Daniel Black

This is my '83 F150. It has pretty severe rust and has taken a heavy shot in the pass. side resulting in the cab buckling out against the front of the bed. The back of the cab and rocker panel aren't attached anymore so when I park on uneven surfaces sometimes the door won't open, sometimes it won't close.

Is it cost effective to fix all this rust? Most of the panels I need are not reproduced. If I change cabs is it even legal to swap VIN plates to retain my title?

GhostriderI

The parts are out there, here is one place,

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/FD/full.aspx?page=13

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/FD/full.aspx?page=15

But this project would be a "labor of love" on your part, therefore the choice is your

Daniel Black

Thanks. I've seen the drivers side parts I need but do you know if anyone makes the pass. side parts? I need from the door jam around the back to the original seam and up to the back glass. The door jam got pushed in toward the door while the back of the cab was pushed out toward the bed.

GhostriderI

There are parts listed for both sides on these pages. Are you saying you need to replace the part with the striker plate also? If it is just bent and not rusted through you should be able to reposition (body tools) it and get it back you where it should be. If it is rusted through it might require more work. I keep looking to help find parts.

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Honestly, that cab is pretty rough. It is a fair bit of work swapping one but ....

GhostriderI

Between the photos. I do not know that answer....

I do know a 1981-1985 cab will bolt right on and if it has good wiring it is plug and play.

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

And no, it is not legal to swap vin #'s. The ownership goes with the cab.

burnthelight88

^ Maybe in Canada. Depends on your state. I'd check with your local police department or State DOT. In PA it is legal but you have to show a lot of paperwork and get all kinds of people to sign off on it.

jkenprice1

Or you might end up with a salvage title

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

For what it's worth... I've dismantled quite a few trucks, mostly 87 to 96's of course but I've found that if you shop a little you may well be able to find a truck with a mint cab that has rusted box and fender wheel wells and maybe it's needing some brakes or the engine doesn't sound great.
If all you want off it is the cab, you can get it for a few hundred over scrap price (which is very very low at the moment) and you do some work but you end up with a cab with no welded patches, no body fill, and said and done it's cheaper.
The same basic cab was used till 96 but there are some differences to watch for such as round holes versus rectangular for the power leads etc and maybe a few other things like screw holes, but it is possible to use a later cab - the mount brackets and body lines match.
Just as an example, I bought a truck (95) on Sunday, I had about 4 hours to mess with it on monday, 7 hours today and the only body part still on the frame is the cab which is unhooked already and I'll be lifting it off in the morning. If I was swapping cabs and had another one ready, I'd have it bolted down and be reassembling by tomorrow afternoon.
It would take a couple days after that to put everything back on and hook up all the wires and such, but it's not as big a job as it seems. Much faster and better (and probably cheaper) than all that cutting welding and filling you're thinking of.
You can shop for just a cab for sale as well - around here I usually sell a pretty mint cab for about 500 Cdn.
The cab in this pic is pretty much sold already but I included the pic just to show what you could be working with.... that's my .02 worth.



A little surface rust on the driver's floor - everything else is mint.