Okay, Evaluating the 1985 D 150 I just brought home I got a better look at some existing issues.

1 The roof. The roof looks like a tree landed on it at some point, and put soem good dents in it. They body puttied it years ago, and the putty is starting to crack. Along the drip rail there is rust starting.

2 The Cab floor. The drivers side cab floor is rusted through Fred Flintstone like. Apparently the front windshield leaks and over the last 23 years turned the drivers floorpan to crap.

Option#1 Strip the cab of putty, see what is REALLY there and fix it. Cut out the floorboards and weld in new metal from a donor in the junkyard. Fix the window.

Option#2 There are a couple decent cabs up at the local pick and pull. They are priced at $100-$300 each bare, and a couple of them are already stripped pretty good.

I am starting to think that a new cab would cause me less aggrivation than repairing the original. But, I have never removed a cab.

Also, I noted some of the cans are newer and have the 3rd brakelight location, which seems like a good upgrade.

Are there any major differences I need to be aware of in the cabs 1985-93? What do you think?

 

I have the same exact truck, and same exact rust lol. I'm going the route of fixing mine. My roof rust is more advanced than that, but I plan on atleast fixing, if I can get a deal though I'm going to have the cab media blasted, so I can do it right and know I'll get another 23 years or more out of her. I'll probably do that because I want the frame blasted anyway.

 

I'll be putting an '85 cab on my '81 this summer. Buying the '85 for $150 and it would run and drive with some work. My '81 was laid on its side so the whole cab is twisted.

I'd say the main thing on your truck would be swapping the wiring over. Disconnect everything at the firewall and then lay your cab aside until you get the new bare one bolted down. Then change the wiring, computer, fuse block....depends on if you have EFI on either one or not. If you want the third brake light I'd splice in a wire to your original cab wiring. If you are handy with a wrench but not at bodywork it would probably be easier to swap cabs...especially since some parts are double walled so you can't get to the top skin easily.

Derek

 

What are the legalities on cab swaps anyway? do yo uneed to use the title for the new cab? Or do you swap the vin plates? That's probably the biggest issue I'd have with a cab swap, since I'm going to remove the cab for blasting anyway.

 

Well, I am handy with a wrench, and handy with bodywork. I'll have to look at the vin and see if it is attached to the cab, or just to the dash. Almost everything else I have worked on the VIN is just attached to the dash.

 

its attached to the cab on the door jam drivers side towards the back isnt it?
also, i dont know about the roof, but fixing the floor cant be that bad if you arent super fussy. just tack in some 18 guage, caulk, and put the rubber back down...

 

 

There is the option for the fiberglass cab?

 

Vin plates are attatched to the structure, you usually have to remove the windshield to gain access to it. Trust me, they're not going to make it as easy as swapping the upper dash to change a vin plate, it'd make car theft just a bit too easy.

 

there is one vin plate on the dash....if you arent trying to sell the oldtruck cabyou dont have to remove the windshield just take a Dremel and use a cutting disk tocutit off the dashoff and glue it on top of the VIN on the new dash.....the other VIN number is rivted to the door jam driver side just drill out the rivets no biggie really.