81 2wd Silverado Frame

[ToreyC]

I was wondering if anyone might have any pictures of how the front part of the frame is supposed to look onan 81 chevy. My dad handed this truck down to me, and he had built a solid bumper/grill guard and decided it would be wise to weld the bumper to the frame. He even filled in the holes for the bumper bracket. What i'm wondering- I have bought a 76 4x4 chevy to use as a parts truck (converting my 2wd to 4wd) and i was wondering if i could cut out the front section of the frame and cut off the front of mine right in front of the core support mounts and weld the section from the 76 in there to make the frame look complete again. This is the best pic i have right now. I will try to get a better one tomorrow and post it so you can see what i'm talking about. Notice the front of the frame is cut at an angle. Thanks for any help.

[bake74]

     Why don't you just use the 76 frame since it is 4wd already ?  I believe they are the same, and if not somebody will correct me.

[ToreyC]

I'm still debating on that. I have not actually got the parts truck in my posession (hopefully in a day or two i will) so i have not got to check everything out to see what the differences are. I was just worried about the cab mounts. I'm not sure if they are all the same or not. I was hoping to use as much of the original truck that i can, but realistically it would probably cheaper and easier to just swap the frame. I'll get the truck and do some checking. But i'm still curious what the front of the frame is supposed to look like. For all i know, it is normal for them to have the slant that it does, and i just need to grind the welds out of the bracket holes. Not too sure. Thanks for any input.

[thirsty]

On an 81 frame that slant is correct. The cab mounts are in the same location but the holes for the body mounts are different so you have to use the mounts specific for the frame. If the 4x4 frame is good you will save a lot of work and time and everything will go on for you with just a few small mods. You could also section the frame but will have to change the rear spring hangers too. When I converted mine I changed everything but if I had it to do over I would section it. The best way is to use the hole 4x4 frame if you have one. I couldn't find a good 4x4 frame but had a perfect 2wd to work with so I went the hard route.

[ToreyC]

Thanks for the post thirsty. I'm going to start tearing down the parts truck this weekend to get it down to the frame and see what all it would take. How hard was it to get everything lined up and square when you did your conversion. Did you have some kind of plan to go by or did you just take measurements off of another truck. My only fear is getting everything square so the truck drives straight.

[thirsty]

I had my old frame for reference and a long box frame that wasn't very good in the back for parts. One mine the holes for the rear of the rear springs were there, made a jig on my old frame to locate the front of the rear springs. One the front I cut out the area for the rear of the front spring's shackle mount including the body mount area from spare frame. Then bolt the piece to the frame and mark the holes you need. That gives you a starting point for the front of the front springs. I made a front jig on my old frame from those holes to the front. I used the same process for the rest of the stuff also. Worst part was taking 3 frames apart. A lot of rivet!!!!

[ToreyC]

That does sound like a lot of work, But i bet it was worth it in the end. You'll always have a truck you can be proud of. Thanks for the info.

[thirsty]

But i bet it was worth it in the end.

I think it was worth it. When I started the project I had no intention of converting a frame but mine was damaged from rust pretty bad. I also did not know what I was getting into. I was concerned mostly about making sure I got it right and it would drive like it did before. I did it alone so it was time consuming for me, but in the end I can say that I made it. I haven't finished the rest of the truck yet so I have not driven it. I can say however that I am confident in the chassis work that I did.

If you decide to go this route I will help you in anyway I can. Just ask.

[Captkaos]

I am doing this right now to my 1989 Jimmy Thread.  IF I had to do it over and I was doing it to a pickup not a 2WD Blazer there is NO way I would purposely chose to convert a frame from one to the other, I would get a donor and swap everything out.

[ToreyC]

But i bet it was worth it in the end.

I think it was worth it. When I started the project I had no intention of converting a frame but mine was damaged from rust pretty bad. I also did not know what I was getting into. I was concerned mostly about making sure I got it right and it would drive like it did before. I did it alone so it was time consuming for me, but in the end I can say that I made it. I haven't finished the rest of the truck yet so I have not driven it. I can say however that I am confident in the chassis work that I did.

If you decide to go this route I will help you in anyway I can. Just ask.

Thirsty, now that you posted that picture it dawned on me. I have looked over your whole thread. You have a good looking project going. I hope you get the time to finish it. I was really hoping to see an end product on it. I really appreaciate you offering to help me. I will definately be needing it.