1954 Ford Customline on a 1990 Ford Ranger chassis frame swap Part 3

[@Sydneygirl00]

Did the Ranger frame fit or did you have to cut it?

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

The Ranger I used was a regular cab, long bed and it fit pretty well, only had to trim part of the front frame if I remember correctly. You would have to do some trimming regardless when you try to mount the stock bumpers to the frame and some fabrication for the brackets. I just used some scrap frame pieces and it worked well.

[@FAITHFreedomFirearms]

Did you ever track the gas mileage with your new setup?

[@josephshoars4355]

I need one!

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

Custom orders are accepted 😉

[@AndysDogHouse]

Hey Man. I just came across your channel. I see you don't have many subs, so I will help you out. If you are into the oldies, you deserve one more sub. Now start posting more videos. Thanks for sharing👍🍁

[@ryanoberg9656]

I have a 53 wagon I'd like to put on a newer frame, was that a bunch of work to make it fit? how long is that ranger frame?

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

That Ranger frame was a standard cab long box, same as a club cab short box. Basically all you have to do is measure the distance from wheel center to wheel center to get an idea if it will fit under your donor body, the width is about perfect for the 52-54 Ford car bodies. The Ranger frame has a big kick up in the back so you lose a lot of rear seating area, not a big deal with this project but it will be for your wagon. A Ford Explorer frame may be a better fit as it doesn't have a big rise in the back. Like any project of this nature there is a lot of planning, cutting, grinding and welding involved. So measure twice, maybe even three times and cut once...if you cut too much be prepared to weld :) The main concept here is that of a plastic model car kit we used to build as kids, body shell over a running driving donor chassis firewall and floor pan. The outside looks classic (or ratty as hell) but you get the modern convenience and reliability of a newer vehicle.

[@Sydneygirl00]

I was going to use a 2000 Mercury but my buddy says it is too long and too wide? Any idea for my 54 Ford Crestline?

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

Google the wheel base of your donor against the 54 Crestline, it will give you a good idea of what will fit. I did one of these with a 1996 Crown Vic as the donor and the rear end is way to wide so keep that in mind. The fix would be to use a Ranger or Mustang rear end but I just radiused the wheel wells on the 53 Ford Crestline, it's in one of my other videos.

[@ramonrodriguez8161]

how did she do driving? was the take off slow? asking due to doing something similar except not doing frame swap just engine swap. thank you in advance for your time.

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

She ran and drove like a Ford Ranger :) Peppy, with plenty of power in the stock 4 cylinder to move that lightweight body around. The horsepower ratings were pretty similar to stock and the reliability of the fuel injection and modern chassis improvements made it a great little cruiser.

[@ramonrodriguez8161]

@@whitebarnchoppers3967 thank you first of all for taking time out of your day to answer my question, truly appreciate it. And that's good to know since I have been getting alot of slack saying that's to much body for that little engine to move.

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

@@ramonrodriguez8161 No problem at all, the best part of it was the head scratching from people that said it couldn't be done....as I drove off after a flick of the key.

[@ramonrodriguez8161]

@@whitebarnchoppers3967 wanted to say thank you. I did the 2.3 with 5 speed swap. Into the stock frame and man it's fun to drive. And your right throws people off when they see the motor lol. But wanted to say thank you for giving me the motivation and reassurance that it can be done sir.

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

@@ramonrodriguez8161 Awesome work :)

[@9thgatedim273]

I have a 56 Fairlane any chassis swap u think would help our front end rear end swaps

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

Depending on the severity of your current frame/floors, etc. or the general direction of what you are trying to accomplish there are many options. (1). Restore the factory steering and add disk brakes, power steering, the factory setup with all the worn components replaced will function just fine, change the gearing in the rear end to better suit your needs, replace any worn parts. (2). Try a mustang 2 front end swap to your existing frame, this gives you rack an pinion with power assist as well as disk brakes. (3). Full frame swap or graft updated frame half under your front to accomplish the first 2. This last method I personally would do only after exhausting other attempts as you are now entirely changing the characteristics of the car so the value may drop if you are planning to resell or if you want a reliable driver then there are no worries, your car your choice. That all being said, the Crown Vic chassis has everything above and the wheel base is just about spot on the only hold up is that wide rear end so you will need to install a rear end that is at least 6 inches narrower if you want your tires to clear the rear fenders. There is also the obvious extensive amount of work to be done that most people are just not prepared for, you are basically building an entire car so plan accordingly. On another note, I have used various light truck frames because they have narrow frame rails and you can shorten and extend these with relative ease, Ford Ranger, Dodge D100, Ford F100...basically whatever you have on hand or can be found is the rule here...cut, weld, grind and it will fit. Good luck on your project, remember to take breaks and measure twice before cutting :)

[@9thgatedim273]

@@whitebarnchoppers3967 thanks do much thank u very much I see the bel airs with mini tubs 18 inch fronts 20 in the rears 4 links but the Fords not much info other then 8.8 ford rears from ford Granada an explorers

[@9thgatedim273]

@@whitebarnchoppers3967 thank u for responding

[@whitebarnchoppers3967]

@@9thgatedim273 No problem at all.