42 chevrolet ratrod

ive started a build on a 42 chevy. this is my first build. im doing it on the cheapest of cheap. its a project ive dreamed of doing for years and the wife finally agreed. that being said, ive read some of the other posts on here and see that there is a fairly supportive audience. which is good, because im not 100 percent sure what im doing. ive got most of a body, have a sbc and a th350 sitting in my carport, ive got an s10 frame that im most likely not going to use, at least not in its current state. and im pretty sure ive got another donor vehicle of some sort in the works. also im going to pick up the frame that this truck was built on this weekend. ive tinkered with vehicles since I was a kid so I know its going to be a ton of work and im mostly doing it by myself in my carport. hoping to use the factory frame and modify it, with suspension, and brakes of a donor vehicle. truck is going to be a driver truck and my kid will undoubtably want to ride so safety is somewhat important on it. not doing anything too extravagant on my first build. I have plenty of pictures to share but theyre on my phone so ill have to add them later. any advice, constructive criticism, experiences are absolutely appreciated. im stoked about doing this build. [cl

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Later

Sounds like that is a ton of fun waiting for you. Share lots of pictures. What is your master plan/vision/whatever?


And welcome aboard!

I've pulled up a chair and the [P[P[P is hot

DozerII said:

I've pulled up a chair and the [P[P[P is hot

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^^^^ Me as well^^^^^^^.
Torchie

Skip said:

Sounds like that is a ton of fun waiting for you. Share lots of pictures. What is your master plan/vision/whatever?


And welcome aboard!

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this may be a bit winded. but the master plan is I want the frame clean, strong, and painted some color that will stand out when its seen (probably bright red). from there I'd like to put modern suspension with a c notch in the rear to sit nice n low in the weeds, and an independent front suspension. full disc brakes, coil springs and shocks or maybe airbags if funds permit. I have a 305 chevy motor and a 350 trans that im wanting to rebuild and paint and put in, and a limited slip rearend. good for driving also good for BBQing tires if need be. going to make the interior nice and as comfortable as I can. already have floor braces welded in, need a few more then I can start on sheet metaling the floor. going to paint the dash, paint the inside of the cab, put in nice...ish… seats and a headliner that I have a pretty cool idea for. (not gonna tell ya what that is incase I screw it up). want to suicide the doors, I don't have most of the bed, so I plan on doing something creative for the bed haven't quite decided what just yet. rolling over the idea of making my own, or doing a short flat bed, don't know just yet. I do know that I want to hide the battery, fuel tank, and if funds permit, the air tank under bed. for the outside im not a hundred percent sure, but most likely going to clean it up just a bit and clearcoat over the rust. or maybe if I get a reaaaally wild hair clean it up and paint it back to its factory green. truth be told other than just a handful of dents and the rockers rusted to dust the body is relatively straight... ish… ill add pictures shortly. and maybe from this point on ill take pictures with a camera not just a phone so I can share from my computer.

Around here, it didn't happen if there are no pics...[P

Trying to add pictures. Fingers crossed it works

The frame in the above pictures doesn't look that bad to me, any reason you're not using it?

Toad

S10 frame would probably be the cheapest route. Plus parts are readily available. A tape measure and a lot of figuring will make it work.

I have done 2 s10 41s so if you need pointers or advice just ask. I will tell you the sweet spot to minimize work is to mount the cab ~4" off the s10 frame. that keeps the steering box from sticking up through the splash pan and gives enough room for a 21x19 rad. (a 22x 19 doesnt fit, too wide)


good luck, looks like you have good sheetmetal. if you have a good bed I say use it. if you have a longbed s10 keep in mind the wheelbase is 117 and the 42 will be 115, so you will need to move the fenders back on the bedsides or just know you will have an extra 2" between the cab and bed. if you need any random parts I have some stuff left over from the projects.

joedoh said:

I have done 2 s10 41s so if you need pointers or advice just ask. I will tell you the sweet spot to minimize work is to mount the cab ~4" off the s10 frame. that keeps the steering box from sticking up through the splash pan and gives enough room for a 21x19 rad. (a 22x 19 doesnt fit, too wide)


good luck, looks like you have good sheetmetal. if you have a good bed I say use it. if you have a longbed s10 keep in mind the wheelbase is 117 and the 42 will be 115, so you will need to move the fenders back on the bedsides or just know you will have an extra 2" between the cab and bed. if you need any random parts I have some stuff left over from the projects.

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If you go with big rear tires, mounting them a little rearward in the rear fenders gives it a bit of a pro street race car stance

Plus, most old trucks didn't have the wheels centered in the first place so you can make up some of the difference by centering the front.

If your truck is a 42, it's an early 42 because, the fender running lights were used on the 41 trucks. The lights were leftovers from the 40 Pontiac that GM used till gone.
They then changed to a slightly different running light and lens.
Google 40 Pontiac then 41 and 42 Chevy pickup and view the light, you'll see what I'm talking about.



40 Ppontiac

It's not long enough. And it's too wide.

It's from a short wheel base S10, it's been cut, and welded, and had pieces welded into it, and cut off. And not by me. I'm thinking of welding the front subframe to the factory frame. I was told it was a 42. I can't swear to anything because it doesn't have a title. I'm waiting until I can put things side by side to see what I'm actually going to do. I'm sure I will have at least a few million questions as I go. Definitely appreciate any and all help.

Several of those style cabs in the "Builds" section. Lots of info can be found there along with different approaches to the build. You'll be fine...

TommyL said:

It's from a short wheel base S10, it's been cut, and welded, and had pieces welded into it, and cut off. And not by me. I'm thinking of welding the front subframe to the factory frame. I was told it was a 42. I can't swear to anything because it doesn't have a title. I'm waiting until I can put things side by side to see what I'm actually going to do. I'm sure I will have at least a few million questions as I go. Definitely appreciate any and all help.

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the short wheelbase s10 is actually super easy to lengthen! the s10 frame is a lot wider than the stock frame starting at around the back of the front wheel, so it may be more difficult to splice it than just using the whole thing.

snopro I dont disagree but 2 inches is a lot haha and I actually like the front wheels slightly back and the rear wheels slightly forward. last 41 I took everyones advice and moved the front forward of center, got a lot of affirmation but I didnt like it.

Old Iron the one I just built was a late 41 and it was all mixed up, it had 41 park lights but a rear window without a die cast ring (42) but a one piece headliner (41) but cowl mounted inner fender mounts (42) but 41 dash knobs. it also had steel covered rod outer door handles and plastic covered rod inner door and window cranks (42 for sure)

if it has a vin tag on the passenger side cowl, you can give us the first couple numbers and we can decode it for you. so there will be two distinct sets of numbers, a large number-letter-letter-number-number, then a smaller set of smaller numbers only. All I need is the number-letter-letter-number-number.

I've got no vin numbers anywhere that I've seen.

The S10 frame looks like it was narrowed right where you need it narrowed. That is helpful. Assuming, of course, that the work is done well, or can be made so. If you are running front fenders, you may be golden.

NOTE: If you are not running front fender, the Ugly Suspension Police will be around to let you know about it.

As for the frame length. I am using a standard cab short bed frame. All I did was shorten my bed and stick the fenders over the rear tires. Check my build for a peak. I also shortened the running boards, and trimmed the back of the bed so the fenders hang out past the tail gate. Details on request, if it is not in my build thread. (which is a bit sketchy...) Bagging the S10 frame is common, and will get you pretty low.

Have fun, and as you said, safety first.

Gonna be fun to follow along. BBQ'ing tires is good. That 305 should light things up fine.
Lots of S10's around ready to be donors. Easy to modify the wheelbase. Terrific knowledge and experience is shared here by seasoned builders.
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