Fastbrianman

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

Rocketbrian

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

Fastbrianman

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.

Rickman48

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

66400

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

Rickman48

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.

507OLDS

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.

Fastbrianman

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.

507OLDS

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.

joe_padavano

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.