Frame swaps
From Crankshaft Coalition Wiki
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==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
This subject comes up often and I originally wrote this wiki article for a rodder who wanted to improve the ride, braking and handling characteristics of his 1949 International KB2 pickup truck. Many of the points made here will apply to other frame swaps as well. This article is actually more about a front/rear frame clip swap rather than using the entire frame intact. | This subject comes up often and I originally wrote this wiki article for a rodder who wanted to improve the ride, braking and handling characteristics of his 1949 International KB2 pickup truck. Many of the points made here will apply to other frame swaps as well. This article is actually more about a front/rear frame clip swap rather than using the entire frame intact. | ||
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Oh, and one last point if doing the 3-part swap, when you still have the donor truck all together, measure from a point on the upper control arm back to the firewall. You don't want to get the front clip all welded in and then discover that you have engine/firewall interference with the International firewall. Also, pay attention to the configuration of the Dakota firewall and take into consideration how the International firewall compares. Even if you have to screw up the "eyeball" a little, it will be better to move the clip a little forward from where the ideal is in order to avoid having to do firewall surgery. Also, pay attention to the clearance between the top of the transmission and the transmission tunnel on the International cab. You may have to adjust the ride height of the cab a little to make sure you don't have to do any surgery on the cab floor for transmission/bell housing clearance. | Oh, and one last point if doing the 3-part swap, when you still have the donor truck all together, measure from a point on the upper control arm back to the firewall. You don't want to get the front clip all welded in and then discover that you have engine/firewall interference with the International firewall. Also, pay attention to the configuration of the Dakota firewall and take into consideration how the International firewall compares. Even if you have to screw up the "eyeball" a little, it will be better to move the clip a little forward from where the ideal is in order to avoid having to do firewall surgery. Also, pay attention to the clearance between the top of the transmission and the transmission tunnel on the International cab. You may have to adjust the ride height of the cab a little to make sure you don't have to do any surgery on the cab floor for transmission/bell housing clearance. | ||
| − | ==Sourcing a | + | ==Sourcing a donor== |
If I were looking for a donor like this, I might try finding a truck with a fragged motor and/or transmission to make the purchase price more attractive. The one thing that would be MANDATORY in my opinion, would be a clear Carfax. You don't want to start with a frame that's been tweaked in an accident. I might even take a tape with me to go look at it before the purchase, crawl under and measure on an "X" between points underneath to insure that the frame is square. | If I were looking for a donor like this, I might try finding a truck with a fragged motor and/or transmission to make the purchase price more attractive. The one thing that would be MANDATORY in my opinion, would be a clear Carfax. You don't want to start with a frame that's been tweaked in an accident. I might even take a tape with me to go look at it before the purchase, crawl under and measure on an "X" between points underneath to insure that the frame is square. | ||
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Now, with the Dakota chassis secured at stock Dakota ride height, just like in a real, running example of the truck, mount the motor and transmission into the chassis on the stock mounts (you'll want to use new insulators while you're at it). At the engine crossmember, fabricate a caster wheel (pirate one off a derelict shopping cart or whatever) and attach it under the crossmember, having the caster wheel touch the ground and located slightly to the rear of the Dakota wheels and tires, so that you have a short tricycle. Cut the Dakota front frame clip off the chassis right behind the transmission crossmember. You want to keep the forward/rearward tilt of the front clip in the same position as it was on the Dakota chassis at ride height. If you allow the clip to tilt forward or backward from the factory-designed attitude, trust me, nothing will work properly. Been there, done that. PAY ATTENTION. That's why I'd use the third wheel and make a tricycle out of it, to keep everything like it's supposed to be for stock attitude and angles. | Now, with the Dakota chassis secured at stock Dakota ride height, just like in a real, running example of the truck, mount the motor and transmission into the chassis on the stock mounts (you'll want to use new insulators while you're at it). At the engine crossmember, fabricate a caster wheel (pirate one off a derelict shopping cart or whatever) and attach it under the crossmember, having the caster wheel touch the ground and located slightly to the rear of the Dakota wheels and tires, so that you have a short tricycle. Cut the Dakota front frame clip off the chassis right behind the transmission crossmember. You want to keep the forward/rearward tilt of the front clip in the same position as it was on the Dakota chassis at ride height. If you allow the clip to tilt forward or backward from the factory-designed attitude, trust me, nothing will work properly. Been there, done that. PAY ATTENTION. That's why I'd use the third wheel and make a tricycle out of it, to keep everything like it's supposed to be for stock attitude and angles. | ||
| − | As you move the Dakota front clip into position in the front of the Dodge, you may have to cut the transmission crossmember off and some more of the frame ahead of the crossmember, depending on what's in the way of letting you push the clip back far enough to get the motor up against the firewall. If you have to do this and the transmission wants to dangle, put the trans pan on a creeper and chock it back up to the proper height with wood blocks so you can still roll the Dakota front clip around. Make certain you put a level on the Dakota clip to insure it's not lower on one side than the other. If it's out a little, you can add or let a little air out of one tire to level it up. You will have to trim each of the two Dodge frame stubs and each of the two Dakota clip stubs as you move the Dakota clip into position. Just keep trimming and moving and measuring for equal wheelbase side to side until you get it there and you see how you are going to join the stubs together. You can be measuring from holes in the frame on the Dodge and the Dakota that you know are the same distance left to right in order to keep the wheelbase equal. Once you feel like you're close, have a couple of buddies hold one of the front fenders in position so you can eyeball the car from the side and check the position of the tire in the wheelwell. This is where you want to PAY ATTENTION, as this relationship will make or break the swap. Once you have the clip in place, make up your 2" x 4" "Z" components to join the stubs together. Tack them in place for now, you can finish welding them later and add flat "fish plate" reinforcements to the sides of the joints. You may have to make minor changes, so don't finish weld until you know that everything is absolute right. Having the motor/trans installed in the Dakota clip will allow you to bolt the headers up and cut the Dodge sheetmetal and other things that get in the way of the headers. | + | As you move the Dakota front clip into position in the front of the Dodge, you may have to cut the transmission crossmember off and some more of the frame ahead of the crossmember, depending on what's in the way of letting you push the clip back far enough to get the motor up against the firewall. If you have to do this and the transmission wants to dangle, put the trans pan on a creeper and chock it back up to the proper height with wood blocks so you can still roll the Dakota front clip around. Make certain you put a level on the Dakota clip to insure it's not lower on one side than the other. If it's out a little, you can add or let a little air out of one tire to level it up. You will have to trim each of the two Dodge frame stubs and each of the two Dakota clip stubs as you move the Dakota clip into position. Just keep trimming and moving and measuring for equal wheelbase side to side until you get it there and you see how you are going to join the stubs together. You can be measuring from holes in the frame on the Dodge and the Dakota that you know are the same distance left to right in order to keep the wheelbase equal. Once you feel like you're close, have a couple of buddies hold one of the front fenders in position so you can eyeball the car from the side and check the position of the tire in the wheelwell. This is where you want to PAY ATTENTION, as this relationship will make or break the swap. Once you have the clip in place, make up your 2" x 4" "Z" components to join the stubs together. Tack them in place for now, you can finish welding them later and add flat "fish plate" reinforcements to the sides of the joints. You may have to make minor changes, so don't finish weld until you know that everything is absolute right. Having the motor/trans installed in the Dakota clip will allow you to bolt the headers up and cut the Dodge sheetmetal and other things that get in the way of the headers. Make the headers fit with no interference, then use scrap metal to fill in the holes or divots that you had to make to clear the headers. Never let anything get in the way of installing a good set of tuned, long-tube headers. |
Do the same with the rear, making a tricycle with a caster wheel so that you can just wheel the clip up into place, same way you did in front. | Do the same with the rear, making a tricycle with a caster wheel so that you can just wheel the clip up into place, same way you did in front. | ||
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