cads4me

New there after months of “spying/learning”.
The idea behind this tri-some swap being to combine the advantages of using a classy body, a well prepared frame, and the benefits of the LS engine.

But with 300 / 400hp, there is no way an almost 60 year old car is going to keep up in basic terms of safety, braking, handling, There is no aftermarket for this type of vehicle and no “universal brake kit” won’t never match all the years of engineering GM put into the development of the late Impala SS (or 9C1 Police car)
The biggest challenge will be mating the 61 Cad old body onto a later frame. A four arm lift will do the hard work.

I am into handling, comfy long trips and decent fuel economy. So what do you think ??

camar0corey

iTrader: (22)

Sounds like a awesome project. Good luck!

Stu Cool

iTrader: (13)

Sounds like a great swap. How similar are the wheel bases and track widths?

deuce_454

i did the whole suspension upgrade on a g-body... boxed frame, solid bodymounts .. tall ats spindles, adjustable shocks, tubular arms, solid/del-alum bushings.. currie arms in the rear, watts-link C5 vette brakes, hydraboost etc etc.. and it will outhandle a brand new BMW and a c5 corvette.. (not a c6 though..)

if it were me, i would use an a-body frame for your undertaking (it is basically simmilar to the g-body frame but you can buy ls headers and the added with makes it alittle easier to fit stuff in the engine compartment... and the suspension market for a-bodies is enormous.... also it should be a breeze to lengthen/shorten the frame for yoru application

scandc.com is a great source for suspension and knowledge if you decice to go for the a.body frame instead

the impala is really hard to get engineered handling parts for...

itslow

iTrader: (4)

There are more vendors with products for the A-Bodies and G-Bodies, but you can get equivalent parts for the B-Bodies as well. They have the tall spindles desired for the former chassis, have tubular front and rear control arms with altered geometry available, swaybars, bushings, and a few different big-brake kits.

cads4me

Thanks for bringing the option of using an A-body frame with @ a 115 in wheel base.
Most tracks / widths are pretty much the same and are not an issue. The main differences come from the different wheel bases, the 61 Cad having the longest W.B.

Various wheel bases on Cadillac RWD models (except Limo).
1961 Cadillac 129.5
65-76 Cad RWD 130 in
77-96 Cad RWD 121.5 in
94-96 Impala SS 115.9 in
A-Cars > 76 @ 115 in

The 65-76 should be the perfect candidate, however the front end is the old design with lower struts. The 77 to 96 have the better front end with full triangles; unfortunately this frame is 8” shorter than my 61 Cad. The late Impala or an A-body are 15” shorter, or roughly 8” on each axle.

I may be able to cheat using a 121.5” frame, that’s 4” on each axle. Finding a full 8” means extending the frame. At this time I have ordered a 61 Cad frame chart, and when I will receive it, I will draw the body over and draw as well on top the other potential frames.

Sandmann120

iTrader: (1)

I think it sounds like a killer swap. Whats the wheelbase on the b-body wagons? Any longer? I had one, but never did bother to check the wheelbase. The nice thing about the b-body frame is that there are plenty out there. Easy to get ahold of. Good luck, and definitly keep us posted.

cads4me

Yes I like this sort of swap as it is way easier and much cheaper. Simply try to locate “street parts” for a 50 year old Cad, then to install them on parts you cannot afford to damage.
Around 1996 I did a 70 Cad conv with a fresh 88 Cad. It went very smoothly. It is much easier to deal with the “bolting” issue, as everything else is already done. Just think about, basically all the rolling stuff is already there, including the E.F.I, gas tank along with the entire plumbing.
And if needed, there are plenty of Impala SS parts.

I found out on the 94 Buick Roadmaster S.W, the rear tread is 3.4” wider than any 70-96 Cadillac RWD.

Someone knows why ? Wider rims ???? I doubt the rear end is wider, if so I need one…

cads4me

Sorry Sandman, I forgot to give you an answer:

All 90 on Caprice, Buick, sedan or S.W have the same wheelbase of 115.9"

Only the track figures are different (wider) on the Impala SS and also on the wagon

Sandmann120

iTrader: (1)

Couldn't agree more. Many of the things you'll want will alreay be there. Sounds great. I might have a few '95 B-body parts laying around still from when I had mine. I'll have to look.

DGGM WX3

iTrader: (1)

Who sells tall spindles for a 77-96 B-body? I've never seen any.
And Speedtech is the only company I've seen who makes tubular control arms

Sandmann120

iTrader: (1)

No, he means the tall spindles from those years are used on the older chassis for the 'tall spindle' effect.

GA95DCMSS

iTrader: (13)

Currently, Speedtech is the only company carrying tubular control arms. Rustic Racing used to, but he closed his doors a little while ago. As far as tall spindles, I haven't heard of any either.

DGGM WX3

iTrader: (1)

Rustic finally went under? Not surprising, he never answered emails or phone calls.

GA95DCMSS

iTrader: (13)

With the many orders I've placed with him, I've never had a problem with contacting him, and his shipping was pretty fast. He still had some quality stuff though.

Stu Cool

iTrader: (13)

Have you considered using a pick-up or suburban chassis? 2000-2006 Suburban is 130 inches, track width 78 inches. Silverado reg cab longbed is 133. The LQ motors already fit in them and there are lots of chassis mods available. Plus they have big 4 wheel disc brakes. You may even be able to keep the firewall and all the HVAC and Brake booster etc.

Pat

nalc

Yeah, I don't think the B-Body wagon has any longer of a wheelbase than the sedan. I know on mine, the wheels were still just behind the back seat, so the rear doors had a big quarter-circle notch cut out of them.

The things had MASSIVE rear overhang though... like 4 feet from the back of the tires to the rear bumper. For kicks, I occasionally would back into a spot at work until my rear tires hit the thing, then the entire last 4 feet of my car were on the sidewalk.

DGGM WX3

iTrader: (1)

yeah, wagon and sedan frames are the same length, one has a slightly wider axle though
what about a D-body frame (Fleetwood)? they're ~6" longer then a B-body but otherwise identical


you're lucky, I tried several times when trying to order a front end rebuild kit and vogtlands, had to go to other sources

Jon05CTSV

Would you be better off just using the front and rear suspension clips on the Caddy frame? If you are going to have to lengthen an Impala frame, using a clip would be similar, and you wouldn't have to fight the body mounts.

efi472

Stu Cool

The main problem I have with the 61 frame is its weird X-design, plus the lower strut layout. Also there is no provision for a dual exhaust and a H pipe.
To be honest I am not familiar with trucks and I have will do some searching. I still would like to use a four coil / 4-link suspension (Cad, GM A-body)
I don’t want to hear comments my car drives as a Mack truck)

But your idea sounds good, if someone is going to use a LS powertrain from a truck, along with the full wiring and more, well it makes sense keeping most of it. Unfortunately I am not a good surgeon as you are, as seen in the hotrodders link. Congrats !

At this point, all I am looking after are some pics of a late Cadillac / Impala RWD. So far my search
has been limited because my e-mail address is automatically restricted as I use gmail.

If anyone can come up with such later frame pics, please forward / pm them to me.
Many thanks