Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: black69</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
What is suprising to me, is that I think GM maybe copied some ideas from Chrysler when I look at his car. His 57? desoto has a <span style="font-style: italic">subframe just like a camaro or chevelle</span>, and it has a VIN stamp right by the heaterbox. I dont think GM or ford had a subrame concept in practice this early.
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From the pics, that's a 1961 Chrysler, which is a Unibody. Chrysler Corp started with this in 1960 (save Imperial, which joined in '61, I believe).

Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

Agreed, its a unibody with front subframe. GM appears to not have done this in a similiar configuration until the camaro and nova, 7 yrs later. If you are a GM guy, you got to give props to Chrysler showing it could be done first.

Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

Bob whats your friend doing with that car? the firewall heater box hole is alot bigger than my Chrysler, did it have air? Looks like hes done some suspension work too

Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

He wants the firewall clean and flat and thus mounted the master cylinder sideways under the dash, as well as the modern new airconditioning unit. He hacked out alot of what was there, so who knows if the car originally had air, I doubt it did. He will just weld in a flat piece to cover all that stuff.

He did say, if he had it to do over again, he would have put the original subframe to the side, and adapt a camaro subframe to get coil overs and disk brakes, but its too late now as he has put that on the original.

Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: black69</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> If you are a GM guy, you got to give props to Chrysler showing it could be done first.
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Wasn't the Corvair Unibody?

Citroen did it in 1934. Giving props to Chrysler would be a mistake.

Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 442w30</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: black69</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> If you are a GM guy, you got to give props to Chrysler showing it could be done first.
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Wasn't the Corvair Unibody?

Citroen did it in 1934. Giving props to Chrysler would be a mistake. </div></div>

Yes the corvair is a unibody, it also used a rear subframe and carried a light little engine, an all this happened in 1960, same time as Chrysler. My point was as far as mounting a large heavy V8 engine using a substantial subframe to a unibody shell, <span style="font-style: italic">out in front</span>, appears to me atleast to have been done by Chrysler first in 1960. I also dont think the rear subframe of a corvair had to work as hard supporting any body components, if at all.

GM would have had no other example to look at when they designed the Camaro to hold a 396/427, other than a Chrysler. I could be wrong. I really never knew this myself, until the other day, and I do have a Camaro [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

1961 saw the Oldsmobile F85 unibody, Pontiac Tempest/Lemans, Buick Skylark, all V8s. All with removable front sub frames.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps22kmx7rj.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...psbshwl8kh.jpg

Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

Cool! I didn't know that. Looks like alternatives to a full frame for a front engine car were all taking form in 60-61.
Btw, that engine you have is wicked!

Re: Muscle cars + classic car collecting
 

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]