own truck and your donor if at all possible.

[av8tr33337]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

I think the dakota comes in at 59" wide..

I kinda thought that was about right. That's why I suggested the Dakota. Im using an 84 Camaro rear end on my S10 chassis swap and it is about 60 inches as well, which if Im not mistaken in within an inch of the track width of my 51 3100.

Also the Dakota, I suspect, would have just a bit beefier suspension than my S10 Donor. There is a build on this forum or maybe at killbillet that is a Dakota swap on a 47-54 3100. Might be worth a look. Maybe somebody has already provided the link. Like I said I didn't read everyone's responses.

[joedoh]

just a small correction, track width is center of tire to center of tire. wms to wms is axle width. you can change track width pretty substantially with higher or lower offset wheels, axle width is a little harder to change.

[gabe2000]

I used 1967 chevy truck swb frame with trailing rear arm which makes road smooth ride. fits almost perfect. only front body mount I moved 1.5in to front. This frame are rare to find but I seen them on criagslist or truck without title.

[mongocanfly]

Dakotakid..("I don't want a 4wd so the zr2 won't work")
you must not understand what i was getting at..that's just the width of the read axle wms to wms..zr2 axle will work as all your using is the rear axle..not the whole truck..its commonly used in swaps because it comes with 3.73 and a locker.a little wider than the 4x4 rear so your rim bakspacing is a little more

[gabe2000]

another option:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=351609

[gabe2000]

another option which i think its the best and has inspired me.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=515876

[DakotaKid08]

Originally Posted by av8tr33337

I kinda thought that was about right. That's why I suggested the Dakota. Im using an 84 Camaro rear end on my S10 chassis swap and it is about 60 inches as well, which if Im not mistaken in within an inch of the track width of my 51 3100.

Also the Dakota, I suspect, would have just a bit beefier suspension than my S10 Donor. There is a build on this forum or maybe at killbillet that is a Dakota swap on a 47-54 3100. Might be worth a look. Maybe somebody has already provided the link. Like I said I didn't read everyone's responses.

The track width is correct but the wheelbase is 131 and to long, a 3100 is 114. I do plan on shorting the long box so could go longer then 114.
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[DakotaKid08]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Dakotakid..("I don't want a 4wd so the zr2 won't work")
you must not understand what i was getting at..that's just the width of the read axle wms to wms..zr2 axle will work as all your using is the rear axle..not the whole truck..its commonly used in swaps because it comes with 3.73 and a locker.a little wider than the 4x4 rear so your rim bakspacing is a little more

Ok thanks that makes more sense. I believe my brother has one that he just blew the motor on so I'm going to go measure the wheelbase and see how close it is... It's showing that it's 122 for the extended cab but The track width on the zr2 is really close.
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[mongocanfly]

Dakota ..go back up and read what joedoh posted..just to clarify again...track width and axle width (wms to wms) are not the same thing...

[DakotaKid08]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Dakota ..go back up and read what joedoh posted..just to clarify again...track width and axle width (wms to wms) are not the same thing...

Ok thanks for clarification guys! Can you explain the higher and lower offset wheels? Longer control arms can also widen the track as well? Some pickups look goofy to my with the tires tucked way under the fenders. The link I'm finding my measurements is below.

http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w...l_measurements
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[joedoh]

Originally Posted by DakotaKid08

Ok thanks for clarification guys! Can you explain the higher and lower offset wheels? Longer control arms can also widen the track as well? Some pickups look goofy to my with the tires tucked way under the fenders. The link I'm finding my measurements is below.

http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w...l_measurements
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offset is measured from the center of the wheel. positive offset is when the wheel mounting surface of the wheel is closer to the outside lip of the wheel, negative offset is when the wheel mounting surface of the wheel is closer to the inside lip of the wheel. its measured in mm.

backspacing is measured from the back lip of the wheel to the wheel mounting surface. low backspace wheels have the wheel mounting surface closer to the inside lip, high backspace wheels have the wheel mounting surface further away from the inside lip.

backspace and offset are both very dependent on width. a wheel with 3 inches of backspace will fit very differently if it is 7 inches wide than if it is 10 inches wide, even though the wheel mounting surface is 3 inches from the inside lip on both wheels. a wheel with +0 offset will also fit differently if it is 7 inches wide versus 10 inches wide, even though the wheel mounting surface is right in the center of both. if you are looking at wheels and someone tells you XX backspace or XX offset fits, make sure you know the wheel width, changing the width can make the wider or narrower wheel not fit!

so if you have a truck with +0 7" wide wheels and a track width of 60 inches, and you install wheels that are +25 offset, your track width to the center of the tires will be ~two inches less, or 58 inches. if you put on wheels that have -25 offset, the track width will be 62 inches.

on s10 swaps, some people add two inch spacers, which changes the track width by 4 inches wider. some people use wheels with less backspace (more negative offset) to accomplish the same thing without spacers.

the reason why people tuck wheels under the fenders is to retain some kind of turning radius. on a bagged truck, it may be possible to lift the truck and untuck the tires to turn, but it takes more air and remembering to do it. easier to leave a little room in the fenders to turn. on a static lowered truck, you dont have much choice, you can either run wheels that allow you to turn, or you can make 30 point turns.

I used arms that were 4 inches longer on each side on my 65, so the track width with a stock wheel would be 8 inches wider than an s10. Then I used wheels with a higher positive offset, more backspace, so that I could still turn. they were 22x8.5, and almost 30" diameter, so I needed a lot of room to turn without rubbing. raising the truck up that high to drive looked silly and rode poorly, so I was glad for the extra space.

[DakotaKid08]

Thanks Joe that was more info then I could've asked for. I never thought you had that much room to work with based on wheel set. I would like to have my truck bagged but have never done it before so little intimated. Thanks for the info again guys this forum rocks!
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[whitedog76]

I'm partial to theTrailblazer/Envoy chassis swap. They're a tight fit on 1st series trucks, but work well on 2nd series trucks. You can buy a running/driving chassis for not a lot of dough, in v8 or I6 platform. You get 4 wheel discs, rack&pinion, rear 4 link, etc... with the chassis. There's about a dozen bolts that hold the body on frame. Unhook the steering column, unplug a few connectors, the whole body comes off.

[gabe2000]

sounds perfect to me!!! sounds like a miracle!!! I'll be selling to 1967 frame, engine/transmission down here a Austin,tx and start looking for trailblazer.
If lucky a v8 trailblazer but some are 4x4 which i do not want.
x2

[av8tr33337]

Thanks Joe I stand corrected on the definition of "Track Width". Also if you go to Wikipedia they show 3 different wheel bases for the Dakota built from 1997 to 2004. Production July 1996 – July 2004 (North America)

Wheelbase 111.9 in (2,842 mm) (reg. short)
123.9 in (3,147 mm) (reg. long)
131.0 in (3,327 mm) (ext. cab)

the 123.9 might work ok with a 3/4 ton advanced design. Don't know


Dodge durango from 1998–2003
had a wheelbase of 116.2 inches. I know nothing about these just thought I'd throw that out there. they could be unibody for all I know.

[mongocanfly]

Dakotakid..here's a site that gets into backspacing offset and such..http://www.autoanything.com/wheels-r...el-backspacing

[mongocanfly]

And another on track width..https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axle_track

[DakotaKid08]

Originally Posted by whitedog76

I'm partial to theTrailblazer/Envoy chassis swap. They're a tight fit on 1st series trucks, but work well on 2nd series trucks. You can buy a running/driving chassis for not a lot of dough, in v8 or I6 platform. You get 4 wheel discs, rack&pinion, rear 4 link, etc... with the chassis. There's about a dozen bolts that hold the body on frame. Unhook the steering column, unplug a few connectors, the whole body comes off.

You make it sounds to good to be true lol I'm going to look into it for sure. Do you have any photos of the ones you have done?

Thanks again for the info guys!
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[mongocanfly]

Here's another take on the envoy/trailblazer swap..even though its a ad burb there's lots of good reading in bbeeps thread...http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ighlight=envoy

[whitedog76]

I'm actually still driving my Trailblazer. I originally was going to do a Vortec 4200 swap into my 54. I have the motor and trans. mocked up, but I got to thinking about everything else I need/want to do. My wife OKed me to use our 04 TB (which we've had since 05). Now it's a matter of getting it done.

BTW- look for the long wheel base Trailblazers & Envoys. It'll be much eaiser if you need to shorten your frame.

Here's some other links.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=608904
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=681291
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=653590&page=2

Here's how to pull the body.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSukLMLZy48

Here's the 4200 in my 54