A 55 cab will bolt right up to a 56 frame, correct? I have found a 55 cab a few hours from me which appears to be in much better shape than the 56 cab I have now. You can go here to see the mess I have to work with. Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket The savings alone on all the sheetmetal I would need to repair the 56 would be huge, and I can live with a 55 style cab for now.

How much does a complete cab weigh. Doors, windows, etc. Need to know how many friends I'd need here to unload it.

Thanks... rick

 

Not sure on the weight but a cherry picker will easily handle it if your alone. I would bet 4 guys could easily handle it. I shove new ford cabs around on the frame by myself and can pick one corner up to shim one under the cab to frame and I am not huge by any means.
Larry

 

3 friends.. and you

also, if you have to, 2-2x4s stacked thru the front/back windows
cherry picker lift up on the 2x4 thru the side window
cab weighs like 500lbs..with doors (no seat)

sam

 

last time I fetched donor cabs, we had a guy on each of the 4 corners to carry onto the trailer.
once home, I worked alone and was able to muscle both cabs from my dad's car hauler, backed up perpendicular to my 1 ton donor with no bed. I scooted the cabs across the tread plate floor of the trailer, lifted them over the rear truck tire (outer duals removed) and onto the bare frame rails. my donor f350 has it's native cab, with the two, very bare cabs perched behind. Doors and glass add a lot of weight. I couldnt have done it if any parts were on the cabs.
another trick I've used is a chain, or two bolted to the seat mount bolts holes (bolt thru chain to one front seat hole, diagonal chain across where seat would normally occupy, and the other bolt thru opposite back seat mount). used this chain to pick w/ cherry picker. precarious. and only done in the shop. keep it as low as possible.

all this said, safety rules. if it is falling DONT TRY TO SAVE IT - SAVE YOU!!!
go slow, work smart!
JML

 

Not sure what your skill level is but if it were me I'd be doing some panel repairs on that 56 cab. Around here the roof goes out first shortly followed by the rear corners...your roof looks to be in good shape from what I can tell from the photos. I have had cabs that looked much better than your 56 when I started on them and by the time I was done grinding through the filler and old paint they all needed virtually the same repair panels as does yours. The beuaty is that once you're done you know that your cab is rock solid.

 

I have no bodywork experience, that is why I'd like to find something easier to start with. The 56 cab needs everything on the lower half, including the front cab mounts which make alignment an issue. I figure getting a cheap cab that only needs rear cab corners and maybe rockers will be good practice, then move onto repairing the 56 cab while enjoying a running truck.

 

Too bad you don't live closer, I have a nice slant cab that I just finished up which is ready to paint.