'65 Chevy Stepside...swapping to 4x4 question

[PhredzK512]

My wife owns a '65 Chevy Stepside and I am wondering how difficult or easy it is to converting it to a 4wheel drive? It has a 327 but it's been sitting for a number of years and I do have a 350 I would be willing to put in it. But my question is about all the underneath components of transfer case,cross member placement,transmission,diff swaps,etc.

 

[454Sub]

Something I would consider would be finding a newer model 4x4 frame and suspension instead of cutting up that frame.

 

[diesel4me]

Even on later trucks that shared the same frame between 2wd and 4x4's,its never "easy" to make a 2wd into a 4x4...you need all the 4x4 parts off a donor (axles,t-case,tranny,etc),plus the spring hangers ,shackle bushing mounts for the front that must have a hole sawed into the rails to instal,and you'll be chiseling and punching rivets out by the bucketfull for a few days in order to bolt everything up......................................................................................................I believe a '65 truck would have had a divorced transfer case,a rockewell t-221 most likely-with a divorced t-case you can put any tranny you like in front of it,but they were noisy beasts,the straighter cut gears in those cases whine like a blower,and I'm not sure how beefy they are....you also wont have an easy job adding power steering or brakes to the early chassis...............................................................................................I have seen a few trucks that vintage put on later K-5 or truck 4x4 frames,thats an easier way to go,and you'll get disc brakes .P/S and a better suspension to boot...there is a nice '66 Chevy stepside on the Boston CL in Glouster MA for sale thats been placed on a K-5 chassis and it looks sweet--if I had 6 grand ,I'd own it!....those years (60-66) are among my favorite trucks as far as looks,the 55-59 second series are real cool trucks too...I'd love to find a 60-66 Panel Suburban 4x4 with barn doors!...the '61's with the big eyebrows on the hood look really mean!...

 

[wage92]

My wife owns a '65 Chevy Stepside and I am wondering how difficult or easy it is to converting it to a 4wheel drive? It has a 327 but it's been sitting for a number of years and I do have a 350 I would be willing to put in it. But my question is about all the underneath components of transfer case,cross member placement,transmission,diff swaps,etc.

Depending on what condition this is in, i would consider leaving it alone. Id give anything to have one of those 60s c10s. You could probably find a 73-87 k10 for cheaper than it would be to do the 4x4 swap.

 

[PhredzK512]

Depending on what condition this is in, i would consider leaving it alone. Id give anything to have one of those 60s c10s. You could probably find a 73-87 k10 for cheaper than it would be to do the 4x4 swap.

Thanks for the input,..I thought the same thing,..to just leave it alone. Rather than try to modify it into what it really isn't,but to just get work at restoring it as much as possible to it's original appearance.

 

[PhredzK512]

Even on later trucks that shared the same frame between 2wd and 4x4's,its never "easy" to make a 2wd into a 4x4...you need all the 4x4 parts off a donor (axles,t-case,tranny,etc),plus the spring hangers ,shackle bushing mounts for the front that must have a hole sawed into the rails to instal,and you'll be chiseling and punching rivets out by the bucketfull for a few days in order to bolt everything up......................................................................................................I believe a '65 truck would have had a divorced transfer case,a rockewell t-221 most likely-with a divorced t-case you can put any tranny you like in front of it,but they were noisy beasts,the straighter cut gears in those cases whine like a blower,and I'm not sure how beefy they are....you also wont have an easy job adding power steering or brakes to the early chassis...............................................................................................I have seen a few trucks that vintage put on later K-5 or truck 4x4 frames,thats an easier way to go,and you'll get disc brakes .P/S and a better suspension to boot...there is a nice '66 Chevy stepside on the Boston CL in Glouster MA for sale thats been placed on a K-5 chassis and it looks sweet--if I had 6 grand ,I'd own it!....those years (60-66) are among my favorite trucks as far as looks,the 55-59 second series are real cool trucks too...I'd love to find a 60-66 Panel Suburban 4x4 with barn doors!...the '61's with the big eyebrows on the hood look really mean!...

I tried finding the '66 Chevy on the Boston CL but no luck...it musta sold. But just wanted to check it.

 

[chevydan3]

One of the 4x4 mags did this same swap 6-7 years ago. Pretty detailed iirc. They used the coils/trailing arms in the rear, but moved the spring pads to above the axle and built some hangers to use 73-87 springs in the front.

 

[sweetk30]

One of the 4x4 mags did this same swap 6-7 years ago. Pretty detailed iirc. They used the coils/trailing arms in the rear, but moved the spring pads to above the axle and built some hangers to use 73-87 springs in the front.

x2 easy way to do it in the rear.

and front could just use some stock stuff or www.diy4x.com builder parts to make the springs swap in place.

one guy years ago in the mags even used ford radius arms up front and used the gm coil spring pockets and some lifted ford coils . made his own rear crossmember to hook up the radius arms.

 

[Deuling]

Even on later trucks that shared the same frame between 2wd and 4x4's,its never "easy" to make a 2wd into a 4x4...you need all the 4x4 parts off a donor (axles,t-case,tranny,etc),plus the spring hangers ,shackle bushing mounts for the front that must have a hole sawed into the rails to instal,and you'll be chiseling and punching rivets out by the bucketfull for a few days in order to bolt everything up......................................................................................................I believe a '65 truck would have had a divorced transfer case,a rockewell t-221 most likely-with a divorced t-case you can put any tranny you like in front of it,but they were noisy beasts,the straighter cut gears in those cases whine like a blower,and I'm not sure how beefy they are....you also wont have an easy job adding power steering or brakes to the early chassis...............................................................................................I have seen a few trucks that vintage put on later K-5 or truck 4x4 frames,thats an easier way to go,and you'll get disc brakes .P/S and a better suspension to boot...there is a nice '66 Chevy stepside on the Boston CL in Glouster MA for sale thats been placed on a K-5 chassis and it looks sweet--if I had 6 grand ,I'd own it!....those years (60-66) are among my favorite trucks as far as looks,the 55-59 second series are real cool trucks too...I'd love to find a 60-66 Panel Suburban 4x4 with barn doors!...the '61's with the big eyebrows on the hood look really mean!...

Whens ur bday? Im buying you a keyboard with a working space bar lol

 

[diesel4me]

Its not me or the keyboard,its some software glitch in my computer that fails to make paragraphs even when I type them in while posting!...something to do with "javascript" maybe,and I cant make any programing changes to the thing without the "administrator password",as I got all 3 of my computers second hand me downs--every time I try "editing" a post I get those "quote" symbols where I put quotation marks too....so to make "paragraphs" I have to put 1000 periods between them.......only seems to do this on CK5 too,no other message boards I post on too,which is rather weird!.........................................................................................................................................................................................................I've seen some GM 2wd trucks with the Ford raduis arms,& front axle set up for coils,swapped into older trucks too...seems it would be easier to do it that way,than adapt all the later GM parts to an original frame maybe--but yeah,if it has the trailing arm rear suspension that would probably have to be ditched--though it would ride like a caddy if you could keep all 4 wheels coil sprung!...still think swapping a later 4x4 frame would be the best route.................I did a quick search on CL ,I dont see that truck listed any more,it probably sold fast,or maybe the owner took it to the big swap meet in CT yesterday to try selling it...seen the ad come and go a few times too..