I am starting on a 38 chevy coupe this spring/summer. I cannot spend a ton of money so here
is my question. I plan on putting this on a 76 camero frame, by leaving the floor in the camero
and putting the coupe body on the floor. Then attaching the sub-frames. I will have to lenghten the camero some to make it work. TO do this I plan on using two cameros and cutting them so when I put the two together it is 116 inch wheel base. With this idea I will have a good handleing car, with all the brakes, brake lines, sterring etc. in tact. I'm sure I will have alot of modifications to make it work. This will save me thousands in the end. I know this won't be easy, but I am conifdent I can do it.
What is the width on the 38 coupe and camero??
Has anybody tried this before and is it even possible??

Thanks
Pete

Don't even consider this. The Camero is a unit body and the 38 is not. No matter how hard you try, you will never end up with a strong frame. Use the stock 38 Chevy frame. Upgrade to a Mustang II front end and some good springs out back. Chassis Engineering has everything you need. You can get their free catalog by calling (319) 643-2645. RB's Obsolete is another source. Their catalog is $7.00 and the call is free; 1-877-894-0526. The way to save thousands is to do the job right the first time.
--
An Old California Rodder
Hiding Out in the Ozarks

Amen to this. If the dollars are an issue (and they are to all the rest of us), you can use the stock crossmember from a Mustang II instead of buying one of the kits. The problem I have found with most of the kits out there is that they mount the crossmember to low in the frame and then you need to buy dropped spindles to get the car to sit right. I have installed several stock front ends in friends cars, (and my own car), and all have worked just great. It is not the best looking piece out there, but functions just fine. Just remember to keep the lower control arm bolts parallel to the ground with the frame sitting with the rake it will have when finished. This will keep all the geometry correct. DO NOT BEND THE STRUT RODS TO MAKE THEM LINE UP BETTER WITH THE FRAME ! This is kind a pet peeve with me. The strut rod mounts make a triangle with the lower control arm mounts and the ball joint. This is why they call it geometry.

Doug
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The Land Yacht specialist

There is a company making repro Must II cross members. I believe it is A-1 Racing. They advertise in Street Scene and Street Rodder. Almost all of the stock type Must II parts are available brand new. I will not attest to the quality because I haven't used them, But, it is probably cheaper to do a front end like this than to use a junkyard front. With a junkyard front, everything has to be rebuilt anyway. You can save a lot of work by using new parts. I have installed several junkyard Must II's but if I ever do it again, I am going to look into new parts.
Bob

My guess is that if you try to do what you describe, you will abandon the project long before it is finished, it will never see the road, and someone will buy it for pennies on the dollar.
If you are going to try to do something like that, I am assuming that you are not a veteran street rodder. I am not trying to put you down at all by saying that, what I mean is that you should use this board wisely, and listen to the ones that have made mistakes like that before. You will be money ahead in the long run.
I agree with the others, you should do the mustang II route. I did one on a 38 chevy and it worked very well. You could consider a front subframe, but by the time you get done, you will have nearly as much money in it as a mustang II and it will not be nearly as neat and clean.
Good luck
Jim Callaghan

I guess this is one of those things that sounds good and in theory maybe seems like it will work but, thats why I posted the message, to get the responses from every else. I am not a veteran rodder so I am thankful for all the responses. I can locate an old mustang II for the front end, or am I better off waiting and buying a kit? I know this is going to be a 5-7 year project, maybe longer. But the sooner I start the sooner I finsh.

Again, thanks for the responses and keep em coming, I'm printing them and saving for future reference.

HotRod38, I have spent 6 years building a 38 chevy coupe myself. Let me tell you from experience its better to use tried and true methods. I installed a Heidts Mustang 2 kit and am very pleased with the way it works and the way the car sits. I went a step further and installed bigger granada rotors and GM calipers. Im using a 82 camaro master cylinder and a 84 cutlass booster. Best brakes ive ever had on any vehicle. Heres a few websites where you can find more pics and info on it. http://hometown.aol.com/lobucrod/page1.html
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/lobucrod?d&.flabel=fld3&.src=ph
If you would like any more advice from some one whos 'been there and done that' feel free to e-mail me. Lobucrod@aol.com
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KEEP THE GREAZY SIDE DOWN! Lobucrod

As Sirstude says, many of the aftermarket Mustang II kits make the rod sit a little high. I found an aftermarket kit here in Canada that makes the rod sit nice and low but not so low it causes problems.
The company is called "ThinMan Fabrications". The kits are sold thru Lek-Triks (905 637 2582). The guy who designs them ("Thinman") is brillant when it comes to front end geometry. With the favorable exchange rate on the US dollar, you will be laughing all the way to the bank (and the rod runs)!
Take a look at my coupe in the Studio to see how it sits.

Good luck

http://fsra.org/kruz00_6/mii.html
(Larry Toews MII Suspension Kits $300 Canadian)
Thats $225 to US plus about$50 shipping! This still makes his cheaper than a Heidts or Fatmans w/o shipping.

Mine is one the way, And I cannot wait!!! If he does not have the specs for your actual car, and you have the original frame....call him up, and have a tape measure in one hand and the cordless phone in the other. He now has added the ability for a 35-37 Ford pickup kit, as of my call last week! Super nice guy, everybody on the RRT seems to love the ones they got from him. Check my posts in the RRT archives on this subject about 2 weeks ago for people that had dealt with him.

All you really need to have is the inside frame width measured 3 3/4" centered on the axle snubber, front and back. Then go find you a pinto or MII super cheap. I got a barely running MII for $250 and the previous owner had recently rebuilt most of the front suspension(rebuilt rack with pretty blue paint and rebuilt all of the strut rod assembly).

Then all you will need to do is to consult enjenjo's page to find the proper axle you need to fit the rear. Too Easy, all you will need is time after that! Good Luck!

--
Damn, I wish I had more time.
35 Ford Pick-Up

One option for rear springs is to use late '80s Dodge Caravan springs which have bolt off hangers. They're cheap and easy to install. Here's a link to Mr Bill's homepage where he goes thru an installation in a '47-'54 Chevy pickup: http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/3272/rear1.html

I used a Heidts MII on my '40 Chevy ragtop about 7 o8 years ago, macked it all up and found the ride heigth was too high. I carefully (read that as measure a lot of times, cut once)removed 2" from the crossmember and added 2" to the hats. Fit like a glove, sits down hard. Using Pro Shock coil overs, and the strut arm that pivots in line with the lowere a-arm pivot. Not a lick. George will confirm, it's in the weeds. No dropped spindles.

Charlie
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da chopper sez so

Yeah Charlie, yours and Phat Rat's cars are definitely in da weeds and lookin real good. The trouble is its so low that I can't peek under there to check out your workmanship (plus I don't bend like I used to) :-) They aren't too low to drive tho. I know you guys put a lot of miles on your cars.

Laugh out loud! We gotta have down that way to keep you low-lifes from finding out our speed secrets.

I'm not suggesting that everyone should cut up a $400 perfectly good MII crossmember and hats that make a car set too high, especially if they are at all faint of heart, or don't have fabricating and welding skills - that's what dropped spindles are for, right? You pays your money, ya takes your chances.
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da chopper sez so

Laugh out loud! We gotta have them down that way to keep you low-lifes from finding out our speed secrets.

I'm not suggesting that everyone should cut up a $400 perfectly good MII crossmember and hats that make a car set too high, especially if they are at all faint of heart, or don't have fabricating and welding skills - that's what dropped spindles are for, right? You pays your money, ya takes your chances.

Charlie
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da chopper sez so

Hey George, you ought to see the tech guys trying too get under them far enough to check things out. Even a skinny guy flat on his back can't make it under them.