47 merc

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henrys47merc

started taking the car apart.Front end off,cleaned ton of junk out of it to see how bad of shape it is in.A ton of work,but i have the time to do it.I am using a 77 chevy truck frame under it. zero coust for it ,just swapping frame for frame.Yes it will have a chevy drive train in it ,allready have the motor ect.This a very low buget build.
 
started taking the car apart.Front end off,cleaned ton of junk out of it to see how bad of shape it is in.A ton of work,but i have the time to do it.I am using a 77 chevy truck frame under it. zero coust for it ,just swapping frame for frame.Yes it will have a chevy drive train in it ,allready have the motor ect.This a very low buget build.

are you removing the front suspenion also if not it will be a way to wide, i used a s10 frame that was complete with all the running gear the tires fit under the fenders just fine
 
henrys47merc

I have worked with a truck frame of the same kind, so i will know to fix those little things.
 
henrys47merc

been busy on the merc. have some pics of the rust bucket.
 

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Free is good......but...

Not if it makes a ton of extra work making stuff fit.....I've heard the s-10 and dakota frames do fit the wheel base to a T.....but hey, your build, your work, I'm just a lookie lou.....drive on!! :D [P
 
Not if it makes a ton of extra work making stuff fit.....I've heard the s-10 and dakota frames do fit the wheel base to a T.....but hey, your build, your work, I'm just a lookie lou.....drive on!! :D [P

i think you meant the track fits to a t...most if not all of these frames need to been shortened...it looks like the original p.o. has a good original frame to start with and a s10 front clip would be a lot better idea than that truck frame
 
I stand corrected....you are correct sir....track...

Actually I'm sitting down..........you know what i mean...lol :D
 
henrys47merc

Well here is the bottom line. I have to change to a s10 frame, so now everyone will be happy with my frame .not me. Back to work soon as the weather brakes.
 
i think you meant the track fits to a t...most if not all of these frames need to been shortened...it looks like the original p.o. has a good original frame to start with and a s10 front clip would be a lot better idea than that truck frame

No, wheelbase is correct. S-10 frames usually fit the wheelbase of old truck. The 117" wheelbase of the regular cab longbox S-10 is usually a perfect fit for a regular cab shortbox vintage truck, or the 124" wheelbase of the extended cab shortbox S-10 is usually a perfect fit for a regular cab longbox vintage truck. The S-10 track width is much narrower than a vintage truck, but that's find if you want a lowered stance with wide wheels. My wheels are all reversed with small backspacing to fill out the fenders.

Since yours is a coupe and the wheelbase is 114", the regular cab longbox S-10 will be close. Factor in that most cars in that era didn't have the wheels centered, and it will probably be about perfect. However, I wouldn't use an S-10 frame in a car for one simple reason: The rear kick-up on the S-10 frame will result in a lot of lost floor and trunk space on a car. It's not as big of a deal on a truck, but can cause some major issues on a car. Personally for a car, I would look at swapping in an 80's chevy mid-size car frame.
 
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I tired the 80's mid-size car from on ht 1940 Chevy and it didn't work (how I wanted it to) because the frame was wider that the body of the car. I could have moved forward, but I would have had 2+/- inches of frame under the running boards (UGLY)... I would have had to cut the frame and shorten it, so i opted for a short bed frame for mine and so far I"m happy :)...[cl

the ford may be wider than my chevy was... but measure... measure and MEASURE... I didn't measure just right and ended up spending 3 weeks on something that didn't work.
 
I will be watching this one unfold, because I have a '47 Merc that I want to put with a '48 Monarch coupe. The more I read the advice on RRR the more I think I will use my existing frame with some boxing. Mine will be a tail dragger so I have to worry about rear-end hump and suspension travel at the back, more than you do.
Remembering back to when I put a full sized Ford P.U. under a '47 Ford truck, I found not only that the wheels stuck out through the fenders but that the steering box ended up almost touching the corner of the cab at the mounting bracket. Some Chevies had their steering box way up at the front of the frame so you might be alright with the steering. Your motor will sure fit in easily.
I have just finished putting and old pick-up on a Ranger frame. That worked for me. The frame never got wider than 33".
Keep on tinkering.
 
I will be watching this one unfold, because I have a '47 Merc that I want to put with a '48 Monarch coupe. The more I read the advice on RRR the more I think I will use my existing frame with some boxing. Mine will be a tail dragger so I have to worry about rear-end hump and suspension travel at the back, more than you do.
Remembering back to when I put a full sized Ford P.U. under a '47 Ford truck, I found not only that the wheels stuck out through the fenders but that the steering box ended up almost touching the corner of the cab at the mounting bracket. Some Chevies had their steering box way up at the front of the frame so you might be alright with the steering. Your motor will sure fit in easily.
I have just finished putting and old pick-up on a Ranger frame. That worked for me. The frame never got wider than 33".
Keep on tinkering.

I feel your pain on fitment... I opted for the S-10 because I was going for a 2 door 2 seater... I may do a 2+2 but I won't know until I get there...
 

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