[dsraven]

ok, grab a coffee,

before you start with the frame mock up make sure to check the donor frame for true. get it up on stands, level it up front to rear and side to side. I have a set of stands modified for this purpose. the adjustable part has been removed and replaced with some large threaded rod that sits on some rectangular tubing tacked onto the top of the jack stand. the tubing is drilled so the rod wil fit through it and then there are lock nuts to snug up to keep the rodding at whatever height I need. the other end of the rod has a 3/8 bolt welded to the end and the bolt goes through a hole in the frame of the truck with the same lock nut idea used there as well. there is usually a hole already in the frame, matching on each side, or you could drill one to accept the bolt. then it is easy to get the frame levelled up and it will stay exactly where you dial it in when you are working on it. that way you don't have to worry so much about bumping the frame, as you move stuff around and work, getting it off level. less time spent checking after each bump. a periodic recheck is advised though. very handy for doing a project like this one where you need to keep things level so they all line up the same. a rake angle can be worked into the mix as well for someone who is installing an IFS or a different suspension clip. that way things get done properly not just by eye.note that the stands used in these pics are not the ones I talked about earlier. this was a simple mock up and the frame was checked and found level at this point just sitting on the stands as seen. a couple of small shims were all that was needed here. sorry, hypocryte talking, haha.

I would also recommend a digital level before you get too deep into it. it is a great investment of under $50 and you get way better results than a bubble level because it doesn't rely on the angle you look at the bubble. it is what it is, read from any angle. they usually also have magnets and a built in laser as a bonus and are backlit so it is easy to see from a distance. a shorter style level is cheaper and could simply be placed on a longer piece of metal (like your 4 ft level like I used) or even a straight piece of wood you have kicking around as long as it is dimensionally the same throughout th length and straight.

then, after the frame is on stands and level, mark your cross members at their midpoint between the rails of the frame. I usually just use some masking tape for this but you could also center punch a mark on each one for future refernce if the frame is dirty or greasy. mark each one clearly so you know exactly where the middle is between the rails of the frame. then use a stringline or a laser and go from the middle of the rear crossmember to the middle of the front crossmember. the string or laser should be hitting the center mark on all the crossmembers in between. if not then you have some work ahead of you to get it straight. after that do a corner to corner measurement, with some help hopefully, and those numbers should be the same or within 1/8 of an inch. this can prove to be tricky if your helper doesn't hold the tape measure the same on both sides and try to use a tape that is graduated the same on both edges, so not a metric and standard tape or one that only has markings on one edge. that way your results won't be skewed by pulling the tape out of actual alignment so you can read the graduations on the other edge of the rule. you could also use something that doesn't stretch, like a piece of dog chain or a length of wire, and then mark and compare the reults. that way you know it will be held the same on each measurement. a magnet, c clamp or vice grip can be used as a substitute for a buddy, and drinks less beer, haha.

once the frame is found to be all good and before you start placing the cab, you may want to get a dimensional drawing of the original frame so you know the difference in height between the cab mounts, or floor of the cab front and rear, and the rad support height. that way you will know roughly what you will need for shim packs at the different locations on the new frame for your mount mock ups. it will help you get the cab and the rad support in the correct plane so the front clip aligns nicely with the cab and it doesn't look like the cab is sitting on the frame at an angle.

you will need a couple of lengths of 2x4, 4x4 or something else to span the width of the frame so you have a solid and stable base for the cab to sit on initially. you could wire that in place so it doesn'tmove around or fall off at a critical time. also, an assortment of wood blocks of different thicknesses kept handy to use as shims under the various body parts as you level it up. some pieces of plywood in different thicknesses also helps to use as shims as you progress from simply getting the cab on the frame to actually levelling it. in the end, for final levelling, some large flat washers work good for thinner shim packs to get everything levelled up. when the initial mock up is complete you could cut some hard wood or stack up some plywood to the right length for the mock body mount height so you can stand back and admire or you can have it sitting on a better base if the fab work for body mounts is not going to be done right away. soft wood can be used but may crush easily, if you are getting in and out of the cab while working, skewing the level. stacked plywood pieces work well and are hard to crush. if you have a hole saw you can easily pre-make a whack of them, in different thicknesses, to be all the same when stacked so they would be easy to work with. if you think about where to put the shims in relation to where the new body mounts will be placed you can leave them in place until everything is mocked up, with the front clip on and level etc, then simply fab up some body mount stands, with the right space left for mount pads, so the cab sits where you want it.then the shims canbe removed after the new mounts are bolted up. don't forget to allow for mount "squish" when the bolts are tightened down.

you will need some wheels and tires, of the correct size for your finished project, so you can see the tires in the fender wheel openings because sometimes the fit can look different depending on how low you have the truck over the wheels. in the attached pics you can see the tires in the openings at roughly the original 57 front wheel center point. with the truck lowered down to my desired ride height. you can see they look like they are stuffed into the rear of the opening. I have marked a point at the centre of the wheel opening and it looks good to my eye, at that point, at my desired ride height. it is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2" ahead of the original axle centerline in my case. it is a personal choice thing.

finally, once you get the frame all level and straight, you may need to seperate the clip for cab placement (like I did because my help also has a job in the daytime and my front clip was also predamaged from an accident so I have donor fenders, hood and rad support), but if you mark the mounting areas, take some pics for reference, then dissassemble as a unit if possible, you should be able to get it back together the same or close. if you have an engine lift you can fab up a simple cab lifter to do the fitting easily by yourself. I have attached a pic of my 57 going onto an 04 envoy frame. I did that by myself with the engine hoist "buddy" and no bandaids.

when it comes time to fab up some body perches I find square tubing works well because it is easy to work with, is flat on every side so a mount can sit flat on top of any side, it can be cut back on the sides that don't need to be there, it can be cut and bend easily in a vice for flanges at 90 degrees to the main part and has a more factory look when done. my opinion though.


anyway, hopefully this helped you or somebody.

post up a few pics of your project so we can see what you have to work with. a pic is worth a thousand words.

a little forward thinking helps keep the bandaid box full at the end of the day.