Cab Swap Help
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New User
Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Landingville, Pa
Cab Swap Help
I want to do a cab swap. I was wondering about how much a regular cab weighs. I don't have a lift or any other means of lifting the cabs right now, but I saw a telescoping trolley crane in a newspaper ad. It only has a 1 ton capacity though. I would assume that a (gutted out) pickup cab weighs less than that, but I was hoping someone on here would have some idea what they weigh.
Has anyone ever done a cab swap on here? If so, any tips?
Has anyone ever done a cab swap on here? If so, any tips?
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 597
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From: Burke VA
I did one once. I swapped my rusty non-AC cab for an AC cab. You can see a pic in my gallery of me doing it - it's the one with the front clip laying in front of the truck. I did not have a lift or a crane.
I took the front clip off leaving the radiator in place. Removed the doors and seat unhooked everything from the firewall and then lifted the cab out sideways. One word - heavy. I don't remeber how many guys I had but it was a few - 7 maybe. AC cab was even heavier. Unless you have some sort of lift, that would be the easiest way, IMO - no removing the box and the front clip comes off relatively easy.
Tips - bring friends.
- Look at buying new cab mounts
- Check the transmissions. Mine was a manual and the new cab was off an auto. I could not get the truck running for about a day after I installed the new cab. I forget what the fix was but the problem was with the fact that an auto cab has a neutral safety switch.
Good luck!
I took the front clip off leaving the radiator in place. Removed the doors and seat unhooked everything from the firewall and then lifted the cab out sideways. One word - heavy. I don't remeber how many guys I had but it was a few - 7 maybe. AC cab was even heavier. Unless you have some sort of lift, that would be the easiest way, IMO - no removing the box and the front clip comes off relatively easy.
Tips - bring friends.
- Look at buying new cab mounts
- Check the transmissions. Mine was a manual and the new cab was off an auto. I could not get the truck running for about a day after I installed the new cab. I forget what the fix was but the problem was with the fact that an auto cab has a neutral safety switch.
Good luck!
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 13,120
Likes: 345
From: THIS IS SPARTA!, ...Mo.
I've done it before. I used a 1 ton chain hoist on an I-beam the first time. I didn't even remove the front clip. I had a cherry picker pick up the front clip, the chain hoist was around the roof. I pulled the whole thing up to the ceiling, then rolled the old chassis out, then rolled the new chassis under it. (kept the top half and switched the bottom.) I went from auto to stick, so the neutral safety switch didn't matter to me. Tomorrow I'm doing a cab swap on a '79 4X4 with 7" total of lift. and then next week I'm doing a body swap again on my truck.
I think the 1 ton hoist would be fine. The cab will seem heavier than it is once you try to carry it around. Two people can pick it straight up if you pull the clip, doors and seat out. (of course I was MUCH younger when I did the first one) Tomorrow we'll only have Big Bertha (my abnormally large engine hoist for diesels and big blocks) and three old, broke men and a teenager to do the swap. I'll let you know how it goes.
I think the 1 ton hoist would be fine. The cab will seem heavier than it is once you try to carry it around. Two people can pick it straight up if you pull the clip, doors and seat out. (of course I was MUCH younger when I did the first one) Tomorrow we'll only have Big Bertha (my abnormally large engine hoist for diesels and big blocks) and three old, broke men and a teenager to do the swap. I'll let you know how it goes.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 131
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Just did this a couple of months ago, but I used my tractor to lift it off
My weight guestimate for an empty cab is "about" 350-400 lbs, meaning with the ac/heaterbox removed but with front/rear glass in place. I see no issues with a 1 ton capacity trolley lifting it but you need to ensure you've got the height to do that.
When I lifted the cab, I had 4x4 wood posts under the cab with ropes attached so I lifted from the floor of the cab. The ropes connected to a clevis above the roof.
One thing I noticed was that the cab is really tippy towards the front, so be aware of that as you break it loose. You'd hate to have it roll forward onto the windshield.
Mines up on a set of homemade roller stands and I've got a strap on the back of the cab to be sure it doesn't go anywhere. Its def front-heavy.
My weight guestimate for an empty cab is "about" 350-400 lbs, meaning with the ac/heaterbox removed but with front/rear glass in place. I see no issues with a 1 ton capacity trolley lifting it but you need to ensure you've got the height to do that.When I lifted the cab, I had 4x4 wood posts under the cab with ropes attached so I lifted from the floor of the cab. The ropes connected to a clevis above the roof.
One thing I noticed was that the cab is really tippy towards the front, so be aware of that as you break it loose. You'd hate to have it roll forward onto the windshield.
Mines up on a set of homemade roller stands and I've got a strap on the back of the cab to be sure it doesn't go anywhere. Its def front-heavy.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,674
Likes: 16
From: Ideeho
When I lift a cab off. I use a 4" wide nylon strap thru the doors. You want to slide the strap forward to balance the cab. I never take the doors off, just bungee them closed since they wont close with the strap thru there. Youll also want to use a couple of 2x4 wood blocks at the door jamb, under the strap to space the strap out so you dont crush the drip rails. I've done 3 or 4 of them this way. I use an Autocrane on my service truck for the lifting. I would guess a fully dressed cab with the doors, seat and all would be in the 1000 lb. range.............
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