47-55.1 Will a COE cab fit in 3100 chassis

[jocww]

My dad really wants a COE now that the truck my mom got him is almost done. We have Tyne original chassis since I bought a TCI one. There is a 50 COE cab that i saw, how much fab work if any is required if i were to use my original 3100 chassis?

[mr48chev]

It would probably be a lot simpler to use the front few feet of the stock COE frame and put a C-10,20 or 30 front crossmember under it and make the frame what ever length you want to have the length of bed you want.
Check this thread from about 4 years ago. He swapped a COE onto a Dodge diesel dualie chassis but the photos will let you know if you want to attempt a frame swap.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=686729

Anything is possible if your fab skills and imagination are up to it though.

[jocww]

Yea, the guy has duramax frame for sale too, but the coe cab is all he has thats original. the original frame is long gone. he was trying to do a coe cab to the duramax frame, but i think he got in over his head. I was hoping to use my 3100 chassis, if i cant use it without a ton of work, Ill just keep looking for something already done.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by jocww

Yea, the guy has duramax frame for sale too, but the coe cab is all he has thats original. the original frame is long gone. he was trying to do a coe cab to the duramax frame, but i think he got in over his head. I was hoping to use my 3100 chassis, if i cant use it without a ton of work, Ill just keep looking for something already done.

does he have the frame stand for the COE? the way the COE mounts to the COE frame is with a big 4 post stand that lifts it maybe 10-12 inches tall.

you can see the cab stand in this picture




if you tried to just drop it on a 3100 frame without that stand, the bottoms of the front fenders would be about 6 inches PAST the ground, and there isnt any chance the motor would fit.

I have toyed with the idea of building a "baby COE", every time I get ready to build it another build gets in the way. My plan is to use a non COE cab and regular 1/2 ton front fenders, lifting the cab 6 inches and moving it forward 10 inches. this way I could use a regular AD long bed and small rear fenders, and it would still fit in a standard garage (barely, but it would). the doors would need cut but the cut would be under the bottom hinge, and the hood would have to be custom

[mongocanfly]

That would be a cool build Russ..

[jocww]

Ill have to ask if he has the stands, a baby coe would be awesome!

[mr48chev]

As you can see in Joedoe's photos those cabs sit way up off the frame in stock configuration.

A friend of mine drove a late 30's Ford COE for years with the engine behind the cab under a flatbed that tilted up. he had what looked like a packing crate fastened to the bed to cover the engine and ran wide MT tires on the back. He and his wife drove it all over the US for years until his health got bad.

[jocww]

I will have to keep looking the cab sold. But this is all good info for me to know. Thanks!

[LOW A D]

I"d love to see a baby COE! I"ve thought of making my own out of a pickup cab as well