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4X4 240z getting under way.


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it has taken about three or four months but I now have the heart of my project. I had been asking about sites for for idea's. I still need to find a frame. So I guess the question is how can I cut a 72' blazer frame so that it will fit under a 240z?I was thinking chopping the middle out and rivet and weild it back together. I have seen this done with a nissan truck frame that now sits under my friends 71' 510. I want to use the 3/4 ton 4X4 suspension and don't know how to move it inward the 6-8 inches that I need to make the thing fit. Or do I just need to keep looking for another frame? sorry it is so long but thanks for your time and comments.

 

ray

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Not my cup of tea per se, BUT... why go for the '72 Blazer other than you have it? I would go for an S10 Blazer Chassis, Jeep or Scout which will be much closer to the wheelbase and length needed. All the time you spent modifying the frame can be spent on other aspects of the buildup.

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Guest jdllaugh

I once saw a short feature on the TV program Trucks! about a guy that put a Pinto body on a Chevy Luv 4x4 chassis. They asked him why he did it.

His response: "Why Not?" b_hand.gif

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Guest Anonymous

my take is the S10 is not 4wd, the jeep chassis will be too wide and the scout is almost in perportion with the blazer chassis.... so I would stick with the blazer, you may need to cut it width wise and reweld a new side-of-choise frame rail, but I cant see the chassis being your biggest problem, the suspension/wheels lining up under the datsun body seems like the hardest thing... just my 02.

 

Dan

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Guest bluex_v1

Well I just love rediculous "why not?" projects! I would be very nervous with crossmembers being welded though. If you intend to take it on uneven terrain, the frame will flex...a C or boxed main rail would be ok, but doing so with a crossmember scares me.

Not a Chevy, but how about an early Bronco ('66-'77) frame though?...its wheelbase is 92 inches. The z car is 90.7 inches. You put a 3.5 inch suspension lift on it and the front radius arms will arc down and back slightly, and the rear leaf springs will also arc down and forward slightly since they are rear-shackled...so you effectively shorten the wheelbase maybe .5-1.0 inches, putting you almost exactly where you need to be. (even if you didn't work the suspension, you could more easily and safely cut the radius arm brackets from the frame and re-weld them back a small amount without adversely effecting the suspension or steering geometry outside of just having to adjust a tie rod probably) The early broncos also did not have full width axles, so you would probably have about the correct tire offset in relation to the body. These are pretty sought after trucks for the rock crawling crowd and you may be able to find a frame for cheap that has already had the body removed for parts.

-if you are interested, I can measure my exact dimensions length and width..

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A CJ7 has a 93" wheelbase while the '72 Blazer is 104" The axle width on an "early" CJ-7 (pre 1980)is 50.5". The rear axle in the Blazer is 63" wide. A Datsun has a 91" wheelbase and is 61" wide, so it seems the Jeep frame is darn near perfect after fabbing mounts to attach the Datsun unibody structure to.

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Guest bluex_v1

An early cj-5 has a wheelbase of 81 inches. After AMC started building them (I think in '76) they stretched the engine bay to stuff the 304 in, resulting in an 84 inch wheelbase.

BTW, The width of the early Bronco is 64 inches. Also since it is coil sprung up front, you won't have unsightly leaf springs hanging down and sticking into the airdam or whatever you may have on the front.

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try the broncoII frame. they ride smooth and can turn on a dime. You may even be able to find posi front and rear axles from a ranger ;)

 

I had one that was posi front and rear, and it was almost impossible to get stuck.

Any body know what the wheelbase of the BII was?

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