Well I did manage to get a few hours of work in on the project this morning. It's all small steps, right?
One thing I did notice when I put the front fenders on was how far out my tires stick past the fenders. The wheels are plain steel 15" and needed a 1/4" spacer to allow clearance between the inside of the rim and the front calipers. This is not necessarily what I will be running, but the 31x10.50R15 tires were available and will be about the same size as what I will eventually run, so they made good roll around stock for now. This combo puts the tires sticking out past the fenders about 2".
Out of curiosity, I put a stock 16" chrome Dodge wheel back on the front to compare offset, without the 1/4" spacer. This only moves the outside edge of the tread in 5/8". First, I think the chrome wheels are ugly and don't really fit the "utility" feel of this build. Second, 5/8" isn't enough change to live with the first. I will probably change up to 16" plain steel wheels or some 17" Torque Thrusts with the natural cast centers and very little off set. Either way, once the paint and body work is done, I will add some old school Jeep style rubber flares up front.
^^^^ With 15" plain steel wheels and 1/4" spacer.
^^^^ With 16" chrome Dodge wheel, no spacer.
The next order of business with getting the frame ready to mount the bed. The 1957 Chevy frame had the mounting holes for the bed drilled straight through the top of the frame rails on 31 3/4" centers, ten in all. The Dodge frame I am now using has several complications to be overcome. The frame is wider than the necessary 31 3/4", so there is nothing to drill through. Second the frame behind the cab tapers outward as you go back. Third, the frame steps down four or five inches for about 24" or so behind and under the cab, then raises up to the level the cab is now mounted on. There is a pedestal the stock Dodge bed would bolt to, but these pads are 38" at the widest point.
There are also two shock brackets that stick up above the top of the rear frame, just inside the rails.
To mount the bed, I took two lengths of 2" x 3/16" plate steel 97" long to match my bed and marked them in conjunction with the bolt holes on the 1957 frame. This morning I marked them with a center punch and drilled them while clamped together so the holes match. The two lengths wre then centered up on the Dodge frame to give the 31 3/4" hole centers I need for the Chevy bed. At the front of the frame where the Dodge pedestals are, I am going to tack in a piece of 1x2" box tube to support the strips I made. Gusset plates will support the front edge where the sill and running board support will lay. I will add support pedestals as needed as well as mounting ears for the flat porstion of the frame at the rear.
More pics to follow.
-Joe