The right way, and wrong way to remove a cab. And WHY...

[yfs200p]

Well last week i spoke to a body shop about bringing my cab in for some metal work. He told me since his shop is limited on space, that it would be best to bring the cab only to him. I figured thats fine, i have a wooden pallet with casters on it that is already set up for the cab. So that night i got home from work and made a bet with myself that i could remove the cab by myself. (And my friend is using the engine crane so that method is out). SO i ended up jacking the cab up off the frame, and putting it on stilts. I then had to remove the rear tires and use the jack to roll the chassis out from under the cab. Then i lowered the cab onto the pallet. This is using only one floor jack and a set of sawhorses. I got the cab lowered almost 8" away from the pallet, and the jack shifted and the cab came crashing down on the jack. Stoved in my nice original rocker and dented my $400+ GMCPAUL's brand new door. Needless to say, there were some 4 letter words flying.

Fast forward a few days, when a i spoke to a friend who offered to do the body work in my garage for half the price of the body shop i was gong to bring it to. And he wants the cab bolted to the frame to make sure nothing gets tweaked while cutting and welding. More 4 letter words, since i dented my door and rocker all for nothing. Anyway, i got smart and grabbed a tractor from work and made my life a whole lot easier. Took longer to load and unload and bind the machine on the trailer than it did to get the cab back on. I would not recommend attempting this without at least 4 guys or some type of machinery.

Moral of the Story: HASTE MAKES WASTE

Don't look to closely at these....




Not the end of the world, and no one got hurt, but annoying none the less.






The EASY way...

[davepl]

I pulled mine by myself using a cab/bed lift that I built from plans available here in the forums. The tractor would be nice (if I had access to one!) but I'd recommend some bracing inside the cab... they're not that heavy, but I'd still be worried that the forks would dent the roof.

I had initially planned to take my cab in seperately, but the body shops I've spoken to all want it ON a frame in order to ensure gaps and alignment are correct.

[PAWS 72]

Originally Posted by yfs200p

Well last week i spoke to a body shop about bringing my cab in for some metal work. He told me since his shop is limited on space, that it would be best to bring the cab only to him. I figured thats fine, i have a wooden pallet with casters on it that is already set up for the cab. So that night i got home from work and made a bet with myself that i could remove the cab by myself. (And my friend is using the engine crane so that method is out). SO i ended up jacking the cab up off the frame, and putting it on stilts. I then had to remove the rear tires and use the jack to roll the chassis out from under the cab. Then i lowered the cab onto the pallet. This is using only one floor jack and a set of sawhorses. I got the cab lowered almost 8" away from the pallet, and the jack shifted and the cab came crashing down on the jack. Stoved in my nice original rocker and dented my $400+ GMCPAUL's brand new door. Needless to say, there were some 4 letter words flying.

Fast forward a few days, when a i spoke to a friend who offered to do the body work in my garage for half the price of the body shop i was gong to bring it to. And he wants the cab bolted to the frame to make sure nothing gets tweaked while cutting and welding. More 4 letter words, since i dented my door and rocker all for nothing. Anyway, i got smart and grabbed a tractor from work and made my life a whole lot easier. Took longer to load and unload and bind the machine on the trailer than it did to get the cab back on. I would not recommend attempting this without at least 4 guys or some type of machinery.

Moral of the Story: HASTE MAKES WASTE

Don't look to closely at these....




Not the end of the world, and no one got hurt, but annoying none the less.






The EASY way...

The last pic is a hole lot safer and easier. sorry for the dents. glad i wasn't around.bet the wife wanted you to leave also. joking

[Coley]

Interesting pics....but that wood bracing looks a little dicy.
Quick Question: What does a bare cab weigh?
Coley

[yfs200p]

Not sure exactly. Less than you would think. 2 guys can actually pick it up, but it takes 4 to effectively move it around. I'd say in the 300lb range
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[lousblown55chevy]

I am building a crew cab . Bought a c/30 camper with the access hole in the back of the cab, welded casters to the frame , cut the frame at the firewall and rear spring perches. This leaves enough frame to mount the 2nd cab and join them together. Still trying to figure out the best way to move the cab when its finished

[davepl]

I did mine all by myself (literally) with a home-made cab&bed lift from plans I bought here on the forums. Set it done on two $20 Harbor Freight mover's dollies and roll it around the shop at will.

Total investment: $100 for steel and $40 for dollies. No dents, no need to find four strong guys to help, etc.

Granted, you need a cherry picker to use it and a welder to make it, but hey, now you have an excuse for those.

[74 stepside]

Cheep and easy way to remove cab...Buy a case of beer and call over friends and or neighbors. Worked for me.