John,
I don't have any good information on what chassis would be best for
you to use under your truck, but I do have a 1985 Silverado chassis under
my '51. At first I wanted to put the cab back onto an old chassis (1954
3/4 ton), but have been leaning toward keeping the '85 chassis because of
the reasons you mentioned (modern running gear, etc without having to worry
about having everything correct before welding). Although the wheels are
spaced too far apart, I think that I can find wheels with sufficient
backspacing so that the tires will be under the fenders.
I'm not sure how the PO (actually the PO was my dad, but my younger
brother and some of his friends put the cab on the '85 frame) fit the cab
to the frame, but my plan is to completely assemble the cab sheet metal
(including front fenders, etc.) and sit it onto the frame. This has
already been done for the cab itself, but not for the front fenders and
bed. Once everything is in place I will support the various components in
whatever way is necessary to make it all align properly. When that is done
I will begin making support brackets as necessary.
If I am approaching this incorrectly, please someone let me know. I
don't like the idea of using an S-10 frame because it is not heavy duty
enough for a full size truck. I expect that my 51 will be a daily driver
and a work truck and so I need the extra capacity of a full size (at least)
half ton truck. I have a 1989 S-10 and really like it, but it is not
sufficient for some of the things I plan to do, such as pulling trailers,
hauling heavy loads, etc.
BobK
51 Silverado (no-longer-a-3600??) 5-window (in pieces)
Arnaudville, LA
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
|