Chevy C50, C60 swaps conversions etc

One summer during college I had a job driving a C50 cabover delivery truck, like this.  I have no need or space for it, but I've wanted to own one ever since.

stuart in mn said:

One summer during college I had a job driving a C50 cabover delivery truck, like this.  I have no need or space for it, but I've wanted to own one ever since.

Shorty cab over pickup truck? I'm in!

I bet you can really see the road well in one of those cab over trucks.

I like this conversion a lot. I like how the back part of both doors is pretty vertical. 
 

would there be better years to look at to get that more vertical frame that goes around the windows? 
 

Somebeach (Forum Supporter) said:

https://www.hotcars.com/chevy-c50-nicest-restorations/amp/
 

What year is the red truck?

Freiburger always said the wheel well cut-outs and flairs on medium duty trucks would be perfect for a 4x4 with huge meats. He's not wrong.

In reply to Racingsnake :

I actually don't know. I think I found that picture on brothers truck parts Facebook page. 

Somebeach (Forum Supporter) said:

I bet you can really see the road well in one of those cab over trucks.

I like this conversion a lot. I like how the back part of both doors is pretty vertical. 
 

would there be better years to look at to get that more vertical frame that goes around the windows?

That's a 67-72 Chevy/GMC cab and bed like the yellow and white one in your OP.

In 73 they went to the "Square body" design and that stuck through most of the 80s:

Finding or making the crew cab is going to be the hardest part for either generation. The other bodywork (doors, bedsides, tailgates, interior panels) is all readily available. If you want to do a frame/driveline swap from a newer truck, then you'd want the front end bodywork from the HD truck. It seems like most of these are made using the frame from the original HD trucks though. It might be easier to find an old truck/frame than just the bodywork.

In reply to STM317 :

So are you saying rather than make the grain truck into a crew cab. Just get a crewcab squarebody cab and then modify the c50 front clip to fit with the square body cab? 
 

I guess it would be easier that way to modify a hood and fenders rather than modify the actual cab portion. 

Is this body line one of the main differences between the pre 73 vs the post 73s? 
 

In reply to Somebeach (Forum Supporter) :

They are completely different trucks, really.  Bodywise, anyway.  

In reply to Somebeach (Forum Supporter) :

I doubt you'd have to modify anything to get the body panels to fit. As far as I know, the bigger HD trucks use the same exact cab as the regular half tons from the same year. So a C10 or C20 cab is the same as the C50 cab. They just attached a different front end (with more radiator area) and set it on a heavier duty frame. Because of this, the beds also line up, which is what nearly all of the trucks pictured in this thread use. There are two eras here. As long as you're using parts from the same era (67-72, or 73+89) you won't have to really modify any bodywork unless you're custom making a 67-72 crew cab. But that's not related to the fitment of the C50 stuff.

You'd probably have to change bodywork or shorten the frame to get the wheelbase to match. You'd probably have to make custom cab mounts for a crew cab if the C50 grain truck or whatever didn't have a crew cab to begin with. But the sheetmetal should all fit together.

Decent squarebody crew cabs are not exactly easy to find, but they're easier than custom making a crew cab for a 67-72 truck so I'd probably be looking for one of those as a base even though I love the way the older trucks look with a crew cab. Squarebody trucks will be cheaper too.

As far as styling, there's no sheetmetal that's shared between the 67-72 and the squarebodys

Here's a 72 (last year of old bodystyle):

Here's a 73 (first year of Squarebody styling):

In reply to STM317 :

Thanks. That helps. 

Somebeach (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to STM317 :

So are you saying rather than make the grain truck into a crew cab. Just get a crewcab squarebody cab and then modify the c50 front clip to fit with the square body cab? 
 

I guess it would be easier that way to modify a hood and fenders rather than modify the actual cab portion. 

You don't have to modify the cab at all. They are exactly the same. The nose will bolt right up.

In reply to Appleseed :

Nice! Guess I better start looking for a decent squarebody crewcab. 

Actually, the cabs are not the same. Big truck cabs have flat floorboards without the typical hump. There are also some differences in the lower firewall.

Further, on the earlier 67-72 era trucks, the doors are different due to significant differences in the cowl area. They have the lower front corners cut off of them compared to smaller trucks which have square lower corners.

Also, the 73-87 era big truck cabs were small back window whereas no pickup had a small back window after 1967.

In reply to John Welsh :

not too bad

Interesting suburban mash ups. 
 

Find a rural volunteer fire department selling an old truck. It'll be low mileage but will have been driven at least weekly all it's life. Plus you'll have lots of cabinets or just clean aluminum scrap. 

My old VFD has an 83 C70 with 30k that is driven weekly and well maintained. If it had a more desirable drivetrain I'd be lusting after it. 

I think an old fire truck would be a great option too. 
 

Any one know if you could do a Ford grain truck the same way? Ie would the grain truck be about the same cab width as a F350 so you could use a f350 cab with a grain truck front.  
 

What years are the body styles on the Ford trucks? 
 

Not sure on the body but I know you could get a fuel injected 429 in them well into the 90's

In reply to chandler :

Seems like a good option to keep an eye out for. 

John Welsh said:

Still staying with unlimited budget but this may get you there quicker.  Retro panels added to current truck

Even easier, retro paint job:

 

That's awful

I think there is some opportunities with a international 4600 cab too. But I don't like how the front clip looks. A little too modern semi truck to me. 
 

but I guess maybe that is what it is. 

In reply to Somebeach (Forum Supporter) :

If you're thinking ford, then the n600 is where it's at.

Snub nose, with little half hood things? Super cool. I looked at one of these before I bought my c50.

In reply to iansane :

That is pretty cool.

I think I am going to shop for a crew cab of some sort and then that will dictate what grain truck front I get to go with it.