I just found a 1970 ElCamino with a boxed frame like under a convertible. Is that the same wheel base/frame as under a 2 door Cutlass/442?

I was going to grab the boxed control arms and the disc brakes but I might get the whole frame if it is the same.

Thanks,

Brian

 

Unfortunately, they are based on the Chevelle four door/wagon wheelbase of 116". The two door and converts are 112", same as the Cutlass.

 

Oh well, I guess I will just grab the suspension pieces. I will have to look to see if it has the rear braces as well. It was a stick.

 

Or, you could take 4" out of the El Camino frame, if you really need one!
12 -bolt was standard on a V8.

 

12 bolt rea were not factory installed on 307 and 350 2bl engines. Had to be at least a 350 4bl or more. Henry

 

Yeah,I was going off a '65 I owned for an hour,[ tripled my money], 283 glide car w/12-bolt.
Probably changed it in the later years.

 

Any 68-72 frame will interchange.If you are wanting to use one from a 68-72 ElCamino,you only need to shorten the rear c-channel section,back by the bumper.The section is longer,for the bed of the Elcamino.It's a straight section that can be cut out,and the tail section rewelded back on.Been there done that.There was also a write-up on it in Hot Rod or Car Craft,about 5 years ago,showing the same thing.They are not based off of a wagon frame.

 

Sounds great. I have toyed with the idea of rebuilding another suspension/frame and completely restoring it and then swapping it under my 442 to minimize my down time.

I think I will see what kind of price I can get on the rolling frame. If I can get it for close to the same price as the parts I wanted I might do the work.

If I ever pull the body off of mine or pro street another one I will use the boxed frame. Should be a bit stronger than the standard one.

 

I have put a lot of boxed frames under hardtops,both performance & stock restos.GTO offered it as an option for their hardtops,and I have seen a few around here like that.
If the frames are bad,and the boxed sections are good,I will cut them off,cleanup around teh welded areas,mock-up,and reweld onto a nice hardtop frame.That's exactly what they did when these were built.They just took a frame & welded the boxed section on.

 

ElCaminos of that vintage used a 116" wheelbase. That means the extra length is BETWEEN the wheels, not behind them. Sorry, but that frame is not going to fit under a 2 door. The 1964-67 A-bodies all used the same 115" wheelbase (except the Vista Cruiser and Sport Wagon at 120"), but the 68-72 cars were 112" for the 2 doors, 115" for the Grand Prix/Monte Carlo, 116" for the 4 doors/wagons/elcos, and 121" for the VC and Sport Wagon.

 

 

The front of El Camino doesn’t line up with 1970
cutlass supreme body after this shortening c section; like body mounts are off and front steering is a couple inches off of connecting to steering rod and steering rod attachment(s).

 

Way to resurrect a thread that's been dead since 2011 as your first post here. Welcome.

 

Well im currently working on this frame for a 1970 cutlass supreme. When i originally received it i was told it fit by seller despite my doubts at first i worked on it for severals months only to find out it seems like doesn’t fit.

 

The seller would be wrong. It APPEARS that the ElCo frame was shortened to the 116" wheelbase of the four door cars and not the 112" wheelbase of the two doors.