Hello All Ya'll

So the old girl is in need of some new metal. Cab corners are gone, rockers are starting to go, the rest of the floor isn't long for the world, and the roof has hail damage dents all over it. Got a quote from a body shop that I trust for 3500. He uses really thick replacement panels, but still....not in the budget.

Besides, the truck came from New York, and is VERY rusty. I just can't see putting money into that cab. It's just too far gone, IMO.

So I'm planning on making a run down south (east coast) to find a cab.

Car-Part.com lists all the different varieties....super cab, regular cab, and crew cab....those differences are obvious....but what are the real world differences between 4wd vs 2wd.....or auto vs manual?

I know in dealing with the older stuff (90's), the cabs were all the same, but for the plates in the floor.

I couldn't for the life of me imagine, that Ford would make a totally different cab for ONLY 4wd or ONLY automatics. Maybe I am overthinking this. The automatic cabs are a lot more common. That's mostly my dilemma.

FWIW....mine is a 2003 super cab, 5.4L, 4wd (ESOF, not stick on floor), 6 spd manual; and I am in Pennsylvania.

 

Same cabs, there are cutouts stamped where different options would go. On my 04 f350 4x4 with esof there is a cover where the 4x4 lever would go, so all I'd have to do is remove a few bolts and lift the plastic cover out the way

 

I can guarantee the floor pan is different between auto and man trans. You will not get an auto floor pan to fit the manual; the zf6 is much taller! For electric shift 4x4 there is just a cover plate that is on the cutout for the lever so those are the same floor. The pre 99 had a modular floor you could change the cover plate on depending on trans, not super duty

 

This where I got a replacement cab for my 04 F350. http://www.coutus.calls.net/
The cab came from Georgia and is rust free. If your close to Willimantic, CT it might be a shorter trip then going down south.

 

The whole entire floor is different, then? Mostly where the transmission hump is, but way too different to interchange? There is not just a different metal piece that covers the hump.....like the old days?

It wouldn't surprise me that's how they are. Why would anything be easy.

Not what I wanted to do, but I could cut my current manual hump out and put it in the auto cab. Couldn't imagine that part is too awful rusty.

 

The trans hump is much taller so it is quite different. Gone are the days of the simple floor pan cutout. I used a manual hump cut from the middle section and replaced the center section to convert over to manual

 

It will bolt right up, guys on here have removed the factory auto and installed the zf6 with no figment issues at all

 

My 2001 did not fit, neither did my 02 when I swapped auto to manual.

 

All you do is cut out the pan and weld or bolt in the higher hump. Not rocket surgery for sure

 

Conflicting answers....but nothing I can't handle either way....just a matter of an extra day in the process or not. Thanks for the replies.

 

Any of the auto-manual swap guides you find online show that you just need to cut and put the taller hump in. I've done extensive research on the subject as when/if my auto goes a zf6 will be going in to replace it.

Here is one such example:

http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/99-.../113385?page=1

I love driving standard, and while I don't like the cost of the swap I love the idea of it.

Good luck with your swap,

Nate

 

OK....thanks....i didn't look for information anywhere but here. The core of my problem is that the autos are much more common in yards, and thus, cheaper, and I can find one a bit closer to home.

 

I updated my original post, didn't mean to come across so snarky. There are plenty of guides out there that show just how people cut, etc. I think the one I posted the pictures have disappeared, I can look for a guide with pictures for you when I am not on mobile as I have quite a few saved on my desktop browser, it is really a lot less daunting than it sounds.

Cheers,

Nate

 

no, you are good. I have been down this road before. I'm just trying to figure out what I am getting into so I can be prepared for it. Thanks