Changing a truck cab

[70DartMike]

Sorry, not an A body question. I would ask on sweptline.org, but chances of someone getting back to me in under a month is pretty slim.

The cab on my 65 Fargo is pretty badly rotted. Cab mounts are gone, floor is starting to disappear, the doors sag, and it's just getting beyond repair.
I have a 66 Dodge, and the cab is like brand new, not a bit of rust anywhere, very clean, all the glass is good.
My question is, how hard is it to change the cab? I realize I'll have to pull the steering column along with some electrical, but anything else? Oh, a fuel line I suppose since my tank is behind the seat. What are the chances of twisting the cab, or shattering the glass if we wrap a strap around it and pick it up with the excavator?

 

[nothingbutdarts]

Sorry, not an A body question. I would ask on sweptline.org, but chances of someone getting back to me in under a month is pretty slim.

The cab on my 65 Fargo is pretty badly rotted. Cab mounts are gone, floor is starting to disappear, the doors sag, and it's just getting beyond repair.
I have a 66 Dodge, and the cab is like brand new, not a bit of rust anywhere, very clean, all the glass is good.
My question is, how hard is it to change the cab? I realize I'll have to pull the steering column along with some electrical, but anything else? Oh, a fuel line I suppose since my tank is behind the seat. What are the chances of twisting the cab, or shattering the glass if we wrap a strap around it and pick it up with the excavator?

Well now, gald you asked this as I have a 77 crew cab and an 81 crew, I'm going to take the 77 cab & put it on the 81 as the 81 was layed on it's side and is tweaked.

So far I've removed the 4 cab body mount bolts & started removing the fenders. As you mentioned with the fuel lines, brake lines and wiring and column/shift linkage I thing it's ready to go. My plan of attack is to open the doors and maybe use a 4X4 threw the inside of the cab (not using the doors as a lifting point) and hook to the 4X4 and lift the cab that way with an "A" frame. However I'm open for suggestions like yourself.

 

[67GTConvert]

Hey Mike,I've changed a couple of them over the years on other makes and I used two wide straps in an X pattern through the door openings and had no problem.The cabs don't really weigh all that much,maybe 400 lbs without doors,and the metal is good and strong on those old trucks so no worries about twisting or tweaking anything

 

[cudamark]

If you're using a strap, make sure it's a good heavy duty one. If it breaks, it'll make that good cab second hand in a hurry. I usually pull the doors first but I don't guess you really need to. Mainly lightens it up a bit. If the new cab needs any work or if it's going to get a complete resto or repaint, I'd take it apart first and just handle the bare cab. For sure pull the seat, gas tank, column, e-brake, hood, fenders, and everything on the engine side of the firewall that hooks to the engine or frame. (wiring, brake, clutch,etc.) I wouldn't worry about breaking any glass if you're just doing an easy lift off. If it going to get a repaint, do the rear of the cab and the front of the bed while it's apart. Hang a thick moving blanket over the front of the bed when you reinstall the cab so you don't damage anything.

 

[70DartMike]

Hey Mike,I've changed a couple of them over the years on other makes and I used two wide straps in an X pattern through the door openings and had no problem.The cabs don't really weigh all that much,maybe 400 lbs without doors,and the metal is good and strong on those old trucks so no worries about twisting or tweaking anything

Would it be better to take the doors off? Or to leave them on? I guess if I leave them on, I'd want to have them open, since lifting the cab with the straps run through the door window openings might pull the door up and mess up the hinges/door alignment?

 

[sireland67]

I would remove the doors, just to make it lighter, they are real heavy and most need the hinges rebuilt any ways.
Plus it will make it easy to do any other repairs if necessary.
Before final torque the cab bolts to the frame, I would re-install the doors with the hinges rebuilt, and in perfect align with the cab.
When you final bolt the cab down make sure both doors are closed to not tweak the cab.

 

[67GTConvert]

Would it be better to take the doors off? Or to leave them on? I guess if I leave them on, I'd want to have them open, since lifting the cab with the straps run through the door window openings might pull the door up and mess up the hinges/door alignment?

You're right,you don't want to run the straps through the window openings in the door.You could leave the doors on and have them open and you should be fine but,like the previous poster said,if you need to do any work on them that would be good time to pull them off.
The two doors might weigh 150 lbs combined so it won't make or break anything that the cab itself would'nt.

 

[65Val]

When I changed the cab on my '78 F*rd Supercab a few years back, I just "borrowed" 3 other guys. Payment was in the form of barley sandwiches! Went smooth as silk!

 

[70DartMike]

Am I better to run the straps through the door openings in the cab? Or underneath the cab?

Darwin, if I had more than 1 friend actually willing to help, I'd do that, but most of them find something else to do when I ask for help with things like this.

 

[67GTConvert]

Going through the door opening won't hurt anything as long as the cab is fully detached and lifts off like it should.You could go underneath the cab but it might be tough to get the straps under the cab and over the frame to get it lifted plus the tight straps running across the bottom will probably get in the way when you go to lower the cab onto the other truck.