Honestly if you are doing this much work you might as well get a good or less rusty cab. It's gonna take tons of work to get all the rust fixed on it. It will just keep coming back if you don't get it all.

 

oh i know that one.. i had intended on excising all the rot i could, then hitting the rest of it incl, rust with a SEM product called Rust-Mort. I have seen it in use before, worked great. only issue is gonna be for me is building body panels.

however you are correct, i only intend to sink 150-200 for materials, the rest is time and patience... things that i have a good supply of. i do however intend once the project is to the point where i absolutely need the new cab here and installed, is when i am all done the mockup, and am ready for final assembly.

as you have gathered its a cross between a frame-off resto, and a custom build job. all of wich i have to get past the MassDOT inspector.. cause with the new cab, im going to have to get a state assigned VIN number. but until i have to take it in for inspection, im gonna use the current one for mockup and testing. why have 2 cabs sitting here through out the winter, when i can have the original one back on the frame after it (the frame) is treated this week. like i said prior my uncle is a 33 year body tech, he's gonna be inspecting the work ive done on the current cab, if it passes his scrutiny i think ill be good, atleast for testing..

i do intend on getting another one... its a matter of time and cost. time to take it off donor truck (at bone yard) and cost of the cab

SORRY I KINDA DRAGGED ON...

 

Never thought of the whole vin number thing. I know here in pa its not too bad to do but some states are a total pita to try and do. Anyway good luck with it. Dont forget to post up pics of work along the way.

 

not a problem.. i woulda snapped some today, but it slipped my mind..

 

so i ran out of paint yesterday when i was repainting the frame after i got it back from the blaster.. no rot on it at all... i hit it with etching primer, 2 coats, and i ran out of paint for the 1st coat of top coat.

and talking it over with a couple buddies, we think we can rebuild the current cab. just got to excise the rot, and get replacement panels, or make new ones outta sheet.

regardless, i think itll be easier for me to rebuild and repaint the cab. only thing that needs to get fixed is the front left cab mount.

tomorrow (11-14) holds motor work, i have to take out ALL the remaining exhaust manifold studs. after learning that exhaust manifold studs on the 3.9L MAGNUM motor are just basic 5/16x18 bolts. so i am going to send a tap through there to clean the rust out. and also remove the broken stud.

heres what the motor looks like now... its been painted but i still need to take off the intake and timing chain cover so i can clean and polish them up then clear coat then re-install.. then a sexy looking red and polished alum motor

 

so after taking a week off on the truck, i am getting the motor mounts fixed.. (just the steel plates) so i can get the motor and trans back in.. i will have to take the trans back out to replace the mount... but i need the garage space to start doing the metal work on the cab.. i decided to just cut and replace the rotten steel.. its gonna be cheaper than getting a new body and the HELL of getting a state assigned VIN... i will put more pics up as this progresses

 

mass only wants 100 for the paperwork and inspection..
50 for paperwork submission, and 50 for the inspection.

im thinking your right though, just get a new one..

 

so i got the cab back on, but i gotta take it back off to plumb and run all my wiring. the cab i have is being kept to mock up the lift, and to mock up MY wiring.

heres what it looks like so far..

 

heres what it looks like almost re-assembled, including a wood block 5-6" body lift..



had to put it back together just about because of snow coming tomorrow... come wed/thursday, i should have it almost back together and the cab strapped to the frame for winter.. then its all motor and trans work, hopefully i can get the motor running come january, if i have the stuff to put it all back together

 

well tomorrow i plan on putting up a tarp tent, that can be rolled back up for storage, then adjusting the hydraulics on the bed. so i can get my jack stands back. then i have to run the On Board Air plumbing, run the hydraulic pump wiring, and build and wire a custom multi connector trailer harness. after all that can put the motor and tranny back together then putit all back in so i can mock up the motor and all the other stuff.. new brake lines, extended wiring harnesses, etc. i will post pics of the progress of the partial reconstrucstion.