57 To 87 Body Swap?

[bigbrother44]

I have a perfectly good 87 3/4 ton 4X4 that I have no use for and can't seem to sell (anyone interested? See here... bowtieguy.proboards33.com/index.cgi?board=swap&action=display&thread=805 )

I also have a 57 Chevy 3100 l/b in bad repair. The body is ok though. Anyone know how difficult it would be to put the 57 body on the 87 rolling chasis? Just a thought.

[Pontiac1976]

I sent you a Personal Message on the board here.

[1red84gmc]

Hey bigbrother44, I did the exact same thing a few years ago. I took a 80 4X4 Blazer, removed the body and set it on the 4X4 frame. Unless you have a ton of tools, welders and a lot of extra money, I wouldn't suggest it.

The front wheels stuck out past the sides of the front fenders about 4" on each side. I also had to cut the fenders so the wheels would fit without hitting where the well was. I ended up using the diameter of the tire and added 2" more to that diameter, made a pattern and cut the fender that way.

I got a running truck out of the deal, but that's about as far as I got. The wipers, heat, steering linkage and shifting linkage were a pain in the rear end. I never got the wipers done that's how much of a pain it was. I also forgot to mention the radiator. Now that was a work of art getting the original size radiator from my old truck mounted to the Blazer frame, that and the routing of the hoses.

Like I said, if you have tons of tools, friends, money and beer you might finish the project and make it a nice truck no-one else has. I ended up selling mine to someone who just had to have it. Believe me when I say this, I wasn't sorry to see it go.

Good Luck