Cab swap?

[WestCoaster]

looking to do a cab swap on my 78 k10 1/2 ton with a donor cab off a 74 3/4 C10. This should be a simple bolt up right? Any thing I need to look for? Also does anyone know what the standard rear end was in a 74 C10? It looks like its a 14 bolt. Thanks for any help

 

[J Knight]

Your 74 3/4 ton is a c20.

 

[Swims350]

not a simple bolt in, floor hump is most likely different, 4x4 and manuals had high hump where 2wd autos had low hump. If the 2wd 3/4 ton is or was manual then it may have the high hump and be fine.

You can cut the high hump out of yours and reuse on the other using bolts and such, the rest should be bolt on.

Of course legal is another question, vin numbers and such.

 

[Old77]

Of course legal is another question, vin numbers and such.

swap vin plates

 

[Swims350]

illegal.

 

[Old77]

Truth

 

[Shawn]

How would you go about that legally?

 

[Swims350]

my best guess, buy a cab with title, go to dmv and file for a reconstructed title or something along those lines. Tell them what you are doing or what not.

Yea you could probably swap VIN's with the right rivets or if nobody ever checks, but what if they do? You just lost your truck basically.

 

[J Knight]

I woundnt be scared to just swap the vin if its already in your name. Your probably more likely to win the lotto twice than get checked. But I'm not advocating an illegal activity.

 

[crazy4offroad]

If you take out the windshield and cut enough metal around the VIN so all you have to do is tack weld it in place on yours you wont have to worry about finding special rivets..

 

[swatter]

I did a cab swap, put an 81 c10 auto. cab on a 74 4 spd. k20 frame. It was almost a bolt on deal except; when I bolted the fuse block back together everything worked except the headlights and I had to cut out the hump with a sabre saw and bolt the 74 hump in., the old style fenders did not want to fit the bolt holes at the firewall I was a kid then no tools and less money. It was alot of work, BUT a put a ton of miles on her. It was at the time, worth the effort. Good luck.

 

[Swims350]

that's because 73-80 uses the same front end setup and 81-87 is different, I and others answered it for using the same year range cab with the same year range front ends.

The Op has both cabs pre 80, if he had one or the other post 80 then it's be more issues, wipers, linkage basically for them, hood hinges etc.

 

[WestCoaster]

thanks for the reply guys, i thought it was an easy swap. Wasnt really too worried about the vin plate since the guy selling the C20 said he had title and if they were both in my name I thought Id be ok. I guess it woulnt hurt to check with the local DMV to see the best way to handle it.

 

[Craig794x4]

swins350 am i going too run into the same prolbems with a 85 cab to a 79 frame and front clip??????? thanks

 

[bucket]

If you have the titles for both, just register the truck as the cab you are using.

If you try to do things the "right way", you're going to have a bunch of ignorant dmv workers giving you the runaround.