Any tips on changing a cab?

[spankybear]

With work being so busy with hardly and days off and medical issues I am considering swapping cabs instead of repairing the rust. I really wanted to have the LMTV on the road by September... well that didn't happen and now we are getting into rainy season.

Anyway any tips on changing the cab? The biggest thing would be lifting the cab. Anybody know how heavy a stripped cab is?

 

[pontiac62]

With work being so busy with hardly and days off and medical issues I am considering swapping cabs instead of repairing the rust. I really wanted to have the LMTV on the road by September... well that didn't happen and now we are getting into rainy season.

Anyway any tips on changing the cab? The biggest thing would be lifting the cab. Anybody know how heavy a stripped cab is?

People I know for sure have swapped out cabs are yertnamreg and NV555.

NV555 had some stripped cabs on flea bay. Might want to contact him if he still had some. They are a1 cabs but still can be used with some modifications. Simp Wes is a wealth of information he’s always swapping out stuff on his truck. I’m sure there are other people with more knowledge than me that will chime in. Good luck on your build.


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M1081 LVAD

 

[coachgeo]

the complication is that most cabs available are A1's.... so you got a lot of electrical to change out if you have an A0

 

[scottmandu]

With work being so busy with hardly and days off and medical issues I am considering swapping cabs instead of repairing the rust. I really wanted to have the LMTV on the road by September... well that didn't happen and now we are getting into rainy season.

Anyway any tips on changing the cab? The biggest thing would be lifting the cab. Anybody know how heavy a stripped cab is?

It's a pain in the ass, not so much that a sab is heavy, it's rather large and fragile. Best way is to lift either through the windshield opening or the turret hole. If you strap it through the door openings you will crush the roof.

 

[spankybear]

the complication is that most cabs available are A1's.... so you got a lot of electrical to change out if you have an A0

I am looking at a stripped cab so not an issue./..

 

[NV555]

I have both A1 and A0 stripped cabs as well as A0 A1 and A1R cabs that are ready to mount on a chassis. The weight is about 2k to 2500 stripped and 4K non stripped.

I switched cabs cabs on an A1R to A1R wasn’t that hard. Moving everything over from a working cab into a stripped cab would be a project. The Montana folks do it that way on some of their builds.

For or me I would rather switch a full cab for cab and part out the rusty cab and make up the cost of the replacement cab. If I had the time patience and resources I would move a working rusted cab into a striped cab.

Like we we talked about before if the rust isn’t too crazy might take a stripped cab cut out the body sections and weld them into the original cab.

Just some one thoughts on my experience and parts that I have.

 

[spankybear]

It's a pain in the ass, not so much that a sab is heavy, it's rather large and fragile. Best way is to lift either through the windshield opening or the turret hole. If you strap it through the door openings you will crush the roof.

If I am going to lift through the doors i would use a spreader bar. That's way I was asking about the weight... I could use a wood beam or an I-beam if I have a ball park on the weight. I was also thinking that maybe a platform I could build around the front and just lift the cab high enough to clean and roll back the truck. Maybe I'll get some nice weather and I can just finish the rust repair...

 

[coachgeo]

with the cost your willing to go thru... you could save half that or more by getting a RV pole barn or just a RV tent to get out of the wet weather and then attack the rust.

 

[Suprman]

I used a forklift once. Forks over the cab on some wood to stabilize and multiple heavy ratchet straps around the cab. I bet 4 people could pick a cab up.

 

[NV555]

I would take off the doors and the back rear windows and lift through there. The striped cabs the weight is in the rear of the cab and the center would be behind the door pillar.

 

[MGKMartin]

I left the doors on when I did mine. Took the turret cover off, ran a 4x4 steel post through the windows to use as a spreader bar and straps down through the turret hole. Stripped cab with the doors and all glass in pivoted about the center of the doors.

The actual swap is pretty easy. Disconnect the lift cylinder, electrical, air hoses, and 12 bolts that connect the hinges to the cab. Lift the old cab off, and set the new one in place. There is a section in the TM's that cover all the steps.

As others have mentioned, the most time consuming part is redoing all the electrical, pneumatics, etc in the cab if you change generations. I went from A1R to A1 so pretty much everything had to be swapped. Not difficult, just time consuming.

 

[spankybear]

with the cost your willing to go thru... you could save half that or more by getting a RV pole barn or just a RV tent to get out of the wet weather and then attack the rust.

If I am honest with myself... It would have been cheaper to go the stripped cab route than repair the rust. With paint (primer, por15 and a bunch of stuff form Eastwood) and supplies (cutting wheels, grinding stuff, rust reformer... ect) I have spent $$$.

I weighed the options at the start and wanted the challenge of the rust repair. Choosing the rust repair and started on the route. I have everything I needed and was on track to have it completed in September. Then work deiced I couldn't have any time off starting at the end of July and then had to have surgery and prepping and recovering form that.

 

[NV555]

If I am honest with myself... It would have been cheaper to go the stripped cab route than repair the rust. With paint (primer, por15 and a bunch of stuff form Eastwood) and supplies (cutting wheels, grinding stuff, rust reformer... ect) I have spent $$$.

I weighed the options at the start and wanted the challenge of the rust repair. Choosing the rust repair and started on the route. I have everything I needed and was on track to have it completed in September. Then work deiced I couldn't have any time off starting at the end of July and then had to have surgery and prepping and recovering form that.

a guy on eBay is parting out an lmtv in the Portland area. Might be good to see if he has the cab for sale. Shipping would be decent.

 

[MGKMartin]

I'm the guy with the parts in Portland and I ended up cutting 3 cabs up and taking them to the scrap yard because there wasn't any demand. I may get more in a couple of weeks.

 

[spankybear]

a guy on eBay is parting out an lmtv in the Portland area. Might be good to see if he has the cab for sale. Shipping would be decent.

yes sir... I seen his items... and like he said he no cabs left.

 

[coachgeo]

I'm the guy with the parts in Portland and I ended up cutting 3 cabs up and taking them to the scrap yard because there wasn't any demand. I may get more in a couple of weeks.

well there in lies the catch 22. People need cabs and cab parts (cut out sections and sell for buyer to repair rusted out areas for example.... but the sells would only be sporadic. One can get their money back plus good profit on them if purchased for selling purposes.... IFFFFFF one has a place to store them.

I would be interested in driver floor board section possibly.

 

[MGKMartin]

The other big problem with the stripped cabs is the cost of shipping them. I had one I tried to give away for free here and nobody would take it due to the shipping costs. I've got the space and don't mind storing stuff if I am going to be able to sell it for a profit, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to sit on a cab for a year and then maybe get $100 for it after spending the time to consistently advertise it, crate it, get it to the freight yard, etc. I can get $38 at the scrap yard (woohoo!) and spend my time and storage on something more profitable.

As mentioned, I am probably getting more in the next few weeks. If so, I will post them in the parts section and see how it goes.

 

[yertnamreg]

Yup, I've done a cab swap. The amount of work depends on the chassis you have and the cab going onto it (as well as what's still in the cab). My cab swap thread is here:
https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?174456-A1-Cab-gt-A0-Chassis-Swap