4x4 conversion for 55-57 Chevrolet Pick up/Suburban.

[om617]

Hello.

Is there any good donors who can be used to convert the 55-57 Chevrolet pick up/suburban to

4x4? Maby anyone know of any aftermarket or kit who can have the suspension parts?

I`m not looking for anything crazy tall like monster trucks or such,i`m hoping to get close

to factory ride height,or around there. I`ll throw in a referance picture so you can see what

i was hoping to get close to.

I follow a guy on Youtube called redneck restoration,and there was a really interesting 55-57

Stepside,original 4x4 with manual,this car was fitted with a factory Pontiac 317. This kinda

inspired me,or got me set for another project,like i havent got enought

Thanks

Tommy

Edited July 6, 2015 by om617

[Matt T.]

Marmon-Herrington did the 4x4 conversions for Ford & Chevy in the '40s & '50s, IIRC.

I don't know of any resin parts, but for styrene maybe some 1/24 Willys Jeep parts would work?

Italeri, Hasegawa & Asuka all do nice Jeeps in 1/24.

[om617]

I think the axles will be to narrow,i have to point out i do not know this for sure.

About the Napco i was thinking about.

From 1956 to 1959 the NAPCO Power-Pak option could be ordered directly from GM (an official RPO 690 was assigned in 1957) and factory installed on trucks with very few modifications to the original chassis. The 1955 4×4 NAPCO GMC or Chevrolet was a $1250.00 to $1550.00 optional add on. The 1957 Chevrolet and GMC 3100 4×4 price was a bargain at $2549.00 compared to the earlier add on kits. In 1960 NAPCO and GM parted ways when GM redesigned the front suspension on their 1960 pickup line so that it wasn't easily compatible with the existing Power-Pak kits

[Longbox55]

You're pretty much going to be stuck making your own parts for the conversion, but I can help you by listing sources for some of the components that would be suitable.

Axles; The axle for the front for the later 55 through '59s can be made from the rear axle from the '55 and '57 kit. The axle from the '60 pickup would also be suitable. You'll need to move the center section to the right side, similar to the later GM and Dodge 4x4s. For the axle ends, you'll need the steering knuckles from the Revell Showboat dragster, as they were closed knuckle. The tie rod would go on the backside of the axle, with an offset where it passes the 3rd member. Stock springs and shocks will be fine for the suspension. Rear suspension will require a lift block, 7 scale inches.

Transfer case: In scale, the best source for a reasonably close transfer case will be the AMT 1/25 scale USA-1 monster truck. It's not perfect, but it is close for the Spicer 23 transfer case used. Another source would be the M2 1/24 diecast GMC.

Transmission: This one can be a little tricky, as the 4x4s only came with the SM420 4 speed. The only reasonably accurate version of this transmission can be found in the AMT '67 and MPC '68-'72 Chevrolet trucks. The parking brake will have to be removed for a 1/2 ton version.

Engine; the AMT '60 Chevrolet pickup has the correct 6 cylinder engine. There was no option on factory built Chevrolet 4x4s.

Note, some of this information is specific to Chevrolet only, mainly the engine and transmission options. The GMC used a different rear axle, and was available with the Hydramatic 4 speed and the Pontiac V8.

[421gto]

Tommy,

I might still have the front axle setup & transmission from this if its any use to you

Si

[om617]

Simon: PM sent.

Bill: Thanks for the great write up,it should really be pinned somewhere. I dont really want to go this far as for having it correct,it

will be way to time consuming and expensive. Any Chevy 4x4 around similar size as donor would be good enough for me.

[spencer1984]

Thanks to both Tommy for the subject and Bill for the awesome information - I've been contemplating a '55 4x4 lately as well, and this information will come in handy!

[Longbox55]

Did a quick search, came up with lots of good pics of what the axle and transfer case look like, including early and late versions.http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=chevrolet+napco+4x4+axle&FORM=HDRSC2

[64SS350]

I remember a resin caster that made all kinds of truck replacement parts and 4x4 conversions. I'm not sure if it is fron the aftermarket directory or not, but I'd bet they have what you're after.

[detailstymied]

http://www.calnaga.com/Store.html

[ZTony8]

I'm thinking that if complete accuracy isn't of primary importance that the chassis and running gear from the recently re-release of the "Crew Chief" '71 Blazer might work well.

[om617]

Thanks for the input and suggestions,i might go for the 71 Blazer to get the whole package.