I defer to the experts on this as I know less then nothing!

Is a C5 frame a saleable item? With all the bonding of the various pieces to it, one might question if someone would bother starting a project that far "down". The one I have seems perfectly straight except for the right rear corner that is very lightly tweaked and looks easily straightened. It's just the portion that sticks out by itself behind the bumper thats bent forward a bit.

However, the fiberglass in the rear trunk "tub" area is heavily damaged.

If there's some value to the frame I'd like to sell it, but if there isn't then I'll cut the engine cradle mounting sections out and graft them into the donor truck frame that's getting the LS1 from the C5.

thanks!

Rick

ps. Guess I need to post some more pics... I have the entire car stripped now. Its a pretty cool and yet surprisingly disturbing sight.

 

You can part it in sections but you need to know where to cut or you will end up with a bunch of scrap. Not worth a fortune but I just paid $150 for a left front rail and $150 for the front impact bar/crossmember. So you are looking at $450/500 for a complete front cut back to the cowl. If the rear is tweaked it may be worthless. Only market I see are people fixing totals like the one I am doing for myself.

Where are you located? The thought of a good front frame section getting hacked up for a pickup truck makes me ill sorry.

 

I appreciate the valuable input and understand how cutting a good frame could be disturbing. Does it help that it's not just a pickup truck, but a 1941 Ford COE?

I'm in southern NH.

Rick

 

Wouldnt it be easier to buy the correct motor mounts for the swap?

 

I have to admit I haven't looked to see if they are available, but since it's being mounted mid ship in a late model frame I doubt it. That's why I was going to use the whole engine cradle.

 

You would be very surprised at how many different engine mounts are made, there are so many you can bolt a Ls motor to just about any vehicle. The reason being is it is one of the most popular if not the most popular engine swap for any vehicle.

 

Heck you could sell the frame and then get a machinist or metal worker fab up some engine mounts for a lot less than what you could get out of the frame.

 

If you get a copy of Super Chevy magazine or Chevy Hi-performance you will see plenty of ads from companies making kits to put LS motors in anything.

 

You are correct and they would not be complicated. Some angle stock, mounted vertically on the frame, capped top and bottom with a sleeved hole for the mounting bolt.

However, if I can't sell the C5 frame or I have to hold onto it for years in order to sell it, it's just easier cut out the existing mounts and scrap the frame. I always have to weigh decisions like this against the amount of available storage I have.

 

That is also true but you could always try and sell it and if it doesnt go then you can use it to mount the engine into the truck. Which to me seems like it would be more difficult than either buying or making engine mounts, but thats hard to say without actually looking at what you have to work with.

 

I can maybe see using the cradle but really don't see where cutting out the frame is of any benifit. No offence but some nicely fabbed brackets would be much more professional looking than hacking in a section of frame and bolting the cradle to it. You end up with all the supension mounting brackets and stuff you don't need.

Too bad you aren't within reasonable distance....I'd be tempted to make an offer on the frame. Oh well.

 

For the right offer, I'd meet you part way.

I think I might be somewhere a little less "hacked" than you're thinking, but still not a simple swap in. I plan to cut the lower suspension mount tabs off the cradle as I won't need them. Then cut all 4 cradle mounting areas from the C5 frame and make 4 individual mounts. The fabbed mounts would use the actual welded-to-the-frame mount pieces *AND* several inches of the adjacent frame. These new mounts would reside inside the truck's frame rails, not underneath like the Corvette as the truck frame is wider. The extra few inches taken from the C5 frame I would heat and bend to accomodate a side mount configuration.

Sure it's a ton of work, but buying the stock and fabbing them from scratch has got to be at least the same amount of work in my mind.

I also thought about using "conventional" engine mounts instead of the entire cradle, but I really like the idea of the extra reinforcement the cradle would give since the engine is being mounted mid ship where crossmembers are scarce. It also will provide some protection against high-centering even though the risk should be minimal as this will be a street only truck.

Keep those ideas coming... I really appreciate them.

thanks,

Rick

 

C5 frames are actually used in a lot of kit car builds.

The Factory Five GTM for example uses the frame from a C5. However, there are already plenty of auctions on that site for complete rolling chassis specifically sold for kit builds. So I think a single buyer for a frame is going to be rare.

 

If you go to their website you will see that has a purpose built tube space frame. It appears to have suspension components from a C5 and of course a LS1 but I'm not seeing the frame. It's also a mid engine car so the LSI bolts directly to a transaxle....no torque tube. The way the tunnel section and cowl of a C5 are built and incorporated into the frame, I really don't see how it would be used for a kit car. I have seen auctions for complete rolling chassis which is driveline and suspension but no frame.

Here's one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/00-Corvette-...sories&vxp=mtr

And an auction for a frame with the tubs and stuff still glued on.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/C5-Chevy-Cor...sories&vxp=mtr

 

I'm sure seeing the COE's around a lot more, I couldn't find them on ebay. How do you look them up, I'm on this forum and the F100 forum a lot and I'm just learning about these. They look really cool, are you going to use the suspension in it too? Good luck! L8R ZFLASH

 

Thanks! They do seem to be a bit tricky to find. Some are listed as COE, some just as Cabover and some just as 194x Ford truck.

I had considered the C5 suspension, but since it will have towing and light carrying duties also it needs to be a truck. I plan to install the LS1 mid ship in an F-150 or K1500 chassis then add the cabover and a sleeper. The engine will be under the sleeper.

And, FenderMender.... I've been thinking about what you typed and depending upon how things fit, you could be spot on. It might be easier to fab from scratch. I think I'll reserve judgement til I have the cradle mocked up in the truck frame.

Again, thanks for all the great ideas. They are really valuable from a crew that knows the parts I'm working with.

Rick

 

You are correct, although most of the rolling chassis come with the frame, the frame gets discarded after you move over the driveline and suspension/steering components.

Thought about it some more last night and realized I was wrong. Good catch.

 

It took a long time and the right buyer, but the frame and transaxle finally sold. The guy was doing a project putting a K5 Blazer on the C5 frame with some outrageous engine in it.

 

Interested in rims. Would you sell two or whole set?

 

I still have the wheels. 1 is perfect, 1 has very slight curb rash and the other two have pretty good chunks missing. I'd entertain a fair offer on them all.

thanks,

Rick

Here's a pic of the COE... It's running and driving now, but still a long way to go.