Cab swapping ?s

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by lawricker

Give me a buzz when you find a pre-81 rust free...must be a different kind of dirt in Cypress than in east texas..

Actually it is. You have mostly gumbo and clay in your part of the woods. That stuff sticks like glue and traps moisture. In the Southern part of the state we have very sandy soil. It doesn't stick to the metal so it doesn't promote rust.

Regardless of where your from in the state of TX they don't use salt on the roads so rust free trucks can be found. Ya just gotta look hard enough, right cliffsta....

[bigblock73]

Cliff, might want to check this one out. LOoks to be better than yours, and the price seems fair...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1981-...QQcmdZViewItem

[cliffsta]

Guys I'm getting this 75 I found. I couldn't upload the pic from my phone, long story..... but I swear, no rust, perfectly straight. I'm gonna take the cab and the front fenders and maybe the hood from it and strip the interior, sell off everything I don't need, maybe keep the 350 and rebuild it It's perfect!! $800, its a steal for twice that.

And yes, the white truck is a lot nicer than mine, and driveable other than it has a knock, but Ol' Red has way too much sentimental value to sell. I couldn't bring myself to do that. So I'm just gonna take all the nice stuff from this white one, sell the rest to try and maybe break even, then get everytihng painted.

[84 400]

pic?

[cliffsta]

SORRY the phone thingie was like both arms, legs, and the third leg to buy.

Me and the uncle should swing by there again on Monday maybe. I went and looked at it realy close, the driver's fender has the slightest bit of rot on the bottum but it is obvious it hasn't been painted. That's the only weakness to it is the paint but i'm just using it for parts/the cab anyways.

I'll have it some time this week for sure.

[84 400]

ALLRIGHT I HOPE TO SEE IT SOON MAN AND THANKS FOR KEEPING US POSTED. DOES IT HAVE A 350? wHAT DOES YOUR STEPPER HAVE? GOO LUCK WITH THE PROJECT AHEAD

[Crank]

Um hey hoss, i take it you never got my message on myspace, I sent one to you concerning BobVilla67's truck it's a DAMN Good parts truck and he's looking to get 400 out of a perfect cab! PM him and hook it up
Brandon

[cliffsta]

Hadn't got the message. 400 is a good price but shipping :-x

Yeah the truck I'm looking to buy has a 350 and darn tootin' i'm gonna keep it and build it for some SBC power! My truck only has a 305 and while it still pulls good, it is most definately tired. Guy said he changed the cam and put a double roller timing set on it, a couple other things too I believe, but it has a bottum-end knock, like maybe the crank or piston rings, but I"m gonna just pull it and put it in a stand to have to fiddle with. I'm looking to build it for just some good DD power, lookin for 250-300 horses and 330-350 lb/ft torque, give or take.

I'm going to the bank in the morning (well in about 10 hours) to get the money....

[84 400]

nice man glad to see your getting it and hope to hear more soon! good luck !

[cliffsta]

...and of course the irony gods (or whatever gods you believe in) shat upon me...

... but in a good way?

I got a couple leads on more like what i want (just a cab) out about an hour east of where I live, gonna follow up tomorrow, I've been working every day for 7 straight days and the next time i'm "off" is after i work 7am-11am saturday morning, (gonna end up with 49 hours this week alone) i'll be free after that, so maybe just maybe I'll do a lil' roadtrippin'...

and the truck i was/am looking at ain't going no where, the guy said he's about to pull it around the back of his trailor, and he already lives in BFE...so if nothing pans out in the next couple weeks i'll still grab it... upon closer, fine-tooth inspection, some rust on the fenders (no biggie, i don't need 'em), but def. worth the $800 if i gotta.

[cliffsta]

TTT

Got a truck lined up to buy. 80something GMC Sierra Classic, based on grille i'd say at the earliest its an 83-84, blownup Diesel, full power options (switches are dirty and work intermitantly), two-tone brown. Interior was OK, dirty more than anything. Story behind it is the guy got it from his friend, DD it for a while, then turned it into a work truck. His friend (the original owner) recently passed away, so the guy is just now feeling OK with selling it.

My uncle is supposed to get in touch with him again this week (and I'm giving him until Wednesday before I start "Are we there yet?" tactics), gotta try and line up a trailor to bring it home. Goin' to the ATM and transferring the money to my checking account from savings before work tomorrow.

$400.

If my uncle doesn't slack, should have it next weekend, I'm off both Saturday and Sunday. Even my mom is like "OK you're slacking, you need to be doing something with your truck and get it closer to done."

So I'm sure I'll be asking a billion more questions about removing a cab from a truck, taking it all apart, and whatnot, over the next good while. All y'alls help will be greatly appreciated. I mean, its one thing to change my own oil and shocks, its another taking an entire cab off of a truck.

Cliff

p.s.: Pics ASAP

[xaviercuca]

Hello everyone, i'm new to the site. I have a 1981 1/2 ton stepside and i am also looking for a 1981 cab as well. If anyone knows where i can find one please let me know. I plan to just swap VIN tags hopefully it would be legal.

[84 400]

^^ local cregislist?



cliff glad to hear the good news man. get on with them pics ha h a h a. good luck man and let us know how it works out

[cliffsta]

I'll probably take the old man's digi camera with me when we go get it. I'll make a separate thread about it, I don't like mixing and matching different topics in one thread.

Gonna be kinda fun having my truck pullin' another truck on a trailor, assuming 1. Its a trailor that fits my bumper and 2. my truck can move it

Definately hoping I get to pull it home, or daddy, one or the other. I want some pride shots of my beastly 305 pullin' more than its weight :-P

[84 400]

ha ha yeah you got a reciver hitch? or a step and toe on the stepper? sorry to post on this thread man i know you want to keep it for the cab swapping ?'s

[cliffsta]

No man i just posted in YOUR thread about the same thing... my bumper is the "utility bumper" with the ball hitch on it and the two holes on either side for i assume different size balls. I've pulled a cannon with it (for school) but *I* personally have never towed a trailor. My old man did. I'm just concerned about whether or not Ol' Red has the guts to tote an extra 5000 pound truck plus trailor. I know a guy with a new Silverado 2500 which I'm sure can pull it. My uncle, who lined up the truck for me, said he knows a guy with a trailor, so we'll see.

If I don't hear from him tomorrow night by about 7 pm I'm gonna call and begin hounding him to call teh guy and tell him I've got a $400 check waiting for his name. I want that dang thing this weekend!

[Slonaker]

He might not take a check unless he is a good friend of your uncle. I would not take a $400 check for a vehicle from a stranger.

I don't think a regular bumper hitch would be safe for towing that much weight. I am no expert on that sort of thing, but I would not tow it with anything less than a frame mounted receiver hitch.

Good luck with it, cliffsta! Keep us posted on your progress.

Slonaker

[cliffsta]

Originally Posted by Slonaker

He might not take a check unless he is a good friend of your uncle. I would not take a $400 check for a vehicle from a stranger.

I don't think a regular bumper hitch would be safe for towing that much weight. I am no expert on that sort of thing, but I would not tow it with anything less than a frame mounted receiver hitch.

Good luck with it, cliffsta! Keep us posted on your progress.

Slonaker

Yeah he's good friends with my uncle. I don't literally have a check written... i'm horrible about speaking in southern euphanisms.... anyways...

I figured a bumper hitch was not the best idea.... any other thoughts? Not that anyone else is reading this but slone and 84....

[84 400]

yeah it is too bad you don't have a frame mounted reciver...... thing with a truck that heavy is you need trailer brakes and you need to be careful with it. Not that i think you would drive fast for that matter but you need to keep in mind that it will take longer to sstop it will also be alot slower off the line. take your time and you will be fine. If you can do the 2500 that is the best way i see. it should have a factory reciver hitch rated at 5000 + punds and it will be wired for electric trailor brakes. Also the 2500 is a 3/4 ton and that is good for peice of mind. I don't think your 305 would have a problem but if you could i would go with the 2500. The last thing you want is for the trailor to damage your stepside. you should hook the loaded trailer to your tuck and snap a pic he he he. I load and unload trailers for a living and i once hooked a trailer with a bob cat to an f150 and the thing set the f150 down on its bump stops. Bob cats weigh 3,000 or so but it had an extra bucket on it and i think the weight of the bob cat was not on the rear axles it was more on the touge. At any rate good luck and keep us posted

[Slonaker]

I think you are much better off borrowing your friend's 3/4 ton. Too bad, it would make a cool pic if you hauled it home with your stepside.

Slonaker

[cliffsta]

Well, the guy said he'll take a check, uncle called him and confirmed it, he's now trying to line up a trailor. If he can't by tomorrow night or friday during the day, I'll call our mutual friend with the Silverado, who coincidentally will be my bodyman and painter.

I know, it would be to snap a shot of the truck and trailor hooked to Ol' Red, but I doubt that's gonna happen. I WILL have numerous pics though, daddy is a digi camera w**** so yeah. We even got a spot picked out, in the backyard, under a shadetree. Doesn't get much better than that

I know I need to subscribe to "sell my leftovers"... will it be kosher for me to sell alot of the guts off this truck on here, or would that require a "vendor" membership? I'd hate to give my business to sleezebay rather than the good people here.

[84 400]

glad to hear you got a spot for it. good luck with the tow and i look forward to seeing it man
good luck

[Russell]

haha, my grandfather used to pull the stock trailer with 4 big bulls in it, all hooked up to my bumper, and with the trailer brakes hooked up to the tail light wire.

That said, while my truck made it, I certainly would NOT reccomend as much! The bumper hitch on my truck is a super heavy duty version, and is only rated for 5500 lbs. A truck + its trailer would weigh quite a bit more than that...

As everyone else said, borrow that 3/4 ton, and go nuts!

I'm thinkin my stepper may get a new cab as well

[cliffsta]

Took another look at it today, I'm getting it for sure. It has a tilt column, clock in-cluster, 12 bolt rearend (i think... aren't 12 bolts the funny shaped ones? I counted 12 bolts ), looks to be converted to r-134, underside is dirty but solid, corners and rockers are in tact, carpet is dirty (and brown) but the floor felt solid. Its a 6.2 Diesel, so maybe I can get a little teenie bit of change for it, as opposed to it being the crappy 350 diesel. Front bumper and front clip is perfect. I'll probably keep the inside hood release stuff, too. its a longbed and has dual tanks. I'm sure that's worth decent change, too

Lookin' to hopefully break even with the extras I can sell, like the front clip and the box.

I don't have a trailor lined up, and my uncle is undoubtably out getting drunk (it is indeed friday night) so if it makes it home this weekend it might be Sunday. Guy said any time I want it during the week I can get it, during the weekend we have to arrange to have the gate open.

So, sorry to disappoint anyone looking for pics tonight (or tomorrow). I'll start a new thread about that truck when I get it, and I'll try and keep this thread actual cab-swapping

[84 400]

nice cliffa keep on trucken