Convertible frame made to fit coupe body?

[spaztikatik]

Hey guys, a friend through work of mine has a perfectly mint 1972 cutlass convertible frame all painted and ready to go, and he's gonna let me take it for dirt cheap if it works for me. My question: I know they're not exactly the same, are the mounting holes/dimensions different for the body? The only reason I'm considering it is because it comes boxed from the factory, so saves me from having to make one from scratch, which I would do if I had time... could this work with a little fabrication?

[ProTouring442]

Originally Posted by spaztikatik

Hey guys, a friend through work of mine has a perfectly mint 1972 cutlass convertible frame all painted and ready to go, and he's gonna let me take it for dirt cheap if it works for me. My question: I know they're not exactly the same, are the mounting holes/dimensions different for the body? The only reason I'm considering it is because it comes boxed from the factory, so saves me from having to make one from scratch, which I would do if I had time... could this work with a little fabrication?

Yes it should. The majority of holes should be in the same places, and the floor pans are pretty much the same. As far as I remember, both the "S" body (fastback) and the Supreme body (notch back, a derivative of the G body) use the same wheelbase. If you are working on a 4-door the frame will not work as they have a longer wheelbase.

Oddly, this swap is one employed by Olds, as well as Chevrolet, on their first real muscle cars. As I recall, both the first 442s as well as the Z-16 (1st SS396) Chevelles used a convertible frame.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill K
72 442 "Inamorata"

[spaztikatik]

awesome it'll be on the 2 door 's' coupe, so that's awesome to know, i'll be going to measure them later this week

thanks!

[gchandler]

I run an el camino frame, which is boxed like the convertible, under my 66 chevelle. I just had to take some length off the back so that my bumper was not sticking out 3 inches.

[spaztikatik]

did you notice any significant difference in chassis rigidity or handling?

[gchandler]

Yes actually the differance is quite noticable. The car just feels more solid. I don't have any measure of performance differance, but the movement of the doors over irregular surfaces and just the general feeling of flex in the chassis is significantly reduced.

I think any situation where you reduce chassis flex is a good thing as it allows the suspension to better do its job.