1958 Saab story
 

Well, I'm at it again. I picked up a solid 1958 short wheel base Chevy Panel truck. It's just a roller with 1979 4x4 axles front and rear with the steering column and brake booster setup from the same truck. It also came with a 2004 Chevy suburban 2500 as a donor. The suburban is a 6.0l, 4l80e, push button 4wd, 14 bolt rear with 4:10 gears. With the wheelbase difference, there was a lot of cutting and welding to be done to fit the panel truck body on the chassis. Plus i don't want a lifted truck. So MadKidd and I worked out a trade. He got the suburban and i got his 2006 Saab 97x. It's the same wheel base, 6.0l LQ4, beefedup 4l70e trans and a 3:73 gear.

Just likes my last build http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=768482 , the plan is to cut out the fire wall and floor pans and set the panel truck body on the Saab floor pan, retaining all the creature comforts and driveability of a late model with the classic bodystyle on the outside.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Sounds like a cool project, Ill subscribe.

I dont know anything about Saabs, it has a 6.0L ? Ill definitely check out your other build. Ive got similar plans for my 65 suburban.

Love the Cherokee too, I have a chief with a Duramax .

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

The Saab came with an aluminum 5.3l.

Nice Jeep!

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I ordered some 1958 Chevy impala front turn signal bezels so i could change up the grille. I have a few ideas, but they all hinged on if the turn signal bezels would work or not. It turns out they're perfect for what i had in mind. Since the Saab has factory fog lights, I'll run fog lights in the bezels with amber halos to function as turn signals.

I know I'm holding the one in the picture upside down, but they don't really "belong" on the truck anyways, so we'll see how i feel when it comes time to make a decision

The last 2 pictures are of the lights i used on my Jeep project.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

interested to see what ya do with this grill

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

No real progress, but i did pick up a 1950 Buick front bumper with tooth grille to hopefully use with the impala turn signals. Dad and i tried to hold it in place with a floor Jack, but the brackets hit the steering gear box before it got close to being in place.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Today i removed the bumper brackets and used a ratchet strap to hold the bumper in place. Up high looks awesome and fills in the grille nicely, but blocks the turn signals i plan to use. Down low is technically where the bumper should be, but there's a huge gap. We'll see.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Looks grate. Very impressive apparence.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

So I'm finally starting on this project. First thing was to remove the old frame. I staged the wheels to get an idea of the direction I want to go with it.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Kool project !

Like the Buick bumper grill. Paint looks good love the color .

I see where the state has made the Georgia slant a problem for you .

Have fun with your build .

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Madkidd, don't look!!!

I got up early and gutted the Saab. As I get things out of the way, I can get better measurements. It's looking like the body will hang 12 inches lower than the floor pan. I should be able to retain the step pocket that extend to the bottom of the door. I'm in the process of removing the wooden floor in the panel truck. I want to be able to see through the floor and make the necessary braces to the existing Saab floor pan and then figure out how to proceed from there.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I dropped the rear wooden floor in one piece. I left the crossmember that the wood floor attaches to and cut out the floor pan about halfway up the fire wall. I'll trim away as needed once I get the Saab skinny enough to slip the panel truck body over.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Gee … this project feels like something from AMT , JoHan , Revel , MPC :)

Big kids toys :)

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

It's funny you say that. My dad made the exact same reference when he saw my progress. He said "it's like you took 2 model car kits and you're mixing and matching different parts from opposing boxes."

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Yep there seems to be a lot of that going on .

A friend of mine had a ‘49 Mercury with a ‘90 Buick front wheel drive chassis slipped under it completely even the interior . Outside custom Merc inside new Buick .

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

More cutting. I got the Saab down to the bare essentials and wheeled it under the panel truck to take some measurements. I was hoping to keep the Saab floor pan under the wood floor in the back, but it wasn't in the cards. I pulled it back out and cut off the floor just behind where the fuse panel mounts. I'll end up cutting the wood floor right about where the front cross member will go. Also I won't be able to keep the entry steps. The dash board kinda dictates where everything will need and, unfortunately the body won't hang down like I'd hoped. We'll see what happens when I get that far.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

when I did mine at that point (57 gmc on 04 envoy) I trimmed the envoy floor to allow steps. I also used part of the firewall but if doing it again i would use more of the firewall. it has the mount for the brake booster which is also the mount for the pedals so I ended up welding some areas to accept the stock pedal adapter plate.
I placed my cab down over the frame and floor pan with the firewalls lined up and the floor sitting on its original mounts and bolted up. then i used some threaded rod attached to the cab as a way to adjust and fine tune the cab to frame dimensions. I lowered the cab until the body was about the same height as the lower edge of the frame. that way you won't get a surprise one day on a speed bump. the step vertical flanges were shortened accordingly. the problem I now have is the stock envoy seat attached to the floor is a little low for the dash height. i could have shimmed the body off the frame, like a 4x4 lift kit would do, but it is a little late now. maybe I will shim the seats instead. it could go up about an inch and half. you decide on yours because it is your truck, but I thought I would mention that point before it gets too late for you too. using the stock envoy floor and seat arrangement means the seat will be further away from the dash so your should then becomes closer to the rear of the door opening. I suggest to do some tacks when you get it like you like it and then install the seat and see how you like it. the floor pan is rust coated so ensure to grind that off in the areas where you will weld, those fumes really aint good for you. the weld thru primer is good to have kicking around as it is a fairly good rust inhibitor to spray over the welds and it dries fast
pics show envoy suspension at stock ride height. I pinned the suspension prior to removing the body so I would know where it is supposed to sit. the springs can be adjusted afterwards if the body moves a bunch up or down when the suspension pins are removed.the envoy/trailblazer/saab came with air ride as an option on the rear so I could do that with stock air bags and remove the coils since all the frames have the sockets for the bags to mount into. the fronts are a strut so there are lowering struts available if needed up front.
keep posting progress pics, it's interesting stuff. also, keep doing your body dimensional checks to ensure the doors will still fit when done. things get tweaked easily and you don't notice. i cross braced mine but there was a time when the floor, roof, firewall and rear of the cab were missing.I extended my cab so a seat would fit.
you may have noticed the floor hump is not in the middle but offset to the passengers side.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

here is a link to a trailblazer/envoy/saab frame swap on a 52 burb. it might be worth a read for some ideas.

https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=348244

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

More drilling out spot welds and making the Saab as skinny as possible. I removed the 58 dash in one piece.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

And the tedious task of lower the body, mark what needs to be cut away, lift the body, pull the Saab out, cut and repeat. The wheels are so big, the arms on the lift want to hit the tires, so I have to remove the rear wheels and let the jack all the way down to get the step wells to clear the dash. But I think I'm making great progress and I'm liking what I'm seeing.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I have an SSR , it's built on the same chassis as yours .

Being a convertible it has a lot of cowl shake .
Their is a company called http://simple-engineering.com that has a lot of fixes for the SSR . Some may apply to your build , like Chassis stiffening plate under the engine and a double tube cross member .
I'm also a member at http://www.ssrfanatic.com

Here's my SSR

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I took the dash out of mine because it is a bit wider than the stock cab interior.
it's too bad you have to work around that hoist, haha. looking good, keep posting, maybe I will find time to work on mine soon too.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

More and more trimming. I removed the interior and cut off the inner rockers to make room for the step wells. I also cut away as much of the "a" pillar to get the dash where is going to be.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

And that's as far down as she'll go. It looks like I'm going to have to remove the dash and cut into the firewall to get everything trimmed away enough to lower the body another 6 inches or so.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Great project will definitely follow along!! On a side note always was a Saab 9 series convertible fan never found one in decent shape

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I was showing my dad my progress and we decided to put the rear wheels on and see how they fit. The body needs to go forward about an inch to center the rear wheels.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Yeah, youre right about the dash thing. Wen i did mine i took the dash out. When it came time to install i had to narrow the dash some. On the envoy the headight switch was on the far left with a vent as well as a vent on the far right. Those will just get reconfigured when i get to putting it back together.
You may have to shorten the frame up along with removing the stock rad support when you get to that stage. The front frame horns will also be too long and tall for the stock bumper.
Pay attention to the foor height inside because to get the dash the right height to fit the windshield properly the cab will be seriosly low slung. If doing mine again i would do a body lift on the stock body mounts. That would also give more room over that crossmember ahead of the rear diff and also above the fuel tank bump.
Looks really good so far. Keep posting your progress.
Curious, where does your original firewall end up in relation to the saab firewall? Mine sits in the same place.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

The frame is fairly easily shortened or stretched a little. There is a welded seam area just behind the kick down behind the front wheels where the frame levels off. I would recomend to get the body down over the frame and at the floor height you want, then install a front tire and hang a front fender to see how the wheel looks in the opening. Since the front wheel opening is tapered on the rear part but not the front part it is important to get the wheel opening in the right place at ride height with a tire size you will end up with. Saab stock tire may be too tall. I went with a 28 inch tall tire similar in size to a 235/75R15 that I used to run on my 58 daily driver back in the day.that part is up to you though. So far I am using the stock 17 inch wheels from the envoy with 235/60R17 tires. They may chamge to something custom when done but the offset and diameter will stay the same as the mock up wheels and tires.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

The dash panel isnt really that tough to take off, just a lot of wiring plugs that need to come off to get the radio, heater controls etc. Take pics as you gp so you can remember how stuff was routed and bolted up.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

The Saab has the headlights on the turn signal stem. The rear wiper switch was on the left vent. It broke when I was squeezing the dash into the taper below the windshield.

The firewall falls into the pocket where the wiper motor sits. There's a drain channel on either side and if I cut a path from where the panel truck firewall sits now to the bottom of that channel, it'll lower the body 7 inches in the front. When dad and I put the rear wheels on, we noticed the body needs to go forward an inch, and that'll put the firewall right into that channel. I might get lucky and not have to disassemble there dash. I'll keep you posted.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

It would be great to include pics if possible, I would like to see that.
I didnt bother with all the envoy sheet metal forward of the firewall because I didnt think it would fit well with the 57 front end and fenders. I cut all that off at the firewall and used the 57 inner fenders, fabbed a new rad support to have room ahead of the engine for an electric fan, rad and ac condensor. The 57 is a bit shorter than the 58 and 59 though.
I have seen other trailblazer envoy swaps on these and the firewalls pretty much line up with the stock old truck firewall in order to have the front wheels look right in the openings. Easier to do that and then modify the frame to fit the rear wheel openings since the front wheels need clearance to turn etc. Thst said, the front fenders could also be reworked to fit where the wheel ening needs to be after fitting the body to fit the rear wheels.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

Could you build a frame out of wood that is the same width as your old truck firewall cutout and use that as a caliper to see how and where to trim the saab? Just a thought. Maybe easier for you with the hoist and a helper than it was for me. No helper and my hoist was an engine lift with a cab lifting device attached (yup, a little jealousy noted, haha).

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

you are nuckin futz and i'm highly entertained by it!

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I'm hoping to move the body an inch forward to center the rear wheels, cut a groove in the channel that serves as a drain for the wiper motor pocket and make filler panels to close up the gaps. I'll keep you posted how it works out.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I think we're all a little crazy. I've been following your tow rat build. Very impressive.

I think more than anything, mine is a mix of curiosity, boredom and "f@#k it, let's see if this works". I love turning wrenches. I love being different. I hate car shows because it's mostly douche bags bragging about bolt ons and how much money they spent. I drove my 1965 Buick skylark wagon to a car shows and almost everyone scoffed at it because it wasn't shiny. It's flat black and bare bones, but I swapped the drivetrain, steering column, dash cluster and entire wiring harness from a 1999 Silverado into it. It actually drew a crowd because curious budget minded young guys were asking "what did I do here to make that fit ?"and "what did I have the most issues with?". I can talk to those people all day long. But the parking lot that smells like Maguire's detail spray and microfiber cloth towels because it's been 10 minutes since they've wiped off their garage trophy doesn't interest me in the least.

That's what I love about this forum. I see other people's idea and I see if those can influence something I'm trying to do.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

oh man, time to find some different cruise nights. though i'm generally in the same boat. i show up in my LQ4 99 Jeep with full cage and coil-overs ... no one has any clue what they are looking at. but that one guy who wants to know is fun to strike a conversation with! i can't wait to get the 55 out to a show n sit with it.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I pie cut through the wiper trough to get the cab to slip down. It's lower, but dad and I were discussing cutting out the bottom of the fresh air vent ducting under the windshield and making a plate to seal off the cab to get the cab another inch or two lower. Then I might just make a cover plate to hide the gap above the dash. We'll see.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

And I relief cut the rear wheel tubs to let the shock towers and air ride level sensor clear the flanges. This is with the wheel tubs sitting on the tires. I dig it. These are 22x9s. I'm thinking of looking for a bit smaller diameter wheel and tire combo that'll let my ride height be about this low with clearance to absorb bumps without bottoming out.

-Josh

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

from the outside it looks BALLER, chop the entire wheel tub out and make em fit the new big wheels.

but i also agree that i'd love to see the cab lower on the dash, you'll sit sooooo low in the cab if ya don't.

Re: 1958 Saab story
 

I'm kinda with the lower it more side. Otherwise you will need seat risers to see over the cab and then the ergonomics will feel weird.