Thinking about swapping cabs? Any advice?

[willem445]

So I have a 1975 Chevy C10 scottsdale that was a manual. I pretty much stripped the truck down to just the frame, driveline, and cab left. The cab on this truck is in amazing condition. Almost no rust from what Ive seen. My 1980 Chevy K20 project has a considerable amount of rust on the cab. The rockers, cab corners, floor pan, and underneath is getting pretty bad.

Are there any guides here on the forums to swapping cabs?

What is all needed. Im assuming I would have to cut out the lighting harness and wiring to starter and resplice it in.

Would I have to remove the entire steering column?

Im assuming I would also have to do some fab work on the hump to accommodate my 4x4 transmission.

Just looking for tips/tricks/and general how to as I have never done a cab swap whatsoever and would be a complete learning experience for me.

[old Rusty C10]

I would take everything out of the cab you are replacing and carefully put it into the new cab its not that hard, If both are non air or both air and you want you can leave that alone this is not a hard job ive done it several times. make sure you either have a bunch of guysd or a good canvass strap for lifting the cabe

[willem445]

Also in regards to the legality of it since the VIN is tied to the cab. I have the title for both trucks I believe. So if I swap the cabs I would have to register the vin for the 75 C10 correct?

[willem445]

Originally Posted by old Rusty C10

I would take everything out of the cab you are replacing and carefully put it into the new cab its not that hard, If both are non air or both air and you want you can leave that alone this is not a hard job ive done it several times. make sure you either have a bunch of guysd or a good canvass strap for lifting the cabe

After thinking about it, I figured it wouldnt be super hard. Are there just the few bolts underneath the cab securing it to the body? Im assuming it would be a good idea to buy new rubber mounts right away too, correct?

[old Rusty C10]

4 bolts work em out easy using plenty of pb blaster yes if those bushings show any signs of wear throw a new set in.. also I would contact the state police in your state.. being you have both titles you can show ownership without question.. the police may issue a state VIN for the truck and it may have to be safety inspected your state can answer those qquestions

[cadillac_al]

You have to deal with the different trans humps somehow; either cutting the floor out or using a body lift kit.

[willem445]

Originally Posted by cadillac_al

You have to deal with the different trans humps somehow; either cutting the floor out or using a body lift kit.

I am not in any hurry to swap them. My plan was to pull the replacement cap, strip it completely, fab the hump, and then paint the whole thing while its off.

[Your41Plague12]

Originally Posted by willem445

I am not in any hurry to swap them. My plan was to pull the replacement cap, strip it completely, fab the hump, and then paint the whole thing while its off.

On the older cabs, don't the transmission humps unbolt? My '83 K20 did. If they do, just swap them. Another difference to mention is that your '75 will have the vin plate on the door jam, while your '80 will have it by the windshield. If you wanted to be clever (and I'm not saying this is legal, but I'm just throwing it out there), you could swap the whole metal dash assembly from the '80 into the '75 cab and remove the vin plate from the jam. Then the new dash/vin number wouldn't look tampered with and you could avoid the paperwork.
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