Hey so I’m looking to do an 83 F350 cab swab. My truck is an 83 f350 6.9idi 4speed single cab, cab and chassis model with just defrosters. The truck I’m looking at is an 83 f350 as well, not sure about the motor as its just a rolling chassis right now, manual, single cab the only difference I see is it has heater vents in the panel not just upper defrosters like my truck. I’m thinking it’ll be easier to swap these two cabs rather than replace my current floor pans, rockers, and cab corners, my truck leaks up by the passenger sun visor as well. Is there anything about this job that will not be as straight forward as I’m thinking? I think for $600 a halfway decent cab is going to be better than hacking and whacking mine. Please anyone who is more knowledgeable on this let me know what to keep and eye out for or let me know of any experience in this.

 

Make sure you get a title with the new cab. If you have the title, then when you are done you just go down and tell them you scrapped the old truck (really just the cab) and have bought this new truck (really just the new cab). Your engine and running gear may not match the new vin, but people do engine swaps all the time.

Sounds like the "new" cab is a A/C cab. That's ok, the heater core is behind the glove box and there are a few ductwork differences, but nothing to worry about. I am assuming you will use your old wiring harness on the new cab with A/C? Not sure what you will run into there trying to mate those together. Nothing you can't get around though with a little head scratching. Should work out fine.

 

Good idea with the titles, that was my main concern the duct work and wiring harness from a non a/c engine into an a/c. Glad to hear it shouldn’t be that bad I appreciate it.

 

I am going to guess if you 83 diesel harness was like my 81 gas harness the AC part of the harness was I plug in add on from the factory.

IIRC Non AC the blower motor power wire was a loop plugged back into its shelf..
You unplug that loop and plug in the AC harness and you could then add all the AC stuff ...... well sort of..
The firewalls are different between AC and Non AC cabs.
Once you have the 2 harnesses out and next to each other you can see the loop.
Dave. ----

 

will the different firewalls require any cutting and re working of the firewall or it’s just different and will still fit?

 

It will still fit. Does the A/C cab have anything with it? If it does, any oddball parts to a A/C cab should be there, like some of the wiring and the heater core, etc. The cab will fit on the frame, it's just a few different things with the HVAC. Nothing that won't keep the truck from running.

 

I don’t know I’m trying to go see it, but people on Facebook market place get weird when you want to come see something they’re selling.

 

As the other Dave said if you can get the HVAC box that bolts to the firewall and the dash with the vents in the dash great.
Even better if you can get that AC harness and even better than that the cab harness or what is called the main harness as the AC harness would be plugged into it.

The AC firewall has 3 large holes that match the AC HVAC box.
The non-AC firewall only has 2 large holes that match it's HVAC box.
Non AC firewall

AC firewall

Yes I did a non AC to AC firewall swap so I could have AC. The cab the AC firewall came from was a roll over and could not be used other than what I used it for.

Dave ----

 

I'd suggest you have a good talk with your DMV before swapping cabs. A lot of the identity of your truck including important stuff like weight capacity is tied up in your VIN. Since you are swapping F350 to F350, you should be OK, but there may be differences in what each truck was built to handle. Be sure you know all your details.

Swapping cabs is actually pretty common and the big problem is to avoid anything that may be considered "VIN tampering". Some jurisdictions get pretty fussy about the style of rivet that holds the VIN plate in what is considered the "public" VIN area visible through the windshield. The sticker on the door jamb can be reproduced by several legit companies. FWIW, Ford has always produced replacement cabs without VIN #'s for current production vehicles and it was no different in 1983. There were directions to preserve the original VIN plate and reattach it to the replacement cab under the supervision of the local DMV. Don't construe this to be a go ahead, but it would be worthwhile to check out your local legislation. Little hint here, don't just ask. Find out what legislation applies and get a copy of the law.

There is also a VIN stamped on the frame and in my opinion, it would be far riskier to swap cabs and use the VIN off the new cab with the different, but original frame VIN than it would be to swap the VIN plate on the replacement cab, retaining the original VIN. Unfortunately, this is an area governed by state, (or provincial in Canada) law and in some jurisdictions, moving the VIN plate would be considered fraud. It becomes very difficult to do what is right.

I'm adding a late edit here rather than submitting another reply. Found a great article on the subject and I would suggest reading this article and all the links within the article. http://www.vintageautomotive.net/?tag=vin-tampering

 

I disagree. It is clearly stated in most places you do not tamper with that VIN plate.

When it comes to grey areas and dealing with the law, I take the simple route and look at the intent of the law or laws. The intent of the law is to stop theft and miss-representation of a vehicle for monetary advantages. As long as you have proof of the origin of the pieces you have and are putting together, there should not be a problem. That being said, since you brought this up, it probably would be a good idea for him to keep the old title, as proof where the frame came from and use the new cab title as the title for registration.

 

I am sure the area you live in will govern the requirements.
In my neck of the woods a cab replacement does not change the vin,
A state inspection might be required before and after though.
Proof of purchase for the cab may be required with the cab vin number on the receipt

 

So what do you do when you go to sell the truck, and hand the guy the title and it does not match the plate under the windshield? It would be difficult to sell wouldn't it?

 

Dave, I think this is where you and I may fundamentally disagree. I believe he means that you keep the original VIN, transferring the plate to the new cab much like I described. In my view, this is preserving the original VIN as I would believe the legislation intends. Some jurisdictions do have wording in their laws directed at the method of attaching the VIN plate, such as rosette or hex headed rivets, but this is relatively rare state or provincial legislation in North America, federal legislation does not make mention of such matters.

At any rate, I'm sure we each could provide plenty of examples to prove our points. As I said earlier, it is quite difficult to do the right thing. I would encourage a look at the link I provided in my earlier post. VIN tampering : Vintage Car Law

I should also add, most states and provinces, if not all have an assigned VIN program.

 

Your link says it all. It is illegal to tamper with the original VIN plate in any way. I do agree though like you said, some places will generate a new VIN for you. It will be a generic number of some sort. But you need clear documentation on every major piece that went to building the vehicle that you are applying for the new vin for. And the new vin will not look anything like the Ford issued vin.

I recommend the easy route when possible. Not very many people at all know where the vin on the frame is. And when you do find it, it can be very hard to read. The one in the windshield is the commonly known number staring you right in the face. The frame vin if it ever came up, will be recorded as scrapped. The new cab vin will show as being titled in the truck owners name.