WTB a four door crew cab.

[chris@bigjranch.com]

I'm looking for a new project. I now have an extended cab,and it just aint cuttin it any more for the Family (me, wife, and two car seats) it'd be great to have a crew cab for the "crew".

[Chris H]

Originally Posted by chris@bigjranch.com

I'm looking for a new project. I now have an extended cab,and it just aint cuttin it any more for the Family (me, wife, and two car seats) it'd be great to have a crew cab for the "crew".

I just did the same thing last fall. My "new" one is a 2000 K2500 crew (old body style) with the 5.7/AT and leather buckets. LOVE IT!!! Plenty of room for me/momma/2 growing boys.

Tell us more about what you are looking for?
-long or short bed?
-C2500 K2500 C3500 K3500?
-big block or small block?

One thing that I found very helpful when I was looking was to sign up at www.autotrader.com and save a search, then check it when I had time. Amazing how fast some of these trucks sell!

[chris@bigjranch.com]

Well, I've been thinking about building one out of a wrecked truck and was thinking of just getting a donor cab. However, I think to license it for public use it has to have a title and things get complicated from there.

I guess I'd like to have a 93-94 so that I get the "new" body style and keep the cost down by not buying a newer model with air bags . My current truck is a 91 2wd extended cab and I sure like it, Not a big fan of the air bags (yet, I've never needed them).

I think I like the short bed look. My half ton seems to be beefy enough (with overloads) to haul my camper in though it would be nice to have a 3/4 ton. Not sure I want a one ton with all that extra weight to haul around i.e. Heavy frame ,heavy axle etc.

It wouldn't have to run. My truck has 310k on the original motor and trans, and is still strong as ever. I haven't decided what I want the power train to be yet, and since I will probably change it, It wouldn't matter if it runs or not.
A friend of mine stuck a 12 valve cummins in one last year and he's got me thinking about doing the same thing.

I do think I'd like a manual trans in this one though. I'm thinking more about gas mileage here.

[chris@bigjranch.com]

Oh yea, and I like my 2wd with big tires on it so people keep asking if it's 4wd. again I'm thinking gas (or fuel for you diesel lovers) mileage.

[chris@bigjranch.com]

Here's a picture of my current truck.

[jeffspower]

If you want just a cab- the guy has listed it a bajillion times with no luck. Maybe you can work him down:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/88-98...17978860QQrdZ1

[chris@bigjranch.com]

I wonder how that would work with the D.O.T. ? Would they let you license it?
Anybody had any experience Changing a reg cab to four door and still getting it licensed? Do they just look the other way when it says 1/2 ton 4x4 on the title and it's a one ton 4door 2wd?

[chris@bigjranch.com]

How's this for a concept build? Has the seating capacity of a suburban, and the carrying capabilities of a short bed pickup. I moved the axle forward so the turning radius wouldn't be so bad.
I actually saw one that was similar the other day. It wasn't quite a full extended cab behind the second set of doors. I think it was built that way so they could recline the rear seats. My concept is more for seating capacity

[jeffspower]

It might provide the same cubic feet hauling capacity of a shorbed, but will have the weight carrying capacity of a Cavalier! plus, anything light would have to be tied down- remember sitting in the back seat of a school bus?

[chris@bigjranch.com]

Ummm good point. Maybe I'll move the axle back and have the turning radius of a limo

[jeffspower]

you could put in a rear steer

The turning radius does suck on a long truck. My '88 longbox ecab is annoying in tight places. But it pulls a trailer sooo nice.

[kevinr1970]

I had a 1998 3/4ton 4x4 crew cab short bed. GM didn't make a crew with a short bed until 1999.
It was a conversion by a company called Centurion. The VIN came back as a 2500 HD ext. cab long bed.
At the time it made sense that they would have took an ext. cab/long bed frame and mounted a crew cab and short bed. But now that I think about it I know on the 73-87's the short beds had less bed behind the axle than the long beds. I think the NBS trucks are probably the same so they probably had to do some sort of frame work. I wish I would have crawled under it to get a look?

Originally Posted by chris@bigjranch.com

I wonder how that would work with the D.O.T. ? Would they let you license it?
Anybody had any experience Changing a reg cab to four door and still getting it licensed? Do they just look the other way when it says 1/2 ton 4x4 on the title and it's a one ton 4door 2wd?

[chris@bigjranch.com]

Well, if they didn't make 3/4 ton short beds till 99, and I'm wanting something older to keep the cost down, I wonder where I could get a suburban to hack up? other wise I'll have to probably shorten the frame anyway. Hmmmm, Maybe I need to just save up a whole lot of money and then buy a 99. By then My kids will be grown and I won't need it anyway. :LOL:

[chris@bigjranch.com]

Found out on fathers day that there's another one on the way! Now I really need a bigger truck!

[dapolice1]

I have one with lots of customizing done to it. PM me and I will give you details.

[cayoterun]

Chris: I vote you stick with the long-bed crew in the older truck, or get the newer crew short-bed. With your growing family, I'll bet you'll soon be looking at a larger camper set-up. Any crew is kinda' a pain around parking lots, but other than that, a dream to drive, ride, and tow with. Floats along like a big limo and wind don't beat you up. Just grit you teeth at the pumps.
Cayoterun

[JJR]

How about this 97, it was on Ebay recently for $20K. I am also looking to go to a crew cab. I would like to find one that wasn't worked hard (not an easy task). Good luck with your search.

[Pyrotechnic]

I saw a 98-99ish old body style truck on ebay once. It was 1/2 ton crew cab short bed. Seemed like it was a really rare truck as it's the only one i've ever seen and it appeared to b 100% factory. Maybe it was the precursor to the popularity of crew cab trucks these days ?

Not sure what your budget is but if it allows you should also consider the 99-07 GMT 800 crew cab trucks (not sure what year they first started), mainly since they are so popular and plentiful, and you get the even shorter bed which leaves you with a wheelbase the same as the and extended cab regular bed. I have feeling that with the newest trucks coming out, there will be a lot of people running for the newer trucks.

[chris@bigjranch.com]

Originally Posted by JJR

How about this 97, it was on Ebay recently for $20K. I am also looking to go to a crew cab. I would like to find one that wasn't worked hard (not an easy task). Good luck with your search.

Man Now thats what I'm talkin about Thats Long. Only problem is I dont have the budget for a 20k dollar truck. I'll have to build slowly that way I can put 20k in it over a period of time, and then have a truck thats worth more to me just because I built it. Who knows maybe I'll get lucky and find a 1ton crew at a local car dealer thats been real roughed up and I can pick it up kinda cheap.

[Pyrotechnic]

http://austin.craigslist.org/car/371097007.html

Happened to be cruising craigslist and I remembered this thread. Too bad you are so far away.

[crews]

I have a friend who may have exactly what you are looking for. He has a 94 1 ton crew cab dually with no motor that he recently picked up to doa 1/2 ton crew cab 2wd conversion himself. Now he wants to do a 1/2 ton 2wd Suburban instead ( and he just bought one of those) so the dually is up for sale.

He also has access to a 1/2 ton suspension and a short flet bed.

PM me for more info and I'll put you two in contact with each other.

[bigtruck81]

i have a 94 K3500 crewcab that i bought wrecked for parts. frame is toast, but the cab is perfect, and rock solid. basically just a cab shell, with title. PM me if interested.

[chris@bigjranch.com]

It's been a long time since I posted but I finally have some of the parts I need to do an extended cab short bed pickup. with the birth of our fifth child earlier this morning, I am considering this a needed endeavor not to mention it's a unique enough build that I should burn up a lot of time on.

[chris@bigjranch.com]

Here's the plan. Take a 4wd 1500 Suburban that's perfectly good, and cut near the back doors. take a junk extended cab short bed and cut in front of extended cab and simply weld back together. LOL Since I have never tackled anything quite so ambitious, any thoughts and set backs that might through me, from those of you that have done this before would be greatly appreciated. wish me luck

[dapolice1]

I have a stock 93 cab minus front seats and dash.
I have a 95 dash with harness and all if you're interested let me know.
Price is CHEAP..