Re: Pickup Cab Interchange
[Re: elmor353]
#2795630
07/11/20 10:26 PM
07/11/20 10:26 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,537
Freeport IL USA
poorboy
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,537
Freeport IL USA
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The same size cab will fit the frame from 73 through 93. Somewhere in the early 80s, the body lines moved on the cab, and Dodge modified the door striker location and set up. Between the late 70s and early 80s, Dodge went from the birdbath hood to the flat hood, so along with the hood, you also needed to change the piece under the wipers. The sheet metal fits (with the exception of the door strikers) but the body lines do not match up. There were also running changes to things like heater boxes, dash and instrument changes, and of course wiring changes.
If you like everything to match up, buy a complete cab and front clip, then you may have to buy a matching box as well. If you don't mind that the body lines don't match up, but want a truck that will still roll down the road and get the job done, you can mix match parts and make it work. I had a mix match Dodge 4x4 truck that served me very well for over 15 years. When I needed a body part, I found one in the best condition and bolted it on. My wife called it the calico truck, and my son's buddies laughed about it until he had to pull them out of the ditch, after that they understood it didn't have to be pretty to work. Gene
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Re: Pickup Cab Interchange
[Re: poorboy]
#2795659
07/12/20 12:01 AM
07/12/20 12:01 AM
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 869
Keizer, Oregon U.S.A.
elmor353
OP
super stock
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OP
super stock
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 869
Keizer, Oregon U.S.A.
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That is so true my friend. I bought my truck 8 years ago and wished I had examined it more thoroughly before I did. I never thought to look under the dash to check for rust through there. It had been recently painted purple, had a 73 440, with a bunch of cool bolt on goodies and had been converted to an 8.75 rear with 3.91 gears. The seller said that he had rebuilt the front suspension, but all he had done was put new shocks on the front. He said it had new brakes, but the rears would grab every time you stepped on the brakes. When I finally pulled the drums off, I discovered he had put both leading shoes on one side and both trailing shoes on the other. There was apparently no prep work done before he painted the thing as most all of the purple paint has fallen off. I completely rebuilt the front end, all new bushings, balljoints, tie rods, idler arm, as well as a new steering gearbox. I completely redid the brakes front and back, new calipers, rotors, wheel cylinders, pads and shoes. I'm having a hard time finding a decent cab near me that they don't want $500 for, but I am patient. I was hoping with all my might, that the cab I found would do the trick. I mean $25 was a very good price!
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Re: Pickup Cab Interchange
[Re: elmor353]
#2795713
07/12/20 08:24 AM
07/12/20 08:24 AM
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RWG75
Unregistered
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RWG75
Unregistered
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If you're gonna find a clean 70s cab, then you're part of the world is the place to look for it and don't rule out buying a complete truck to get it. As for paying $500 for just a clean cab, a lot of us back east would without blinking twice if we could. I mean out here a clean cab is one that only needs floor pans and rockers.
The body line change was 81 which is also the year they switched from aluminum grilles to plastic ones and completely redid the dash / wiring / heater box.
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Re: Pickup Cab Interchange
[Re: elmor353]
#2795734
07/12/20 09:29 AM
07/12/20 09:29 AM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,881
Pittsburgh,PA
RTSrunner
top fuel
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top fuel
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,881
Pittsburgh,PA
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I was afraid of that. It's a solid cab and the price is only $25. By the time I buy doors and a front clip to match, I may as well have looked for a solid early cab. Will cabs from the early 80's trucks work with the 70's parts? I'm trying to figure out what years will interchange. I know that 72-80 cabs are the same, just not sure if any other years will work. For $25 just buy it! I had an '88 cab on my 1977 Power Wagon,I used the '77 doors,front clip and even my dash.Heater box/controls are different but can be adapted.
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Re: Pickup Cab Interchange
[Re: elmor353]
#2795741
07/12/20 10:01 AM
07/12/20 10:01 AM
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,179
Canada
demon
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,179
Canada
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The body lines are identical on 72-93 cabs. The fenders, doors and bed and roof skin changed in 1981, but the lower body line never did.
Any cab from 71-93 will bolt on, and accept 72-80 body panels, or 81-93 body panels.
But, the roof skin went from rounded to squared off in 81, so that will be noticeably different.
the Club Cabs never got the squared off restyling though, so any 73-93 Club Cab cab will fit and look appropriate.
There are many variations and detail changes though. So watch for these:
There are no less than three floor humps:
small integral 2wd automatic or 3 on the tree hump,
medium integral 2wd hump with 4 speed
large removable and later [around 1980] ,integral 4wd hump, also used on some 2wd 4 speeds and the 833 overdrives with a fiberglass hump attached
72-74 cabs have rounded floor between seat bases and the door, 75-93 are flat.
72 and some 73 cabs have a pipe for the heater blower tube. 74 and newer have a hole instead.
72-80 regular cabs and 73-93 Club Cabs have a rounded roof skin
81-93 regular cabs have a squared off roof skin
72-85 ish cabs are heavier guage steel-later cabs are more prone to rocker panel rust, since they blocked off the rockers at the inner cab corner and they sweat inside.
82-83 cabs have many galvanized panels and are much more rust resistant. The 82-83 trucks have a lot of galvanized panels.
72-80 cabs have a different firewall opening for the heater than 81-93 cabs.
72-80 and early 80's cabs have a different hole for the wiring bulkhead.
89-93 fuel injected trucks have a different hole for wiring bulkhead.
mid 80's-93 cabs have the wiper motor moved over a bit.
the steering column mount changed on the mid 80-93 cabs but will work.
late 80's-93 trucks with manual trans have a hydraulic clutch with a hole and removable bracket for the cylinder on the firewall.
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Re: Pickup Cab Interchange
[Re: demon]
#2796172
07/13/20 02:17 PM
07/13/20 02:17 PM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,233
fredericksburg,va
cudaman1969
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,233
fredericksburg,va
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The body lines are identical on 72-93 cabs. The fenders, doors and bed and roof skin changed in 1981, but the lower body line never did.
Any cab from 71-93 will bolt on, and accept 72-80 body panels, or 81-93 body panels.
But, the roof skin went from rounded to squared off in 81, so that will be noticeably different.
the Club Cabs never got the squared off restyling though, so any 73-93 Club Cab cab will fit and look appropriate.
There are many variations and detail changes though. So watch for these:
There are no less than three floor humps:
small integral 2wd automatic or 3 on the tree hump,
medium integral 2wd hump with 4 speed
large removable and later [around 1980] ,integral 4wd hump, also used on some 2wd 4 speeds and the 833 overdrives with a fiberglass hump attached
72-74 cabs have rounded floor between seat bases and the door, 75-93 are flat.
72 and some 73 cabs have a pipe for the heater blower tube. 74 and newer have a hole instead.
72-80 regular cabs and 73-93 Club Cabs have a rounded roof skin
81-93 regular cabs have a squared off roof skin
72-85 ish cabs are heavier guage steel-later cabs are more prone to rocker panel rust, since they blocked off the rockers at the inner cab corner and they sweat inside.
82-83 cabs have many galvanized panels and are much more rust resistant. The 82-83 trucks have a lot of galvanized panels.
72-80 cabs have a different firewall opening for the heater than 81-93 cabs.
72-80 and early 80's cabs have a different hole for the wiring bulkhead.
89-93 fuel injected trucks have a different hole for wiring bulkhead.
mid 80's-93 cabs have the wiper motor moved over a bit.
the steering column mount changed on the mid 80-93 cabs but will work.
late 80's-93 trucks with manual trans have a hydraulic clutch with a hole and removable bracket for the cylinder on the firewall.
Good info, did any have a plastic gas tank that will work in my 79?
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Re: Pickup Cab Interchange
[Re: elmor353]
#2796300
07/13/20 08:50 PM
07/13/20 08:50 PM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,233
fredericksburg,va
cudaman1969
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,233
fredericksburg,va
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I have owned 77-78 and 79 pickups and they all had the plastic tank on the frame rail.
Thanks, the truck didn’t have one, reason I asked. Certainly won’t have to worry about rust
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