Cab Swap
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New User
Joined: Feb 2010
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From: British Columbia
Cab Swap
I'm trying to achieve the best of both worlds here.
I' need a truck that has power, torque, reliability, yada, yada, yada... for general light duty work with more practical (familiar) look/feel.
Does anyone know what the nitty gritty is on swapping a seventh gen cab to a ninth or tenth gen chassis/powertrain.
In the end having an 86ish 4door cab/front clip/fenders on a late 90's PSD SRW LWB 4x4 5spd.
What ever truck I buy will be torn down and rebuilt anyways because I'll need to do a bit of custom fab to accept a job box/flat deck and frame strengthening. Just wondering if anyone knows part #s or anything to watch out for.
I' need a truck that has power, torque, reliability, yada, yada, yada... for general light duty work with more practical (familiar) look/feel.
Does anyone know what the nitty gritty is on swapping a seventh gen cab to a ninth or tenth gen chassis/powertrain.
In the end having an 86ish 4door cab/front clip/fenders on a late 90's PSD SRW LWB 4x4 5spd.
What ever truck I buy will be torn down and rebuilt anyways because I'll need to do a bit of custom fab to accept a job box/flat deck and frame strengthening. Just wondering if anyone knows part #s or anything to watch out for.
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 11,231
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From: Thomasville, GA
I know that beds from 80-97 interchange. Not sure on cabs. You'd need to swap ALL the wiring from the newer cab into the old one. That would be quite a bit of work. These Powerstrokes have a lot of wiring...
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From: British Columbia
The wiring of the psd could just be put back in once I finish the frame mods, As you would without swapping cabs. The ignition and throttle would need to be retroed, the brake booster, guage cluster, steering column, and radiator would need some special attention but not much.
The lights, cruisecontrol, glow plugs, and other little tidbits will just be mounted to aux switches on the dash.
The lights, cruisecontrol, glow plugs, and other little tidbits will just be mounted to aux switches on the dash.
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Chino Valley, Arizona
according to my friend at the wrecking yard the 86 to 97 cabs are the same, just different fenders, hood, grill and some I think 97 had different doors (a little line about 1 inch from bottom)
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Willow Grove, PA
Yes you can do it the parts all interchange it's just a question of body lines. 1980 to 1986 have one ft end w/ different body lines than 1987 to 1997, 1987 to 1991 have a different te end but same body lines as 1992 to 1997 (obs), & 1992 to 1997 (obs) have a different body style. Most if not all of the wiring for the PSD is from Engine comp to firewall, nothing past I it think. The frames & mounts for same series, drivetrain & body type are the same.
I assume you are taking a 1994.5 to 1997 PSD and putting on a "square headlight" 1980's front. Should be a bolt on job. Did one (gasser) years ago for a customer who's first truch was a 1984 F-350 that he refused to give up even though it was shot. Bought a 1992 used truck in excelent shape, sold the front end & re-bodied the rest to his truck w/ new front end sheet metal. His being rich & dumb sure did pay some of my bills that year.
I assume you are taking a 1994.5 to 1997 PSD and putting on a "square headlight" 1980's front. Should be a bolt on job. Did one (gasser) years ago for a customer who's first truch was a 1984 F-350 that he refused to give up even though it was shot. Bought a 1992 used truck in excelent shape, sold the front end & re-bodied the rest to his truck w/ new front end sheet metal. His being rich & dumb sure did pay some of my bills that year.
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From: Willow Grove, PA
Forgot one thing, we put large fender flares on the truck to "hide" the difference in body ines from the front wheel houses to the rear ones. I think they were Bushwacker's, but not the "pocket" style.
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From: British Columbia
not sure i fully understand what your saying.
however, i drove a PSD today out of the shop and took it for a spin, it was a beat up mainroads f250 and the power was all there. it had a bunch of heavy road signs in the back and a hydraulic tailgate and it still hauled ***.
but.... inside was like a pontiac sunfire. terrible bench seat and really ****ty dash/guages and even the steering wheel feels like i'm holding onto a foam ring.
all i think i need to know now, is how to set up the accellerator pedal from mechanical to drive by wire, and how the temperature dials will be hooked back up.
i know in my 87 ranger, and my 90 f150 they were little levers and cables to adjust the vents and temperature. is it all electronic in the 95-97s?
however, i drove a PSD today out of the shop and took it for a spin, it was a beat up mainroads f250 and the power was all there. it had a bunch of heavy road signs in the back and a hydraulic tailgate and it still hauled ***.
but.... inside was like a pontiac sunfire. terrible bench seat and really ****ty dash/guages and even the steering wheel feels like i'm holding onto a foam ring.
all i think i need to know now, is how to set up the accellerator pedal from mechanical to drive by wire, and how the temperature dials will be hooked back up.
i know in my 87 ranger, and my 90 f150 they were little levers and cables to adjust the vents and temperature. is it all electronic in the 95-97s?
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Willow Grove, PA
OH, you want to take a 99 up truck and put a 97 down body on it? Don't think the frames are the same at all for cab, ft end, bumper mounts & bed alignment. I think Ford changed the frame completley for 99 & up trucks. I'd measure the bed bolts for each to see how close the layout is for the bed first. The bed is probably the easiest to change/swap so at least you'd know what to expect from the start. The rest of the cab mounts you could measure or plumb bob to a level pad & check the measurements. Could also ask a body shop (or dealer) if they have a frame book for the two different trucks & make a copy of the frame measurements. Then you'll have some base # for what needs to be changed & what could be modified. Not saying it can't be done but you better have some good fab & weld skills. Not a bolt in job.
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Willow Grove, PA
That's what I thought at first too, but he talks about a 7th generation swap w/ a 9th or 10th generation. Don't know my generations too well but if 1980-86 is 7th, then 1987-91 is 8th, and 1992-97 is 9th, so 1999 to 2007? is 10th?
If doing w/ in 1980 to 1997 OBS all interchange. If doing 1980-97 to 1999 up IDK???
If doing w/ in 1980 to 1997 OBS all interchange. If doing 1980-97 to 1999 up IDK???
