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I just got a call from the body shop that repainted the truck for me, fixing ALL the little gravel dings, and the peeled spot on the roof. He's going to start pulling the dash out and see how far the HEAT got. If it didn't get too far he says he can fix it. The price tag would be far less than replacing the truck. And he said he's done it before.
Keeping in mind that the fire was out before the headliner or carpet melted, it may not have gotten all that hot. Worth some exploratory surgery.
Tedster9--I live in an apartment and the truck was parked in a town owned lot across the street. My ex-wife lives in the house my name is still on, and it has been suggested to me that home owners might cover it, but I'd need that special sorta relationship with my ex-wife that I ain't got.
I will absolutely keep this thread posted with the up-coming events.
Sorry to hear about this man, really sucks. How was it set on fire? If the fire burned itself out the doors must have been closed, cars are remarkable airtight. They tell you how it might have happened?
The only thing they have told me is that it was intentional. They won't tell me how they know that, what was involved, i.e. lighter, matches, flammables. They won't tell me who they have talked to, if anyone. NADA
As I stated above, the truck was picked up on Monday. I've put more pictures up. I am new to groups like this, so I don't know if progress photos of this process will be of interest. I will be taking photos for myself if we decide it's worth the effort, and I'm happy to post them if there is interest.
More photos as it sat in the parking lot. Notice carpet, floor mats, and gloves that were on the floor are all fine.
These were taken by a friend that went by to grab anything that looked of value.
All just after the fire marshal was through.
Fire started in the driver's seat.
Windshield's pretty dark.
Can't see much of anything inside.
Melted Dash--cluster gone.
Joey picked it up Monday--this is Wednesday evening. Looks better.
Seems like if you found someone parting out a truck the same year and engine as you have, you could buy the cab and whatever else you need and get the title along with the cab since that is where the most important VIN markings are. Then register it like you just bought the other truck.
I see a lot of these early Super Duties parting out or selling cheap with engine or transmission problems due to either high mileage or people just not having the time and means to do an engine swap.
That burnt cab may be salvageable, but I would try to price out the cab swap idea before I committed to all the hours of labor it will take to clean and replace everything in that cab. It just seems easier to me to replace the whole cab as a unit, vs replacing literally EVERYthing in a cab and still needing to clean the fire stank out of it.
Even if a part doesn't appear to be physically damaged, the fire stank lingers. You are looking at cleaning the inside of the doors, behind the dash, cleaning all the wire looms. And as someone else mentioned, the heat could have weakened the structure, especially the drivers side A pillar.
Looks to me like the fire smothered itself from all the smoke.
I'm amazed at the fact that the fire started in the front seat and none of the wires in the front door panel are damaged at all, not even the speaker. Yet the rear door is completely destroyed. Have you tried cleaning any of the glass or is it ruined? I agree that swapping cabs would be the easiest thing to do. Remove 6 bolts and some wiring, a few misc. items and it's off. But, as you said, finding one with zero rust is the difficult task. Good luck finding all of the parts to put it back together and I hope you have it on the road soon. Not sure where you are located but there are a couple Super Cabs on the Kansas City Craigslist being parted out now.
Here are a few exterior shots.
The cab swap was my first idea--not knowing much about the details. Opinions on how much work is involved were all over the map. I never talked to anyone who had actually done it. So, all the info was suspect. One friend said cab removal is a preferred method for some folks to gain access to the rear of the engine. (Cab removal is easier than pulling an engine) I spent half a day looking for a complete cab and found it to be a tough job. And then with the titling issues I thought -- I'll pass. It's still not too late to try that, if anyone has had success with it.
Joey--body shop--has done before what he is planning. Completely strip the cab: ALL glass, rubber, plastic, & fabric comes out. Cab interior cleaned up and painted. With combination of new and used parts, rebuild the boat.
Well, if you look at the bright side. That nasty OD light at the end of the gear selector stalk won't be blinking at you ... ever!
Sorry for your situation CH59. Too bad the culprit(s) aren't known. It would be nice to hold their feet to the fire ... both figuratively and literally!
Not a swap but I pulled the cab to pull the heads off of my 5.4. Pulling the cab was actually the easiest part of the process. You wouldn't even have to raise the fenders or core support so that would make it even easier. 4 cab mount bolts, ABS wires, a ground wire or two, wire harness under the steering column, the column at the box and the master cylinder, and the a/c compressor, and emergency brake cable. Raise it up!
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