arkansaspilot Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) O.K I need to know what chassis will fit under my b3b108 truck. Anyone know the easiest thing to put under this truck? Thank you. I know the s10 has a 108.3 wheelbase and the ford ranger 107.9 and dakota is too long. Will the ranger or s10 work? Edited October 30, 2012 by arkansaspilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Nothing is going to bolt up to it. That's a given! S-10's and Rangers will be too narrow. You can go to Eastwood's build threads and find one they're doing with a S-10 under it. If that's the look you want, go for it. Dakota's have the right width but need to be shortened. "budstruck" has one that's well documented and there are several others as well. The easiest is to modify what you have already. Volare clips, MII setups, Crown Vics and even a C5 Corvette suspension has been put under these trucks. I've got a MII coil over under mine and when time and money show up at the same place and time, will get a triangulated 4 link in the rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkansaspilot Posted October 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Nothing is going to bolt up to it. That's a given! S-10's and Rangers will be too narrow. You can go to Eastwood's build threads and find one they're doing with a S-10 under it. If that's the look you want, go for it. Dakota's have the right width but need to be shortened. "budstruck" has one that's well documented and there are several others as well. The easiest is to modify what you have already. Volare clips, MII setups, Crown Vics and even a C5 Corvette suspension has been put under these trucks. I've got a MII coil over under mine and when time and money show up at the same place and time, will get a triangulated 4 link in the rear. ERRRRR was afraid of that but when you take on a project nothing is easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruffy49 Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 The frame rail width on the trucks is 1/16" narrower than a stock C4 Corvette... shim stock is your friend... I only know because I used to work around the corner from Art Morrison Chassis, have known that shop for years. Specs came from them in 2010, was going to go that route on my 49 and decided it was too expensive. 48-52 Ford F1 is very close, but not close enough for a direct swap. My uncle has one, we measured them against each other. 47-55.5 Chevy or GM ain't even close. Measured them side by side at the neighbor's house. Ranger rear axle can be grafted on. Either replace the spring perches or swap your factory springs and mounts inboard, side to side. You'll need to mod your center cross member and relocate the fuel tank. Square nose Ranger 5 speed can replace the stock trans, the how-to is somewhere on the car forum. If you use the trans and rear end from a 108" Ranger the driveshaft MIGHT work. From a 114" forget it. I have both wheel base Rangers at my house, the 114" is my parts donor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkansaspilot Posted October 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 The frame rail width on the trucks is 1/16" narrower than a stock C4 Corvette... shim stock is your friend...I only know because I used to work around the corner from Art Morrison Chassis, have known that shop for years. Specs came from them in 2010, was going to go that route on my 49 and decided it was too expensive. 48-52 Ford F1 is very close, but not close enough for a direct swap. My uncle has one, we measured them against each other. 47-55.5 Chevy or GM ain't even close. Measured them side by side at the neighbor's house. Ranger rear axle can be grafted on. Either replace the spring perches or swap your factory springs and mounts inboard, side to side. You'll need to mod your center cross member and relocate the fuel tank. Square nose Ranger 5 speed can replace the stock trans, the how-to is somewhere on the car forum. If you use the trans and rear end from a 108" Ranger the driveshaft MIGHT work. From a 114" forget it. I have both wheel base Rangers at my house, the 114" is my parts donor. thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Is there a problem with the frame you have? There's going to be a certain amount of fabrication whether you swap frames or suspension. What direction are you trying to go with this truck? Specific goals? The more we know, the easier it is to offer suggestions. What are your skill levels as far as welding and fabrication? Do you have the tools or access to them to do what is needed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buds truck Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 I sent you a pm in answer to the one you sent me. A frame swap is not for the weak of heart or skills. I am not saying you can't do it, I just want to forewarn you that it is not as easy as it sounds. There are alot of parts trucks (and cars) for sale or in the junk yard because their owners thought it would be a piece of cake and then found themselves over their heads. Like Dave said, what are your plans? There are plenty of things you can do with your stock chassis. I changed mine over because I have been in the auto body trade since 1968 and I actually do have the experience to make it happen. It's your choice, just be sure you make the one that is best for you and your truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albolton Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 forget the frame swap...call up fatman, and put an IFS under it, then your sheetmetal just bolts right back into place. you still need some skills, but its way easier than a frame swap for most applications Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkansaspilot Posted November 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 forget the frame swap...call up fatman, and put an IFS under it, then your sheetmetal just bolts right back into place. you still need some skills, but its way easier than a frame swap for most applications Fatman? Are you talking about a helix front end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Fatman? Are you talking about a helix front end? Fatman Fabrications. It's a MII style IFS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkansaspilot Posted November 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2012 Fatman Fabrications. It's a MII style IFS. Check out helix MII IFS just as good and cheaper. these only come with 2" drop spindles. Dont think thats going to be low enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted November 2, 2012 Report Share Posted November 2, 2012 Helix is a brand name,same as Fatmans, Heidts, etc. I used a Paul Horton Welder Series cross member with Speedway arms, standard spindles, Granada discs. Low enough? I think a soda can might fit under the front sheet metal. The cross member I used lets me set the ride height. It's not predetermined as in some other kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkansaspilot Posted November 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) Helix is a brand name,same as Fatmans, Heidts, etc. I used a Paul Horton Welder Series cross member with Speedway arms, standard spindles, Granada discs. Low enough? I think a soda can might fit under the front sheet metal.The cross member I used lets me set the ride height. It's not predetermined as in some other kits. Do you have a link? or whats the part number of your cross member? Edited November 2, 2012 by arkansaspilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted November 2, 2012 Report Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) Pretty easy to find. Navigating aroiund in his site is a little more difficult than it used to be. Has a downloadable catalog. www.welderseries.com I used the 58" width. With the wheels I'm thinking of using, puts the track width within a 1/2" of factory. Edited November 6, 2012 by Dave72dt corrected the width of IFS setup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albolton Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) Check out helix MII IFS just as good and cheaper. these only come with 2" drop spindles. Dont think thats going to be low enough. I run a fatman with standard spindles, and its plenty low enough..in fact almost 2 low, a little math will help you determine your final ride height, and spindles are easliy changed if required. the thing i like about the fatman kit is it is made for the truck, the widths are right, the rake is nice, and the x member fits, Horton stuff is also really nice, but when I did mine it was the first one i had done, and I was definitely nervous about cutting up my truck., the fatman kit took alot of the guess work out of it. Dont get me wrong ..you still need some fairly strong fabrication skills, but it was a fairly straight forward install. Edited November 3, 2012 by albolton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruffy49 Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 What tail lights are those? They look a whole lot nicer than most other off the shelf choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albolton Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) What tail lights are those? They look a whole lot nicer than most other off the shelf choices. 37 Ford, aftermarket chrome LED about $80 for the pair, also available painted black if you want to colour match, I bought mine at Hortons hotrod parts, i like them too Edited November 4, 2012 by albolton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albolton Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) just looked at the Helix stuff online, runs within 100 bucks of the fatman kit, and its a universal kit. the fatman kit is made to fit your truck, with your drivetrain choice, and it comes with every nut and bolt to finish the install, not saying in anyway that the quality of the helix isnt good, but i cant even describe to you how happy I am with the fatman set up, front end alignment went perfectly, and seriously...the truck handles as well as my wifes 2010 mustang, it has made my truck even better than I ever imagined it could be....just my opinion Edited November 4, 2012 by albolton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkansaspilot Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 just looked at the Helix stuff online, runs within 100 bucks of the fatman kit, and its a universal kit. the fatman kit is made to fit your truck, with your drivetrain choice, and it comes with every nut and bolt to finish the install, not saying in anyway that the quality of the helix isnt good, but i cant even describe to you how happy I am with the fatman set up, front end alignment went perfectly, and seriously...the truck handles as well as my wifes 2010 mustang, it has made my truck even better than I ever imagined it could be....just my opinion thx bud I appreciate it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Furman Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 @albolton Is the Fatman solution a "bolt in" or "weld in" set up. How would you describe the skill level required top install a Fatman MII on a B-Series chassis? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkansaspilot Posted November 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 @alboltonIs the Fatman solution a "bolt in" or "weld in" set up. How would you describe the skill level required top install a Fatman MII on a B-Series chassis? weld in. Not extremely difficult but not easy for me cause I'm not a great welder and fabricator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albolton Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 You need some decent fab skills ..if you can't weld it yourself you could get it all tacked up and have a friend weld it up..I found the firewall and trans tunnel more work than the suspension, I am a millwright by trade, and I bet I still have at least 100 hours in it between the suspension, and the firewall, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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