I know lots of folks put the later model body parts on their older trucks to give them an updated look. But I plan to do the opposite. I'm hunting for the right 87-97 "donor" truck and will be swapping all the exterior panels from my '83 F250 to the donor truck.

Since my '83 is a 2wd, and I want a 4x4, I decided to just swap my sheetmetal over to a later model 87-97 4x4 F350 chassis. This way I get an updated interior, 4x4 running gear, and the Dana 60 solid front axle, but with the looks of my '83. I already looked into the details of putting a Dana 60 in front of my 2wd, and as easy as it turns out to be...my truck still needs alot of work on the interior, wiring, body, etc. Doing this swap will really take care of all the issues my truck has, as well as adding four wheel drive and an later model interior.

I plan to swap the doors, fenders, hood, all front body/grille, and bed from my '83 to the later donor chassis, but keep the donor cab so I don't have to tinker with any wiring or dash swaps, etc. My '83 needs the cab corners and floors patched anyway, plus it's needs a paint job, so this will knock out lots of birds with just one stone.

I have a few questions about doing this, so I can be ready for a quick weekend "makeover" whenever I find the right donor truck, then it's off to the paint booth and back on the road.

-1. Will the 87-97 Door panel fit on the '83 Doors?

-2. Can the 87-97 Core Support be used with the '83 hood/fenders?

-3. Can the '87-97 Inner Fenders be used with the '83 Front Fenders?

If there is any other tips or things you think I should know that I forgot to mention, please feel free to let me know. I appreciate it.

The ultimate goal is to put my '83 back on the road as my daily driver/weekend offroad toy and replace my 454 4x4 Suburban. I can only afford one thirsty big block truck at a time!

Thanks

 

1. Keep the late model doors if you can, less work. I am not sure about the interior panels, the doors are basically the same but there may be some little fit-up things that I do not know about.

2. I am sure that is a no, the later core support only fits the later headlamps. Keep the old 83 core support with the 83 hood and fenders. The whole thing will unbolt in one piece, minus the hood and bolt to the later frame. There is a problem with the rear lower fender mounts, but a homemade bracket fixes this.

3. I am sure that is a no also, since the early fenders are flat on top, and the later fenders are rounded.

I think you are making this harder than it needs to be. Like I said, take the whole front clip off your truck and put it on the later truck. The lower rear fender bolt mounts need modifications, and the earlier front bumper will not exactly fit the front of the later frame, the very front of the frame is made different on the later models.

Keeping the later cab will also avoid titling problems, just make sure you get a good title with the later truck.

 

Why? Even a simple none title/donor truck is not needed with a title...

If he's only using the frame, and his cab is going on to it, he only needs the truck/frame...

Although, a title would allow for resale of the cab, etc...

But as for what he's needing...Just need the truck/frame...

 

You are correct, but he said he wanted to use the later cab also, so I was pressing the point of getting a title with the newer truck. And it's my understanding that 86-down bumpers will not bolt up to 87-up frames.

 

Yeah I'm going to use the later cab.

Thanks Franklin2. The only reason I figured I'd use the '83 doors was since it already has holes for the trim, but that's not a big deal.

As far as the core support, I just wasn't sure if they were different. Same for the inner fenders. I knew the 87-97 had more rounded fenders, but wasn't sure about the inners.

Bumper stuff doesn't matter as I'll be building new winch bumpers from scratch for the front & rear.

Confirming my concerns, I can now start prepping the '83 parts I know I'll be using. I plan to media blast and powder coat the core support and all related brackets/hinges, etc. I'll have to find a nicer pair of inner fenders, but that's no big deal. I'm going to paint the insides of the fenders, underside of the hood, bed, etc. The bed will get a spray-in liner as well. I already have a new repro chrome grille, all new emblems, and new rubber weatherstrip for the windshield and rear windows.

I've got my eyes on several trucks, but I'm real picky. Trying to find one with blue or gray interior, preferrably with a 460 and a 5-spd. As soon as I can pick one up, I'll swap the parts for the "83 conversion" and run it through the paint booth. I also have a Sky Mfg RSK and '99+ V-Code Superduty front springs, rear shackle flip kit, and a set of 95% Military 37/12.5/16.5 MTR's on Camper Special steel wheels.

 

Quick update on this. I just sold my daily driver K2500 Suburban and am on the hunt for the right F350 for the conversion. Most of the F350's in my price range are too far away and covered in rust. I have found an F250 that is a few hours drive from here, and I'm thinking about jumping on it and just swapping in a Dana 60 later on.

I moved to a new place last July, and my '83 has been stored behind my old warehouse since then. In Jan, we had some big winds that knocked a tree over and onto the roof/dash of my '83. I was pretty upset when I saw it, but fortunately all of the damage is on the cab and not on the doors/fenders/hood.

I blasted my '83 Core Support and had it powdercoated black, along with some other odds & ends. I picked up some clean 80-86 inner fenders from a salvage yard since mine had some damage, found some misc trim pieces I needed, and grabbed another 80-86 Tailgate since mine had some rot along the bottom. I also blasted and painted my stock 16" wheels and found a nice set of the deep dog dish hubcaps. I also picked up a set of 16.5x9.5" wheels so I can run the 37x12.5x16.5 Military OZ tires with the dog dish caps. I found a wrecked F250 being parted out with the rear shackle flip kit so I grabbed those for $40, and I got a set of SuperDuty V-Code front springs. Just need to save up for a Sky SuperDuty Conversion Reverse Shackle Kit and it'll be ready to put it all together.

I've already bought a gallon of each color (two tone, as well as the clear and the other needed paint supplies. I also plan to paint the chassis, engine bay, etc when I remove the bed and front end from the donor truck, as well as a coating of POR-15 on the backsides of the fenders, underside of the cab & bed, inside the bed, floors of the cab, and then cover the POR-15 in a coat of spray on bedliner.

I had a '95 Dana 60 front axle complete with everything, but sold it when I moved. I regret that now, but I'll just have to find another one if I end up getting an F-250 4x4.

Also I picked up an aluminum ARE utility camper shell with the lockable side doors and I built a custom tubular roof rack for my Suburban but never installed it, so I finished it up and had it powdercoated and it will mount to the ARE shell.

I'm trying to build this thing once and do it right, hoping to find a truck soon, and I'll post here when I do.

 

Sounds like you have it planned out well. Hope you find a nice one soon.

 

Thanks, I did a crude photo edit so I could have some inspiration to keep me on track, this is the direction I'm heading...

Current...

 

Nice I love the color, And the stance.

 

Thanks. Yeah, this two tone color combo is a rare one, and tracking down the factory paint codes wasn't easy!