A little out there: 88-98 cab on a 77 C6500?

[kthelen]

Hello all!

I've got a 1977 GMC 6500 rollback with a really rusty cab. It has the fiberglass tilt-forward hood with the "shorty" fenders. I've been passively seeking a replacement cab (that is, "keeping my eyes open for a free/cheap one") for a while now.

Recently I stumbled upon a nice, solid cab from a 98 Chevy pickup. It's not what I had in mind (wanted to find one from a 73-87 for a more direct swap), but the price is right.

Has anyone out there done something like this before? If so, how much of a chore was it to get the old-style front clip to line up with the new-style cab? And how much fabbing was required to make it fit on the frame properly? I'm hoping to go back and take some measurements later this week, but in the meanwhile I'm driving myself nuts not knowing (don't even know how far apart the newer truck's frame rails are/were).

Yes, I know, grabbing the newer cab and trading it for an older one would probably be easier - and that's not entirely out of the question But the more I think about it, the more I'm liking the idea of having a few modern conveniences (even if that means doing a good bit of wiring from scratch).

Any clues, stories, pics, etc. would be greatly appreciated.


--Keith