1965 d100 frame swap

[BRIAN]

Hi all I have a 1965 dodge truck D100 camper special I think the beds is like 9 feet long.I am slamming to the ground. I have just the body no frame. I am trying to find the best frame to use and not cost me a arm and a lag. I am looking at a 1978 dodge truck 1500 frame for $75. I have looked into it already and I know I need to cut out 8 1/2 inches out of the frame to match the wheel base of the 65 truck and make all new mounts. Is there a better frame out there that I will not have to do so much work on. Any help would be greatly appreciate. My e mail is scarfo.brian@yahoo.com. Thanks and have a good day all.

[slick]

As far as doing the least amount of work that is probably going to be your best bet. Any mopar motor/tranny will bolt in etc.. You can always make other frames work. There is a truck for sale locally here that is on a Chevy frame, so anything is possible depending on how much work you want to put in it. Personally if it were me I would build a frame from scratch, but that also depends on what your desired outcome is (lifted, lowered, stock?)..

[soopernaut]

Since you have to remove a section of frame why not splice a newer front to the original back? The 78 frame is very close to matching the 65 frame under the cab. My truck's frame is a 77 D150 front spliced to a 70 rear. I was originally going to do a full frame swap but there were some issues that were better solved by splicing.

[slick]

Don't think he has the original frame, but I agree with Sooper. If you plan to put it on the ground I would use that 78 front suspension, Dakota dropped spindles, and build the frame from there back..

[soopernaut]

Don't think he has the original frame, but I agree with Sooper.

Yeah, I just reread the original post. After a few days I may reply without reading everything again.

[BRIAN]

Thanks a lot guys for getting back to me I new in the Dodge game always been a Chevy man. Right now I have a 1956 Chevy 2 door Wagon it as a 454 and a high rise 4x4 setup 9inch rear 1955 Chevy truck all original, 1973 Cougar convertible it need work I will try to upload pictures if I can find out how to do it. But now this 1965 Dodge D100 I hope to slam the D100 its a camper special the bed is like 9 feet long . I been hearing that air bag may not be the way to go. I hear that if you loss air the truck falls to the ground and your stuck . I hear just lower it as low as you can to ride it and leave it. Why put air bags on it if I can not drop it to the ground. Any suggestions will help thanks and by the way the Dakota dropped spindles are they stock spindles or do I have to buy them and will they fit my 1978 dodge suspension. Thanks again for all the help and Ya all have a great day.

[Hobcobble]

its a camper special the bed is like 9 feet long .

There was one 9' box option and that was the Utiline box. I've never seen a 9' Utiline
box on a 100 series truck. Otherwise, your truck has an ~8' box if the VIN tag calls out
the wheelbase at 128" [mid '65 and later] or 122" [early '65 or older].
John

[slick]

Dropped Dakota spindles on the 78 Suspension.