How long does a full body swap take?
#1
How long does a full body swap take?
I've never done one, but I have:
'84 F-250 4x4 6.9L with the T-19 manual. Body is beat up pretty bad.
I was going to replace the bed, tailgate, fender, windshield, and door, and then spraypaint the truck.
But then I found an '86 F-150 with a bad engine on craigslist that appears to have a good body on it.
I know the front clip and the bed won't take long, but how long with the cab swap?
I'm pretty certain I have all the necessary tools. I also have a cordless impact gun which should help speed things up.
I'm not worried about the VIN issue. I'll do whatever I need to do in that regard.
Thanks
-Matt
'84 F-250 4x4 6.9L with the T-19 manual. Body is beat up pretty bad.
I was going to replace the bed, tailgate, fender, windshield, and door, and then spraypaint the truck.
But then I found an '86 F-150 with a bad engine on craigslist that appears to have a good body on it.
I know the front clip and the bed won't take long, but how long with the cab swap?
I'm pretty certain I have all the necessary tools. I also have a cordless impact gun which should help speed things up.
I'm not worried about the VIN issue. I'll do whatever I need to do in that regard.
Thanks
-Matt
#2
#3
It all depends on what you have for tools, hoisting equipment, and where you want to draw the line at 'the swap', especially on the cab.
With the front clip off, think about what connects the frame to the cab. Steering linkage, clutch, brakes, throttle, wiring, AC lines, and cab mount bolts. Also anything that may have been added after the fact, such as additional wiring, running boards etc. After that, it depends on what you want to use from the old cab in the new one.
Somewhere on here Star posted some good pics of his method of removing cabs, and IIRC he had a pretty good list of the things that he did in the process.
With the front clip off, think about what connects the frame to the cab. Steering linkage, clutch, brakes, throttle, wiring, AC lines, and cab mount bolts. Also anything that may have been added after the fact, such as additional wiring, running boards etc. After that, it depends on what you want to use from the old cab in the new one.
Somewhere on here Star posted some good pics of his method of removing cabs, and IIRC he had a pretty good list of the things that he did in the process.
#4
When 2 of my boys swapted the cab on the 85, they had it done in a long day. But they had tractors with loaders at their disposal to help them along. They swaped just the cab, left the front clip on the truck, and moved the wiring harnes from the 85 to the 86 150 cab we had. One thing I learned is that the fuel tank switch on the gasser cab would not switch the tanks on the diesel frame. The harnes pluged in, but it would not work. I had to swap the switch from the diesel cab to the gasser one.
#6
Four guys could easily do a bed, a cab, maybe. Issue with the cabs is they are awkward to get a hold on. Maybe jack it up, and get some lumber under it, to give you some better grab handles. If you take the bed off, then the cab, you could walk it back over the rear of the frame easier than going to one side or the other too.
#7
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#9
I might end up just replacing the necessary panels and spraypainting the truck. Seems like a lot less work. I've seen some decent spray paint jobs.
-Matt
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#12
I swapped the whole body on my Bronco a yr ago this past october by myself in a long weekend (3 days). That also included swapping in the t18. I used a set of chain falls to lift the bodies off the frames and rolled the chassis out by hand. Was supposed to have several "buddies" for help but their plans all changed. Worst part was the hood, kinda akward by yourself lol.
#15
Make sure the bed from the '89 has two fuel filler doors. Other than that, you're golden. Taillights and tailgate trim are different, but compatible, and you can back-swap them.