Hood/cawl replacement

[chuck500cc]

Anybody have pics or suggestions on how to replace the section between the hood and windshield? I am thinking of changing the name of my truck from "Dixie" to "Rusty"








Last name....."Normas"....

Chuck XD Fan

 

[Recovry4x4]

You may not believe this but I'd bet a cab replacement would be easier.

 

[rmgill]

Unless you cut metal away and re-weld the sheet metal, you essentially need to replace the cab base.

 

[Angus1]

Dixie Normas

 

[chuck500cc]

I was a "tin bender/bubble chaser" on Navy aircraft. So I think I might take my chances. If I do a good job maybe we can sticky a thread. My wife said the name "Dixie" was just a name for me trying to compansate for my shortcommings, what ever that is supposed to mean.

Thanks
Chuck XD Fan

 

[Capt.Marion]

My sleep-deprived brain thanks you for the clarification, angus.

 

[gringeltaube]

That's an ambicious project... a lot of work involved! Even if you are lucky finding a brand new 5ton surplus cowl...

Just a few pics here...

G.

 

[chuck500cc]

Cool picks, thanks. It looks like I could just cut the seem on the hood cawling on either side and splice a new piece in.Only the part where the hood attatches needs replacement.

Chuck XD Fan

 

[PawnShopEd]

Hey did you ever try this? My cowl someone at some point stood on and it bent down enough from the window to let water in and apparently someone bondoed over part of it. I also have to tackle to rocker panels on both sides which sucks. But debating cutting the cowl and rockers off another cab I have thats almost perfect or switching my entire cab. Just seems like a ton of work to switch a cab.

 

[gimpyrobb]

If you are going to cut and weld in a cowl and rockers, I'd swap the cab.

 

[Barrman]

Money and time involved makes a cab swap a lot easier and cheaper. I did this a few years ago. A side bonus of pulling the cab is easy access to all the brake parts, transmission, tcase, fuel lines, clutch linkage and all your wires get looked at.

Do it any way you want since it is your truck. We are just trying to tell you that a year from now looking back a cab swap sure will seem easy compared to doing little pieces at a time and still having more to do.

 

[waayfast]

Well here goes my 2 cents worth----my parts duece has damage to that area --I am thinking about using the truck for a custom(bob) and even though it has no rust I will be changing the cab tub.To cut out and weld a new section there,would be VERY time consuming and chances are "something somewhere would NOT end up "right" so I 'd be living with a half a$$ed job from then on.
Granted if it were a REAL rare truck-then you may HAVE to section it cuz there just is no other choice.But these trucks (for now anyways) are easy to get parts for and pretty cheap.
As stated above if you do change the cab, then it would be very easy to tidy up everything under there.
I have done autobody and paint work most of my life and have a pretty well equiped shop and for me changing would def. be easier than fixin'.
Jim

 

[rken302]

If its that rusty you may have structural rust you don't know about yet. after over 16 years of doing restoration work I think it is time to replace the cab. some times it's not that easy to just replace one part.

 

[hndrsonj]

A cab change is VERY easy and can be done in one day. I've done 2 with 2 gassers waiting, and it's not even an option in my eyes to fix one.

 

[BugEyeBear]

If its that rusty you may have structural rust you don't know about yet. after over 16 years of doing restoration work I think it is time to replace the cab. some times it's not that easy to just replace one part.

YUP! You ALMOST ALWAYS find more rust when yoiu start removing the visibly rusted parts!!

Take a REALLY GOOD LOOK at your current cab & I'll bet you'll start finding other areas that are rusted.

If you can get a replacement cab for a reasonable price just do the swap.

You will be SO GLAD you did in the long run!!!

 

[PawnShopEd]

I've got a parts duece that I'm not sure why it became a parts duece. (5,000 miles according to the odometer, and according to carnac) someone took the windows and bed but body remaining is perfect. The cab anywhere on the parts duece has no rust minus one surface dot on the fornt passengers side fender mount. My normal duece has rust from what I can tell in the rockers only. And the cowl where the hood prop is apparently was ripped sheetmetal wise, and bondoed over and other then that has dents from what looks like people walkingo n the cowl.

I would rather switch the cab due to the obvious ease of I have it sitting here - POR it and paint. Then install. Theonly problem I forsee is getting the cab off for me. I own a pawnshop hence the name and a Welding shop. The metal work doesn't bother me but I have a flaw of being a perfectionist when I do it which means a ton of tig work on this cab and still haveing to remove it. As well I use this for promotion for my shop, and I enjoy driving it on a regular basis... like daily lol. So I want ot really avoid downtime. What all am I looking at to swap cabs as far as difficulty? I'm assuming hood, top, fenders and bed all have to come off or be moved back?

 

[BugEyeBear]

You shouldn't need to remove the bed, just the other items you mentioned.
And wiring, and anything else connected, of course.

IDEALLY you would lift it up via an overhead gantry, swing it out of the way, swing in the replacement, lower it down, reassemble everything, and whola!

Being in the pawn business I'd think you would know SOMEONE with an overhead lift???
Boat yard? Truck shop?? Heavy Equipment dealer??

OR a bunch of Laborers & a block & tackle hanging from a very study overhead beam??

 

[PawnShopEd]

You shouldn't need to remove the bed, just the other items you mentioned.
And wiring, and anything else connected, of course.

IDEALLY you would lift it up via an overhead gantry, swing it out of the way, swing in the replacement, lower it down, reassemble everything, and whola!

Being in the pawn business I'd think you would know SOMEONE with an overhead lift???
Boat yard? Truck shop?? Heavy Equipment dealer??

OR a bunch of Laborers & a block & tackle hanging from a very study overhead beam??

Doesn't sound to bad minus the moving the cab, how heavy is it?
As well I bought a full new front harness figuring sincei have it off just go for it.
I knowlots of people with overhead lifts just nothing a duece can fit into. My metal shop is single floor 8ft ceilings, and no tree's or beams to mount it off of. I have a 14k lift .... dissasembled at my friends shop lol. But no where to put it because my county won't let me mount anything anywhere thats taller then the existing buildings and no more pads or storage buildings lol. Most of the mechanics I know that would have a shop big enough to fit a duece have gone out of buisness due to the economy and financial issues of rent of a larger building. I can plasma cut the old one off in pieces if needed... God bless the 2050 spectrum heh even a duece is butter.

I'm wondering if a few guys can lift up enought to move it.

Any volunteers? lol I've got beer and steak....

 

[Barrman]

I would guess 300-500 pounds depending on doors and glass. An over head is the best way to pick up. However, here is a picture of me pulling the Gasser cab with a regular engine hoist.

 

[FUSIONWELDING]

Its not to hard to do id make a cardboard template of the cowl cut the peiceyou need try to form it to your old cowl then go from there use a small grinder with a thin cut off wheel and just take it one step at a time