51 Chevy Build - Help what doner would you buy

Ok, Im new but got a tough question.

I bought this truck...


my plan is to build a dually rat rod for my 5th wheel car hauler trailer.

Im looking to go with a mini semi look. I dont go long distances nor do i hail a lot. just wanting a toy.

so my question is... i found 2 doners for a great price.

diesel work truck
"Utilimaster work truck with a diesel engine. It is the Chevy 6.x diesel engine. Not the 4-cylinder. truck was left to me as part of payment for past due rent. $700"




79 GMC duelly

"Very rusty, 350 motor, 2-1/4 ton rear end with helper springs and commercial chassy. Motor and transmission only have 10,000 mi.$600"



What do you think? I like the diesel idea, but the rebuilt 350 availiblity of parts and the fact that i can drive it home makes me go the other way.

Hi there I'm new here to but I myself would go with the 350 you can find parts for it easy and the diesel is a bit heaver and the parts are a little higher too but its up to you !I like the sbc's ,bb's to and the 6's I just like chevy's

The 350 is the obvious choice to me , unless you are diesel savie you will wind up with major issues . secondly the engine will be much easier to remove from the truck than that utility truck . simplicity is important to me , I don't know about you --- Good luck

Problem with using box trucks, and bigger RV's as donors is that the front axle is set out as wide as the outsides of the rear duals.. and in my opinion that never looks right.. the front axle needs to be narrower than the rear..

If the front axle is forged you can narrow it... but since you are going to be hauling a big trailer with it.. i would avoid that if possible

I think you are going to need pretty good sized tires to fill out those wheel wells.. so if i were you i would grab a tape measure and see which axles will fit better under the fenders.. and if u think about getting the 79 gmc.. see what sort of tires you can put on it to fill out the wheel well

I bought the GMC

Ok, I made the trip last night to look at the dually gmc with a 350. Apparently the fellow that i bought it from lives next door to the guy who "built" the truck. They made it to be a scrap metal hauler. The rear end is a "duce and a quarter" rear end? Anyone ever hear of that before? Its narrow, allowing the dually tires to sit tucked in to the body. Also she has 4-11 gears, good for pulling. Anyone know what this rear end is out of?


Why are guys doing the S10 frames? are they better than a full size truck frame? Do i need to worry about this truck being too wide for a 1.5 ton body?

S10 isn't going to work well with the size of that rear end. I would go with the GMC frame you have, cut and box it to size you need, use front suspension on GMC, already on frame and should fit under 51 sheetmetal.

You could build your own frame, but from what I hear you saying, using the GMC frame will save a lot of work and money. Lots of aftermarket stuff available for the drive train and front suspension.

Will need to remove a bunch of leaves from that spring pack.

Good luck with your build.

The GMC is the obvious choice. Easy to find parts anytime, anywhere. Already set up to handle the rigors of towing something large. "Cheaper" Check the width, and the wheelbase. Are you going flatbed with removable sides? If so length is not a problem and the bigger wheel openings of the commercial AD will allow plenty of tire size and turning. Just lose the grille guard.

Bruce

The GMC is the obvious choice. Easy to find parts anytime, anywhere. Already set up to handle the rigors of towing something large. "Cheaper" Check the width, and the wheelbase. Are you going flatbed with removable sides? If so length is not a problem and the bigger wheel openings of the commercial AD will allow plenty of tire size and turning. Just lose the grille guard.

Bruce

Loose the grill gaurd?!?!? What? That thing is awesome!!! No one will ever get in front of you with that on your truck.

I see the GMC already has stacks too.

I doubt that it has a 2 1/4 ton rear end, it has 8-bolt 16" wheels on it. I'd bet that it's a stock 1-ton setup.

im so sick of 350s. everyone has one. that being said, its a driver, go for it.

Hellz Yes !!!

That dually rocks and the grill guard is kick ass !!!!

The nice thing (in your case) about the heavier Advance Design style trucks is that the front clip (fenders, hood, grill) are wider/longer than their 1/2 ton-1 ton counterparts.

You've already bought the GMC, so using what you can from that is a no brainer. That being said, I think I'd try to just keep the stock '51 chassis and swap the complete late GMC front suspension onto it, as well as the rear axle and spring package. If those wheels on the GMC are 16.5", I'd lose 'em and buy 16", go with BIG TALL 16" tires. 16.5's are starting to get harder to find.

With regards to the grill guard, your choice to keep or toss. Personally, I think it's fugly, but many might like it. Another forum you "may" wish to browse (might help you find a home for that grill guard) is:

www.stovebolt.com

Mostly resto guys, but lots of good make-specific info over there-they even have a specific forum for the larger trucks, like yours.

There's another site somewhere on the web about swapping a later C-10 front suspension under a 1/2 ton AD....I'm sorry, the exact address escapes me just now. Try typing "Joe's '50 Chevy" into Gooogle, or Bing, or whatever your search engine is....

Best of luck with your project! Look forward to seeing more as progress allows.[P

Regards,
Shea

Keeping the frame

What is the advantage of keeping the original chassis and swapping the front end, rear end, drive train? i was thinking it would be much easier to swap cabs and call it good, that way i can channel the cab to make it sit lower on the frame, i dont want a ground dragger, but sitting a little mean works.

Also I have 5k bags on my half ton and i love them for hauling purposes. They ride great and i air them up if im hauling. Anyone have thoughts of removing some if rear end springs and adding air bags right now it rides like a brick!

Do the low rider trucks take all the springs out?

I can see the front on the gmc would be fairly easy remove the coils and replace with bags, will it ride better?

There are advantages and disadvantages to either route. I like putting the stub and drivetrain in, because that is familiar to me. However, a good friend said he knows it would be easier to switch out the body and box. He does admit, however, mounting the box on the later frame may pose a few issues. either way, cool ride and idea.