47-55.1 AD vs. TF Chassis Mounting Points

[damnyankee36]

Still looking for my next project. I am back to looking at AD models. I found a 51 3600 flatbed. He will sell me just the cab and front sheet metal and include a bed from another 3100.

Quick question: Is the 3600 body mounts the same as a 3100? I will most likely be doing an S10 swap.

Thanks!

[mr48chev]

All 49/55.1 Chevy conventional cab mounts are the same as far as your needs go.

47/48 had a cab mount in the center of the rear of the cab rather than the shackles on the frame lke 49 and later did.
All 3000 series front sheet metal is the same as far as 3100, 3600 and 3800 trucks go.

Big truck ones that have the heavy ribbed bumper = 4000 series and up have the same cab but the front end sheet metal is all different. A lot of guys and especially those doing frame swaps snag cabs off those trucks though. Especially in grain crop areas they only got used a couple of months a year and stuck in a shed for the rest of the year but after the engines gave out or just as often after the truck became obsolete because they were using larger trucks to haul the crop they got parked and forgotten.

For your purposes the cab and nose work if they are in great shape.

[damnyankee36]

Thank you! That's what I was hoping for.

[mr48chev]

The AD and TF frames are totally different outside of their general design.

The AD frames taper from frame horns to the firewall and 3100 frames taper from behind the cab to the rear frame horns while TF frames are pretty well straight and square all the way from front to rear.

[dsraven]

get yourself an assembly manual for all the specs and frame drawings etc. then swap a frame, build a frame or get a frame somewhere. if he has the frame for the truck, just buy the whole thing along with the regular box and sort through it all once you have it all at your shop. like previously mentioned the AD and TF trucks don't share a common frame style. if you are set on doing a frame swap with the S10 get hold of joedoh, he has done so many S10 swaps he could walk you through it while sleeping. he also is making frame bracket kits for the AD to S10 frame swaps. if he doesn't have what you need then you don't really need it. haha. I suggest to PM him for more info, delivery times, prices , etc/

[damnyankee36]

Originally Posted by dsraven

if you are set on doing a frame swap with the S10 get hold of joedoh, he has done so many S10 swaps he could walk you through it while sleeping. he also is making frame bracket kits for the AD to S10 frame swaps. if he doesn't have what you need then you don't really need it. haha. I suggest to PM him for more info, delivery times, prices , etc/

Thanks, I have seen kits for S10s. I would rather do that instead of reinventing the wheel. It would be worth the extra cost.

[mr48chev]

Joedoe sells a "kit" that I believe is many many dollars less than those kits you see advertised. Unless you do it like he does there is no savings over getting a MII or other front end setup and upgrading rear suspenson. I've seen guys spend four or five K putting an S-10 under one and still have a worn out 250K miles S-10 chassis that came out from under a hard used work truck.