Cab Interchageability
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Cottage Grove, WI
Cab Interchageability
Hey guys, well ive got a line on a rust free cab for my 89, but its off an 84 model year truck. What im wondering is will my dash bolt into this thing? I know it should bolt onto my frame no prob, but i want to use my dash and interior... Thanks for any help!
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Joined: May 2008
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From: In my own world
dash mounts similar, but there is no place to put the computer in the kick panel of the 84.also the door jambs and doors are different, as is the seat belt bolt locations. the back of the cab on the corners are different, and the front fenders bolt on differently.but you can still use it.
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Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Cottage Grove, WI
So what your saying is i should really hold off until i can find a cab from an 87-91? What about the 92-96 year cabs? Are they good to go, or not? If not, why? Thanks for the help man!
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From: In my own world
how bad is your cab? I bought floor panels, and cab mounts on ebay, wasn't too hard to do with a wire feed welder,usually they rust at the rocker panels, and where tour feet go. rest is usually some good clean up, and paint
FTE Legend
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From: In my own world
92-96 is pretty much the same cab as 87-91, dash mounts differently, and doors are different. automatic shifted trucks have a different column, and shifter assembly. wireing harness holes in firewall are similar, good part is the bracket that solved the cracking firewall for the manual trucks from 80-91, is already in these trucks. you could probably do that cab change fairly easy. look for a big truck, 450-650, they sit higher off the ground, and don't get as much salt damage as the pick ups
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Cottage Grove, WI
My cab is shot. The roof is covered w/ thick surface rust, its rusted around the windshield, the floorboards are shot, the whole underside is pretty much gone. I dont really want to deal w/ body work, dont have the time or patience for it. Id rather just put new on. heres a large pic of my truck, you can see what im working with
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Minneapolis, MN
I have to disagree about the doors being different, because I've swapped to mid 90's doors on both of my 86's and they fit no problem. There are minor differences in how the door panels attach but its not a big deal. Steering columns are the same from 80-91 but 87-91 has a different bracket to bolt to the dash.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Cottage Grove, WI
I already knew about the doors, the only difference in them being in the smokers window and interior trim. So does an 87-91 dash bolt into the newer cab, or what would I have to do to get that over? If the truck that i find the cab from is a manual, could i use the newer steering column on my older truck, or will things not mesh?
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Tuned
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 263
Likes: 6
From: Blue Ball, PA
You definitely don't want to use an '80-'86 cab. The dash mounts are different. I swapped a '89 cab onto an '86 and had to do some extensive modifications just to mount the dash properly. I'm not sure about the '92-'96 cabs and the way the dash mounts. You might have to do some research in the Jyard to see how the '92-'96 dashes mount compared to you '89.
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 263
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From: Blue Ball, PA
I'm not positive what it would look like on a 95 cab, but the mounting points for the upper front part of the dash (up close to the windshield) for an '86 are totally different from an '89 cab. When I did my swap I had to cut the '89 cab dash mounting bosses off and bolt or weld '86 cab dash mounting bosses. Depending on how the 95 dash mounts up front close to the windshield, you may have to do something very similar to what I had to do. On the other hand, If they are the same or close enough to make it work properly, you may have to do very little to nothing to do the swap. When I did my swap I went to the Jyard with my digital camera and took several photos of the '80-'86 dash mounting points and also cut what I needed out of one of the trucks. The lower mounting points may or may not be different, but they are a lot easier to adjust or modify.
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Arcadia, Fla
Too bad your in WI Blue Rebel, I am looking for a 84 cab for my 84 F250! But have a 87 insted to put on with a possable 95 cab that keeps popping up in Craigs list. I have not started my cab swap yet(too many projects). But one thing you may want to keep in mind is the 87 and above cabs also had the factory rust coating applied to them. The 84 did not.
I suggest when you do the swap is to clean and repaint the inside of the cab with good paint or bed liner paint. That will help out with rusting and any leaks expecily in the cowel/firewall area(poured in a quart of bed liner paint to reseal the seams) That fixed a firewall leak on my 89 F250
I suggest when you do the swap is to clean and repaint the inside of the cab with good paint or bed liner paint. That will help out with rusting and any leaks expecily in the cowel/firewall area(poured in a quart of bed liner paint to reseal the seams) That fixed a firewall leak on my 89 F250
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,935
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From: Arcadia, Fla
Baldboyford , did you just bend the lower dash mounts to fit the newer cab or remade the brackets? I am debating on if I am going to cut off the 87 lower brackets and weld them to the 84 dash support bar or bend fit them.
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 263
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From: Blue Ball, PA
Boy, now you are straining my memory banks! I believe all I did for the lower mounts was note where they where going to be on the side walls and either used existing holes or drilled new ones. For the center bar attachment, I believe I just bent or modified the bar to fit.