New Cab...

both inside and out

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New Cab...

Postby meby » Mon Dec 21, 2015 9:03 am

It's not new obviously, but i'm picking up a replacement cab in a week through a brother-in-law which is supposed to be an absolutely spotless western cab. My old one is rusted so bad on the floor/rockers/cab corner that the door doesn't latch anymore and its not road safe. I want to make this new cab last as long as possible and I have a couple questions to that end.

1. What kind of rust proofing can I do to prolong the drip-line rust area and floor/rocker/cab corner rust area that these trucks are prone to? New paint? Wash and wax it every week?

2. Where do I find rubber cab mounts? I can't seem to find any listed for our truck years. LMC only goes up to 1985. Are the older trucks the same as ours? Are mounts a dealer item?

3. Sound proofing? I want to do some sound proofing. What do you recommend? Dynamat? Second skin?

4. Is there anything else I should consider while i'm swapping cabs?

I don't mind spending a bit of money to make it happen. I did some math on these old trucks v. a new or newer one and I'll be a lot of money ahead to restore this one v. buying a new/er one. What got me thinking about it is my dad owns two Dodge Cummins; one 90' and one 05'. Pick just about any part on the newer truck and it costs 2 - 3 times as much to repair as the old one. This summer he dropped over $3,000 in injectors alone on the 05'. When he bought the 90', it was 4 years old with 90,000 miles and paid about $13,000 for it. Now, if I were to buy a 4 year old truck with similar miles I'd have to spend, what 30 or 40 grand for a truck that gets worse mileage and costs a lot more to maintain. I know this isn't quite apples to apples, but I just can't swallow the idea spending that kind of money on a truck that's going to cost a lot for depreciation and repairs.
-1991 D-250 bone stock
-2000 Ford Windstar TDI Diesel 5 spd
-1997 Civic Hatchback
-Case 530 CK
-Old Huskee Garden Tractor w/Cub Cadet deck, Simplicity Snow-blower, loaded tires & chains - is it weird the tractor is modded more than my truck?
-Speedex Walking Tractor.
-BCS Walking Tractor


www.ebyfarmsllc.com
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Re: New Cab...

Postby thrashingcows » Mon Dec 21, 2015 11:55 am

Your thoughts and ideas on driving the old 1st gen's is why these trucks are starting to command a pretty penny when up for sale. People are tired of the costly repairs and poor mileage these newer trucks get....so it comes down to the old supply and demand we learned about in economics in high school. ;)

For the cab....I regularly oil mine. During the hot summer months I will squirt oil inside the rockers and up under/in the cab in areas I think/know will get heavy winter salt/sand/chemicals. This helps preserve the cab. You can also remove the trim screws from above the windshield and spray in Fluidfilm up into the roof above the windshield, and below the drip rail.....smells much better then used oil, and tends to stick in the area it's sprayed.

There are no rubber body mounts for our trucks anymore...a few misc NOS ones floating around, but not enough to make up a complete set. You have to re-use the originals...probably beat to death...or buy the Poly ones. I'm not a fan of the poly bushings...but they are all that is available. They used the same body mounts from the 70's up to 93...so yes the 85 ones would work.

And I would check with your local police, insurance companies, and DOT/CVSE about the cab swap...since the VIN stamped in your old cab will be gone, and the new cab VIN will not match. I know many people will say just do it and don't worry about it...if they don't know, then there is no problem. But what if you get hauled in for a Gov't inspection....and they don't like what you've done. Next thing you know you may have fines levied against you, or your truck is no longer allowed to be licensed for the road. Better to check first to be sure. ;)

Good luck with the cab swap...hope it all goes well!
1984/93 Dodge Crewcab, W350, 1 Ton SRW, long box, 330K Km's, M&H spacer, 366 spring, fuel pin to deep side, 14cm housing, Piston LP, PS IC, Isspro Boost, Pyro and tach, NV4500, 29 spline NP205, 3.54's.


Check out the build....http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/ ... 05923.html
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Re: New Cab...

Postby jerseybud » Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:53 pm

If it truly is a rust free cab.......
I would clean the heck out of it and put a second coat of catalyzed epoxy primer everywhere while its off. For those little nooks and crannys like the roof, I would put a coat of high zinc paint down, like eastwood internal frame coating, let it dry, then follow with either fluid film, crc marine anti corrosion or spray of 3m amber anti rust once the other stuff has dried. That fluid film attracts alot of dust and the others do not. I am in love with the crc stuff......DO NOT use foam of any type!

Its the outer roof panel cavity that rusts first on these cabs. There is also a inner roof cavity, so you will need some precise holes drilled for spraying.
Pics here showing holes:
http://ramchargercentral.com/mopar-trucks/1988-w-100/
Be sure the seam sealer is not showing cracks. I have had good luck with 3m marine 5200 sealer so far. I've used black but tan I guess is ok too. Better yet is the catalyzed self leveling stuff that requires those stupid special 200 ml expensive dual caulking guns

Its water leaks that kill these cabs, so be damn sure the windshield is installed properly,cowl cracks are fixed, that the cowl seal is good and that the vent on the drivers side is sealed with butyl tape instead of that damn factory foam.

Rubber mounts are only partially available and only thru dealer, as was said

These are a couple of threads on the diesel sites dedicated to sound control. You will need multi layers to really drop the decibels. each material has pros and cons. Whatever you pick MUST NOT absorb or trap water...
1993 W250 a518 3.54LS. Has a hx35. Needs a beefed tranny
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Re: New Cab...

Postby meby » Thu Dec 24, 2015 6:10 am

Thanks.
-I'll check into the vin thing. I think Michigan wants an assembled title.
-The main complaint with poly mounts is squeaking, right?
-Would it be helpful to put on some kind of undercoating on the cab bottom? Like say on of those spray in bedliner products?
-1991 D-250 bone stock
-2000 Ford Windstar TDI Diesel 5 spd
-1997 Civic Hatchback
-Case 530 CK
-Old Huskee Garden Tractor w/Cub Cadet deck, Simplicity Snow-blower, loaded tires & chains - is it weird the tractor is modded more than my truck?
-Speedex Walking Tractor.
-BCS Walking Tractor


www.ebyfarmsllc.com
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Re: New Cab...

Postby matthewh » Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:04 am

The problem with undercoating or bed liner on the bottom is it holds water, and tour only sealing the outside. What I mean is, you spray the bottom of the cab, and its so thick, it fills in the little voids, drain holes in the rockers, etc. Now you've just created an area that will hold water, and accelerate rusting.
Personally, id repaint the bottom, and the high rust areas with a good hard epoxy paint, as mentioned some sort of coating that you can get into the structure of the cab. I've seen Eastwood phosphate coating mentioned several times as a great product for this.

I oil my truck down. I've used WD-40, bar oil, etc. Anything to help keep the salt and snow from sticking. We use a anti corrosion coating at work called SP-400. Its a sticky substance, so dust and dirt will stick, but it holds well.

In terms of title, if you follow the guidelines, you will have to get an assembled title. That means the State Police comes out and verifies the vin, as well as it conforming to all safety standards. Means everything has to work, including the parking brake. Its kinda a pain, and then you have an assembled titles truck, which costs more in terms of insurance, or so my insurance company has told.
What year is the cab? You may have to swap dashboards anyways, so that takes care of the dash vin, and the door jam tag can be cut off and rivited back on. My truck is that way, due to an accident.
'93 W350 5spd Getrag, 4.10 gears, 83k miles and counting, Mods: LPPP AKA Ma Dually
'54 Dodge M37 6.2/700R4/205, 5.89 gears, WC rear axle
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Re: New Cab...

Postby dazedandconfused » Thu Dec 24, 2015 2:31 pm

Sand blast the bottom of the cab and paint it with Chassis savers.
Big Andy
1983 Dodge D150 that has been repowered with a 93 Cummins/518 running gear AKA The Ugly Duck! I would much rather build them then buy them.[
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Re: New Cab...

Postby PToombs » Thu Dec 24, 2015 5:59 pm

I cleaned my cab and coated it with rubberized undercoating in a spray can. I made sure the drain holes were open when I was done. ;)
We used chassis saver paint on the trucks at work 1 year, (we used to sandblast and paint about 1/2 the fleet every other year to keep it looking good) it lasted about 6 months and the rust was coming right thru it. Others have said it works great, but I won't use it. I prefer a good coat of paint to seal the metal then undercoating to protect it from stones and such.
pete

Just enough power to break everything behind the crankshaft.
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Re: New Cab...

Postby dazedandconfused » Thu Dec 24, 2015 6:45 pm

I've had great luck with Chassis Savers that's why I recommended it
Big Andy
1983 Dodge D150 that has been repowered with a 93 Cummins/518 running gear AKA The Ugly Duck! I would much rather build them then buy them.[
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Re: New Cab...

Postby meby » Fri Dec 25, 2015 9:11 am

so basically keep it clean as possible, oil the parts that can't be cleaned and keep good paint on it so it never gets to the rust/holes stage.
-1991 D-250 bone stock
-2000 Ford Windstar TDI Diesel 5 spd
-1997 Civic Hatchback
-Case 530 CK
-Old Huskee Garden Tractor w/Cub Cadet deck, Simplicity Snow-blower, loaded tires & chains - is it weird the tractor is modded more than my truck?
-Speedex Walking Tractor.
-BCS Walking Tractor


www.ebyfarmsllc.com
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meby
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Re: New Cab...

Postby thrashingcows » Fri Dec 25, 2015 12:54 pm

If you want paint that will stick well, and have good rust inhibitors you can use the cheaper Tremclad/rustoleum...or go to a farm equipment supply place and buy some tractor paint. ;)
1984/93 Dodge Crewcab, W350, 1 Ton SRW, long box, 330K Km's, M&H spacer, 366 spring, fuel pin to deep side, 14cm housing, Piston LP, PS IC, Isspro Boost, Pyro and tach, NV4500, 29 spline NP205, 3.54's.


Check out the build....http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/ ... 05923.html
thrashingcows
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Re: New Cab...

Postby meby » Tue Dec 29, 2015 1:11 pm

I picked up the cab yesterday. It's in excellent shape. The only flaw that mattered (to me) is on the driver side floor where the guy put his feet it rusted a little. Guy must have walked through water all the time before climbing in the truck as there isn't any rust anywhere else on the cab (or truck for that matter). My brother-in-law works at an auto body shop, so they put in a new floor pan and did a smashing job of it. Its stitch welded, seam sealed, acid etched paint and even spot welded. The spot welding machine is pretty cool! The truck the cab came off of was hit pretty hard on the front and it did a real number on the frame.

Shot of the cab roof.
Image

Rocker panel
Image

Inside. As a bonus, he left the a/c heater core in it. Now I can convert my truck to a/c
Image

And look at the loot I got from him too! He made me a deal to good to pass up!
Image

I have a question about the cruise control option on these trucks. Do I need anything more than the steering column/switches and vacuum control thingy to add to cruise control to my truck or is there a controller of some type too?
-1991 D-250 bone stock
-2000 Ford Windstar TDI Diesel 5 spd
-1997 Civic Hatchback
-Case 530 CK
-Old Huskee Garden Tractor w/Cub Cadet deck, Simplicity Snow-blower, loaded tires & chains - is it weird the tractor is modded more than my truck?
-Speedex Walking Tractor.
-BCS Walking Tractor


www.ebyfarmsllc.com
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meby
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Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 1:14 pm
Location: Southwest Michigan
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Re: New Cab...

Postby jerseybud » Tue Dec 29, 2015 6:09 pm

Looks like you have the cruise cable and the servo, exisitng wire harness appropriate for 91-93 should work everything.

That rust on your cab on drivers side- most common causes is leak thru the foam at the vent built into the kick panel. Somy guys block it off- some guys use butyl tape instead of the foam. Again , be sure the windshield is sealed well in the upper corners also. Water spills off the roof, over the drip rail, into a crack or seam and down the A pillar, behind the kickpanel and onto the floor, where it rusts.

A FSM will make your cruise and AC swap easy as pie. once you have the parts.
1993 W250 a518 3.54LS. Has a hx35. Needs a beefed tranny
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