Swapping frame in 37 Panel Wagon

We pulled the frame out of my panel the other day, parked it next to the 94 Dakota frame we are going to use. The panel frame is mostly flat, where the Dakota frame dips down under the cab. Has anyone used a Dakota frame under a panel? Looks like we will have to use the front sub under the panel frame (prob not) or channel the floor under the wood section of the body to get it to set low enough. Any ideas?

have you got any pics of the 2 frames?
you say 37 panal wagon and is it a 37 humpback?
got any pics of it????


I would set the body on the frame and then make the body mounts from the frame to the body so that it sets good and if I had to I would raise the rear hangers up on the frame to get the truck lower and then redo the floor area in the rear.
I hope that makes sence
Ron...

If I remember, the Dakota drops at the firewall and kicks back up behind the cab where the box would sit. If you trim off the "ears" for the Dakota front box mounts, and remove the gas tank cross member, you will only be left with the high part above the rear axle. If you don't need the amount of rear suspension travel the Dakota has it shouldn't be a huge deal to modify the rear of the Dakota frame. Even if you "filled" the dip on the Dakota frame to make it flat, you should lower the panel by several inches, right? The panel's rear floor is wood anyway, guess it depends on what you want your rear floor to look like and what your planning on doing with the back of the panel.

Somewhere between these two extremes there should be a happy comprimise. With anything I've ever seen, the lower you want to go, the more modifications need to take place. How low do you want to go? Pictures would help a bunch. My old mind gets a bit foggy. Gene

Well Gene he must not post much here its been 8 days and no responce or pictures

maybe hes on vacation Ron....

Ron, by all the action on this part of the board, I'm starting to think a lot of people must be "on vacation". lol
I see as much street rod action on the general board as there is here. Maybe the muscle car guys don't understand "street rods". Gene

I don't know how to attatch pictures, but when I did my Dakota frame on my 49 wayfarer, the bottom of the dakota was about the same from the front of the frame back, and it went from about 5" tall under the cab, and I think around 7" behind the cab and back, just like was mentioned. I made two cuts on the sides, and cut that extra two incheas out, hammered it straight, welded and slid into the wayfarer frame.

Well that wasn't hard to post a picture! Heres one of the dakota slid together into the 49 dodge and welded, had to use a come along to get it the last couple inches it was such a tight fit, then welded it up. It was my first time doing a subframe, thought it went pretty easy.