Old pickup on 1989 GMC k1500 4x4 frame, anyone done one?

[54stude]

I have an 89 GMC k1500 reg cab long box (4x4 with a 350/NV4500 5 spd in it) that is starting to look pretty bad and is worth nothing to sell, but is a great reliable old truck.

I also was given a 1939 chevy ton and a half truck that has been in the woods at my uncles farm since 1956, it is a good thing it was a big truck because after 40 years there was still air space under the running boards.  The cab, front clip, and title are probably the only things I would use off the 39.

I was thinking that I could build a daily driver/tow vehicle with this combo, and maybe even put a dually rear and 1 ton front suspension in it eventually.  I would probably just weld together a utilitarian bed with square tubing, or maybe track down a 1939 style box with widened glass fenders?

I am not worried about getting the cab low on the frame, or cutting the body mounts off the newer frame.  The 89 has a torsion bar front suspension, so lowering it to a proper level would be pretty easy.  

For wheels, I would just use stock steel wheels (red) with tall tires to fill the ton and a half wheel wells.  The truck itself would be black DP epoxy primer.  

Any advice?  Anyone done any old truck on one of these frames?  I know a s10 frame might be a better choice to start with, but I already have the k1500.
Thanks,
Brian

[OldSub]

I was thinking that I could build a daily driver/tow vehicle with this combo, and maybe even put a dually rear and 1 ton front suspension in it eventually.

On the '47 - '54 trucks fenders on a 1 1/2-ton would be about an inch wider and longer than a pickup's.  Also the wheel openings are much larger.  I think this is also true of the earlier trucks.

Even with the wider fenders the track width still may not be as wide as the donor truck, so that could be an issue.

I'm collecting pieces to build an early 50's dually pickup.  I'd suggest you are crazy to consider this project, but then I'd have to admit I am too...

[54stude]

Crazy?  Yeah, guilty as charged.

[enjenjo]

This might not be as bad a fit as you might think. the 88 and newer trucks were a bit narrower than the previous models, so it may be too wide, but not near as much as a 73 to 87 would be. the 41 to 46 1 1/2 ton fender is the same as a half ton except for the wheel opening. I'd try it. you could always cobble up some special wheels if needed for the front, and just biuild the bed wide enough to cover the rear tires.

[OldSub]

There you have it!

Just make sure I get to see the pictures!

[GPster]

An early 1 1/2 ton truck did not sit all that low and if you try to get it very low on your frame you might find that the wheel radius in the fenders is going to look odd against the actual radius of the wheels. Also my thinking is when you put the fenders over the wheelsyou might find that there is a foot between the back of the engine and the firewall and the radiator will want to be infront of the grill. Another item might be if you get that cab real low you'll need to build a transmission/driveshaft tunnel from the firewall to the back of the cab because I would think that the early cab had a flat floor. I'd seen this done one time but maybe the idea would work for you. Cut the old truck frame behind the cab and strip it of everything but the cab, front sheetmetal and radiator mounts. Mount those thing back on it and use it as a "jig". You could play around and mount that frame to your frame using the front wheels as a guide where it should go. You might only end up using the top angle of the frame channel. You might need to slide the engine back in the frame which would call for a couple new driveshafts but if you got you truck stripped and this mounted cab and sheetmetal next to it, it might be easier to see what you need to do. Another idea ( this might get a Jeepster body on a metric frame) would be to cut all of the cab and sheet metal off your truck and just leave the firewall and floor mounted to the cab. Now see if you can make the early cab fit the new floor. I spend too much time alone. GPster