Any recommendations for a high lift engine/cab hoist? I have a project coming up to mount the cab from my 56 Dodge C3 pickup onto the stripped down frame cab firewall/floorpan from my 2001 Dakota SLT. I don't have a chassis lift in my shop and don't have plan to buy one. So I'd like to find an engine hoist that is also high enough to lift the 56 cab high enough to get the Dakota chassis under it. So if anyone has a brand or style of floor standing hoist let me know. Something like the lift shown on this cab swap youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qFiS1cSgRU

I use an engine hoist with a 4" x 6" x 8' piece of wood on a stud at the enter (welded to the top of the engine hoist) from inside the cab. You want the wood as close to the windshield as possible to keep the cab fairly level (the front is heavier then the rear). The cab is on a pretty steep angle when its high enough to clear the frame/ drivetrain. Another person is very helpful. Level & smooth surfaces is a must.

Thanks for the details Gene. On the youtube link I posted the guy had a engine hoist with a lot more vertical capability, even high enough to use a lifting strap through the cab. But your idea would work as well for what I can do in my shop.

Andy, if you look at the lift arm on my hoist, you will see it has been extended almost 2'. I have also extended the legs on the base 2'. At max height the highest point on my lift is about 12' and the 4" x 6" is above that, even then, the cab only clears a transmission bolted on the frame by a couple inches, when lifting from inside the cab. At max lift, things are a bit scary, the base width (side to side sway and front to rear sway) of the hoist are all pretty close to the limits, I'm often standing on my hoist when lifting or lowering the cab, adding 270 lbs to the base weight behind the lift cylinder. I would have needed another 3' of lift if I was lifting from above the cab, and then the lift arm will contact the roof, guaranteed! Look at the guy's video, you can see the lift arm against the roof and the cab is tilted way to an angle, far side much higher. The cab even tilts a lot when picking it from inside of the cab, notice I do it with the doors open. I've done this a few times. .

Lifting a cab with an engine hoist means you do things very slowly and vary carefully. If things start to go wrong, you get everyone out of the way and watch it crash, you will never be able to stop it, people can get hurt fast. Then start again, and fix whatever got wrecked.

Your truck cab with the glass in it is probably very close to the weight limits of your engine hoist. The farther away from the lift cylinder the weight gets, the lower the lift capacity of the hoist. The closer the weight get to the limit, the more harry things get, a sudden bounce can change things in a hurry.

Always have the mind set that the truck is only steel, its easier to fix steel then it is to fix people. Be prepared to get out of the way at all times, and be sure anyone helping has the same thought process. GET OUT OF THE WAY AND WATCH IT CRASH!

Damage from a tipped hoist & cab doesn't cause as much damage as one might think. The hardest part is setting up and convincing yourself to try it again. Been there, done that. For the record, that cab comes down a lot faster then it goes up, and sudden stop on the downward move causes a big bounce. .

Ok, will have to plan for other future options. I do have a 110v 10,000 psi Enerpac power unit. Usually it runs a hydraulic hose crimper. But I may be able to use it for some form of cab lift.

Once I get to the point of needing to lift the 56 cab enough to get the 56 frame out from under it and get the 01 Dakota frame under it, maybe some form of A-frame gantry crane. I worked on the Case skid steer project at our lab in Chicago, and we had an A-frame on big casters, with a cross beam on which was an electric hoist. I have an electric hoist, so if I can find a A-frame gantry that may be my best option for my shop setup. Use it to do the 56 and then sell it off.

I had a gantry for several years I used to lift truck cabs. It was 10' between the uprights and had a 10' free lift height under the beam and hoist. You had to connect the lift chains really close to the cab roof, but it was lots better then the engine hoist. When I had to move my shop 22 years ago, I didn't have room to store the gantry. The engine hoist did work, but it wasn't much fun.

I just checked Craigslist and found a nice gantry crane for $600. If I were into the 56 project right now I'd be hitching up my trailer to the Dakota and heaed down to Watertown to buy it.

For my shop and what I'd need to do, engine and cab wise, I think it would be the best choice. Buy a gantry crane for the project, get the project done and sell the gantry. Basically get the lift work done for nothing as I bet I could sell it for what it cost to buy it.

Ok, will have to plan for other future options. I do have a 110v 10,000 psi Enerpac power unit. Usually it runs a hydraulic hose crimper. But I may be able to use it for some form of cab lift.

Once I get to the point of needing to lift the 56 cab enough to get the 56 frame out from under it and get the 01 Dakota frame under it, maybe some form of A-frame gantry crane. I worked on the Case skid steer project at our lab in Chicago, and we had an A-frame on big casters, with a cross beam on which was an electric hoist. I have an electric hoist, so if I can find a A-frame gantry that may be my best option for my shop setup. Use it to do the 56 and then sell it off.

This was mine. I used a standard engine hoist and a couple of straps. My cab is probably heavier than a 56 cab, plus that hood weighs a lot. The front of the cab was way heavier and I had to adjust accordingly.

I know you're not trying to waste money, but you can buy a new (EDIT) 1,000 lbs gantry for around $700.
I've been following. Looking forward to watching your progress!

Just make sure the gantry you are looking at has the capacity (height wise) to lift the cab high enough. At some point, your going to have to lift the cab high enough to clear the transmission bolted in the frame. It may be time to drag out the measuring stick. You also will have enough clearance to clear the space between the bottom of the gantry beam and the top of the cab for what ever hoist and cab attached slings, rope, wood or metal you are using. The height under that beam can go away pretty fast. It sucks to be almost high enough.

The lowest point on your cab is the dog legs in front of the doors, and the lower rear cab corners and the back of the cab (which you will probably have to notch to clear the frame).

Thanks for the input. Hope you have patience, as this project is years in the making. I hope to be well into it about one year from now. Right now, as is typical for me, I am obsessively planning options and details (as Gene well knows). But since I ahve not done something of this magnitude before, I lean heavily on those knowing far more than I. With any luck, and a lot of work, I'll have my 56 Dakota on the road or near that within two years from now.

Hang in there!

I've done this a few times, but even with the 49, I took nearly a year to make the plan, and collect the stuff. From the day I started disassembly on the donor Dakota, to the point the 49 was licensed and drivable was 11 months, not counting the finish body work (the truck was in brushed on primmer). That 11 months was after retirement, 6-8 hours a day, 5 -6 days a week, fully equipped welding shop, instant cash for needed supplies on hand, and a supply chain that was not broken like it is today. Waiting for parts was well planned out (lots of lists and looking ahead). There was very little down time, most of that was actually planned.

A master plan is needed. Set things up in stages. there are things that have to be done before the next thing can be done, or you end up redoing things. Things depend on how or where other things are mounted. For instance, you can't mount the cab until you know how the front sheet metal sits, and you can't mount the front sheet metal until the cab is mounted. So you set the cab on the frame, bolt the front sheet metal together, and bolt it to the cab, then position that assembly where it needs to be on the frame and mark the frame. Then you pull that all off and mount the motor & trans, and see what has to be done to set the cab where it needs to be. You modify the cab to set on the frame around the drive train, then you add the front sheet metal and see how that works now. Then you set the box (at least the sides) up to make sure it sits right with the cab placement. Then you mark everything again, and if it all works, you can add cab mounts (only cab mounts!) to the frame.

Now you have two different projects, the frame, and the cab. Generally the cab is sheet metal work and less costly, more time consuming, more effort intense (if you do it yourself). At this point, cab work is limited to getting it bolted to the frame (floor cut outs & firewall modification for motor & trans clearance, cab to frame and fuel tank clearance), other modifications come later. The frame involves structural welding and parts upgrades (brake parts and hard and soft lines, fuel lines, motor and transmission mounts, clean up and paint {easier to clean up and paint after cab mounts are welded on and most of the frame is bare, small areas can have the paint ground off and touched up afterwards} and drive train mounting, wiring is a different step, much later). Generally the frame is more costly. There are nearly always things that can be done without spending a lot of money, but don't save all the money stuff for one time if you can help it. Once the cab can be bolted on the frame (all the clearance holes covered again, the frame is ready), you can move to the front sheet metal. You have to mount it, figure out where you are going to put the needed things like a battery, wiring, radiator, heater/AC lines, AC condenser, inner fenders (I'm sure there is more ).

As you begin a stage, order and plan out the stuff you think you will need for the next stage (make a list of the plan and the parts/material needed), then by the time you are ready to start that stage, most of the stuff will be on hand. Plan a few days away from the project after each stage is completed (your family will like that, and it refreshes your perspective seeing progress). As you prepare to start the next step in the process, look at what needs to be done on the stage that follows the current step, and make a plan for that stage and order the parts you think you will need. Then work on the current step at hand. I've spent more that a few days sitting and staring at the truck, thinking about what needs to be done, and what comes first. Lists are invaluable, date each list, and add something that you might have missed in the process (date that too). I had a master list, then a list for each step, updated as needed.

A year to pull this off for the 1st time is pretty optimistic, but never say never.

Thanks again. For sure, planning, planning, then some more planning. Luckily those that have done it, you, Russ, many others offer the brain trust to get this started and moving along.

I do plan to take Russ's lead, meaning I'll use the floor pan and firewall from my donor Dakota to weld into the 56 cab, after I cut the floor/firewall out of the 56. Which means at least two cab mounts on the Dakota frame stay as is. That maintains mounting for the Dakota seats, seatbelts (lower mounts), wiring that comes through the firewall, mounts for pedals/steering column/parking brake pedal, and hopefully the heater core, fan housing and most of the HVAC components, and with a lot of planning hopefully most of what mounts to the front of the firewall. Doing this also maintains the engine to firewall relationship, and hopefully the engine mounts in the frame. Russ's build crammed a 5.9L Hemi under the hood. I'll be using the 4.7L V8 which is much closer in size to the 230 cu in (3.8L) stock V8.

But like you say, that means a lot of fit/refit/fenders fit/refit, before the cab can be welded to the floorpan. After the cab to Dak frame relationship is done, notching to clear the fuel tank, mounting all the front sheet metal, core support, radiator/AC Condensor, etc, then I can plan the frame shortening/box mounitng. Likely have to lift the cab off again for that. May mean using the Dakota rear frame, or possibly the 56 rear frame. But if I use the 56 rear frame that means relocating the leaf spring perches on the rear axle to meet up the narrower 56 frame. My leading goal, wherever possible, to use the entire Dakota frame so that going forward all parts are more easily found since I hope to be driving the 56 for many years to come.