My Crew Cab Deuce Build

[FatBuddhaBoo]

Well it's finally started and there's no turning back now. With the help of a friend and his backhoe, managed to get the bed off and got the cab resting in place for the drive back to where I will be doing most of the work. Biggest hang up was the fact I didn't borrow long enough straps so we couldn't lift the bed up completely and drive out from under it. So we lifted the back and figured it'd slide out, but of course it would not as I didn't think the cross member bolts and rivets would hold it up. It finally started moving but then ripped the airline that ties the two tanks together right off...doh! Bed slid fine the rest of the way until I turned slightly to the right making it jump off frame, resulting in a bent driver's side tail light mount.





Airline is fixed after a few trips to NAPA and truck is again drivable. Hoping to get the existing cab cut and start welding them together this coming weekend. Oh yeah, I'm NOT bobbing it, and because of this the second cab is not going to be the full size and I removed the entire vent section. This should result in very little overhang of the cab past the gas tank and thus no worries of the tires hitting the cab. Also no plans at the moment to move the gas tank, much like Matt did with his M35A2 Zombie Hunter .

 

[Reckless]

Subscribed! Always nice to see how others tackle a project.

 

[vinny-socom1]

Have Fun!! Vinny

 

[FatBuddhaBoo]

Mounted 4 of 6 M35a3 rims and tires today so I can see just how far I can have the cab extending past the gas tank to maximize leg room.

Pic 1 here shows how the cab sits right now (also how it would sit if the vent section was still there, which would've have rubbed the tires for sure).



Pic 2 shows how it would sit with a few inches of over hang. My concern here still is how much travel there is in the suspension which might cause a tire to cab rub, but it appears this might not be an issue.



Pic 3 show how it would sit with very little overhang and definitely no chance of tire rub.



I'm leaning towards Pic 2 for my option, as it will give the rear a few more inches of leg room. Thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

 

[Danger Ranger]

I think you should strap the second cab down good in those locations and go flex the truck out. Then you will really know where you can put it. Take your time on a project like this. Do it right the first time, you know?

 

[FatBuddhaBoo]

I think you should strap the second cab down good in those locations and go flex the truck out. Then you will really know where you can put it. Take your time on a project like this. Do it right the first time, you know?

I had not thought of that and it would give certainty to the matter. Thanks!

 

[FatBuddhaBoo]

Ok, got everything figured out on where the cab needs to be. Took the seats, seat belts and salve connection out and removed the soft top off in preparation for cutting the cab. Found the windshield rail for the soft top almost completely eroded, so I definitely will be going with a hard top. Also found a bit of corrosion under the driver's seat that will need to be repaired.

 

[o1951]

If you need a bit more leg room, you could cut the back corners over the tires and bend the sheet metal forwards to where it just clears lower part of seats, in effect rounding the corner. This would allow moving the box back a few more inches.

 

[eldgenb]

or extend the bump stops to limit upward travel.

 

[FatBuddhaBoo]

or extend the bump stops to limit upward travel.

Something to consider, as I'm not sure how much "extreme" offroading I'll be doing once I get the camper shell built.

 

[FatBuddhaBoo]

No turning back now for sure! Cut my deuce's cab, cut the second cab to stretch it and set in place for some additional measurements and rough fit. Should have plenty of leg room even without the vent section!

Drank a few PBR's during the process too!

 

[caliber1]

Looks good Scott. Those are really nice door handles you have there!! LMAO You gonna be at the rally Saturday?

 

[Reckless]

I'm about to make the point of no return on mine here soon too! Slowly getting there..

You're doing a great job so far, keep the pics coming!

 

[DeucesWild11]

Cool, looks like you're off to a good start. Can't wait to see the finished product! Best of luck with it.

 

[FatBuddhaBoo]

Looks good Scott. Those are really nice door handles you have there!! LMAO You gonna be at the rally Saturday?

Not with the truck, but I have to show up to get my hard top for the project from Bob (av8or). Not sure how long I'll stay though, since it's a 4 hour ride back to Jville and the kids have a swim meet as well as my son having a dance Saturday night.

And yes, they are nice door handles!

 

[amaverick88]

So far it is looking good i am looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

 

[srodocker]

i love seeing crewcabs!

 

[FatBuddhaBoo]

Well finally after a spell of cold weather and schedule permitting I was able to start welding the cabs together. I took measurement after measurement to do my best to ensure the cab was squared to the original cab. Once I got that figured out it was time to do a lot of spot welding.

Having not welded anything in 5+ years, I practiced several hours welding together some scrap sheet metal from the front portion of the donor cab. I'm using a Lincoln electric 110v portable with flux core wire. I know, I should be using the gas setup, but without access to one and not wanting the spend the couple hundred for it I worked with what I had. I got to where the practice metal had good burn through without melting the sheet metal, and once I was satisfied with it I went live on the cab. Took about 5 hours or so to get just the sides done. Not the prettiest welds in the world, but the are holding strong. A little grinding and a few more spots welds will be good in my opinion. Probably have to use a little putty to do some finally smoothing, but I can live with that. Still have a lot more welding to do inside to join the two cabs together, which I hope to have done this coming weekend.

Got the rivets out of the rear cab mount cross bar so I can position it, drill holes in the frame and get that mounted (Because as the pic shows below it's not gonna just plop right in). Then it's on to the welding the cab floor and cab roof.

 

[caliber1]

Lookin good Scott!! More pics please! Where in Jax are you? Nephew used to live in Green Cove Springs.

 

[FatBuddhaBoo]

Lookin good Scott!! More pics please! Where in Jax are you? Nephew used to live in Green Cove Springs.

Thanks Jess! More pics to follow soon!

I'm on the Northside, about 8 miles from the airport.