Punt,Pass or Kick ?

[58 Roadie]

Hi All ,

I've come to a cross roads of sorts . I had an overhead hoist installed and

finally got to get a peek at the undersides of the ol' girl ...

Long and short of it ..The left rear frame section from control arm back is

SHOT !!!

I went into this intending a frame off , but what's the chances of finding a

replacement frame ?

On the other hand , any thoughts of parking it on a late model frame . LT-1

with modern running gear is tempting .

[Bob]

Frames re around, when cars get used for parts cars, the frame is usually one thing that is left. Look for someone with a parts car, check the frame and buy the whole thing.

Some people are putting their classic cars on modern undercarraiges, some of them do a real nice job.

[58 Roadie]

I'll have to start getting some wheel base specs and try to take a good look at the newer generation chassis .

Hey , how 'bout a 4wd conversion ...

Ahh..No

[stoneshrink]

AWD from a trailblazer

I've done frame swaps, and suspension conversions.... and the suspension conversion is the simplest because then you don't have to recreate body mounts. Most new cars have a frame that has a kickup in the back, and is very narrow in the front suspension. The back kickup forces you to cut your floorboards up to put the rear in (most pre-60 frames are flat front to back). The front suspension makes it a... (hmmm family friendly work?)... err - difficult - to put your motor in... because the wheels are further forward in the body, the steering gear box (many times) will be just behind the bumper and the frame rails themselves will be so narrow that a custom set of headers will be your only option. The best 'fit' for your car is probably a 78-1990 impala or similar body style.... but even so, I'd really consider fixing your frame and grafting in the new parts.... if you do use the awd trailblazer frame - those are a bit easier because they use rack and pinion. Hope this helps.

[Al's 52]

What car are were talking about?

[58 Roadie]

1958 Roadmaster , model 58-75r .

Yeah , it would probably be best to scrounge up a frame or repair .

Tell me more about the suspension conversion .

( I was kidding about the 4wd )

[stoneshrink]

frame conversion is all about measurements. You're not so concerned about length, and you'd be exceptionally lucky a newer frame with the same dimensions. The critical dimension is track width (there are several ways of measuring this, but you're most concerned with where the wheel is in relation to the front wheelwell. Rear is easy, you can easily have a rear end made that is the right width. Keep in mind that when you do decide on the width, you can 'fix' what the factory did.... thus, you can move the wheel in or out depending on frame used. Also, you can completely avoid walking around wrecking yards with a tape measure, and simply buy a weld-in front suspension conversion from people like Art Morrison.
so the question is back to you. what do you want?

again, an awd auto crossing 58 Roadmaster would be all 10 shades of awesome