Ford cab swap Q…

[mattinthebox]

Ford cab swap Q…

I have a 1987 Ford F-350 built as a flatbed/rollback/wrecker.

The floor of my cab has suffered thru many years of salted winter roads here in Michigan.
The floor, rockers & cab corners are completely rotted thru.
I want to swap the complete cab from another truck but have questions regarding fitment differences between donor trucks.
I’m curious what year ford trucks I can choose from?
Also is there any major difference between F-150, F-250, F-350 cabs that would prevent a simple swap other than suspension?

My F-350 was originally equipped with a 6.9l but has been replaced with a reman 7.3l idi.
I only have a 4spd, not sure which but I believe it’s a Borg Warner T-19a(?), & would like to upgrade to a 5spd (or other suggestions for a wrecker) as well which is why it’s fairly important I find the right donor which could possibly supply everything I need.

So first off, can anyone tell me what year range will work with my application?
I have an older Chilton manual which covers ford trucks from 87-93, is 93 when ford made changes?
Please correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression that I could use cabs as late as 97.

Other Q’s are whether or not these parts will work without modification:
- Brake/Clutch pedal
- Slave cylinder
- Master cylinder & rod
- Body & frame mounts
- Electronic controls/wiring
- Instrument cluster
- Radiator core support for humongous diesel radiator

A few other luxuries I’d like to have made available in the new truck cab would be power windows, power locks, etc…
Also, concerning transmissions, does the 5spd (zf5) have accommodation for a PTO? I have hydraulics to operate my bed & a trans that'll work with my PTO is a must.

I’m hoping it’s a pretty straight forward changeover but wanted to consult with the members here to help me avoid the pitfalls & gain any tips/tricks that’ll make it a smooth process.

Many thanks in advance to anyone that can help.

 

[riotwarrior]

Ford cab swap Q…

I have a 1987 Ford F-350 built as a flatbed/rollback/wrecker.

The floor of my cab has suffered thru many years of salted winter roads here in Michigan.
The floor, rockers & cab corners are completely rotted thru.
I want to swap the complete cab from another truck but have questions regarding fitment differences between donor trucks.
I’m curious what year ford trucks I can choose from?
Also is there any major difference between F-150, F-250, F-350 cabs that would prevent a simple swap other than suspension?

My F-350 was originally equipped with a 6.9l but has been replaced with a reman 7.3l idi.
I only have a 4spd, not sure which but I believe it’s a Borg Warner T-19a(?), & would like to upgrade to a 5spd (or other suggestions for a wrecker) as well which is why it’s fairly important I find the right donor which could possibly supply everything I need.

So first off, can anyone tell me what year range will work with my application?
I have an older Chilton manual which covers ford trucks from 87-93, is 93 when ford made changes?
Please correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression that I could use cabs as late as 97.

Other Q’s are whether or not these parts will work without modification:
- Brake/Clutch pedal
- Slave cylinder
- Master cylinder & rod
- Body & frame mounts
- Electronic controls/wiring
- Instrument cluster
- Radiator core support for humongous diesel radiator

A few other luxuries I’d like to have made available in the new truck cab would be power windows, power locks, etc…
Also, concerning transmissions, does the 5spd (zf5) have accommodation for a PTO? I have hydraulics to operate my bed & a trans that'll work with my PTO is a must.

I’m hoping it’s a pretty straight forward changeover but wanted to consult with the members here to help me avoid the pitfalls & gain any tips/tricks that’ll make it a smooth process.

Many thanks in advance to anyone that can help.

Welcome to Oil Burners, one of the best places to get good information about these older trucks their engines and respective parts etc.

If you could please, take a few moments and fill in your signature with details about your truck that can be helpfull when responding to querries...

Also please take some time, read through the FAQ's, and our tech article section as there is an incredible volume of info in there, if you have not done so already.

Now about your truck.all ALL cabs so long as same F150- F350...reg for reg....extended for extend etc...fit onto the same frame mounts as the cab you are replacing....but you MUST stay with similar body style...regular cab only fits regular cab and 80-97 are all the same mounts same for Extended cabs and for Crew cabs...Gasser or diesel the cabs interchange though there is wiring differences between them....simplest to swap a diesel cab for diesel cab...otherwise you'll be swapping dash wiring etc...

So with that above tid bit, and since I am going to guess you have a regular cab then in THEORY any reg cab from 80-97 will physically bolt onto the frame...but fenders hood and other parts don't line up...

80-86 cab can fit, not a great idea likely would not find a suitable donor in good condition need change fenders hood and cowel rad support

87-91 cab is a direct change, all wiring and mechanical and clutch master fit the same, brake /clutch pedal assemblies etc. Only need swap cab

92-97 cab is a nicer cab IMHO but...requires a complete cab, hood, cowel, fenders, rad support Wiring is different too...so your best bet would be to get an entire cab for a diesel with all wiring intact...tough one!

The 87-91 has an issue with firewall flex, there is a fix, look in tech article section for that tech article. Parts are available here from another member

Swapping a 5sp would be best from a super duty diesel as this has the inclusive rear drum park brake which works very well.

You will need a new shifter pan that bolts to the floor of cab for 5sp, and a completely different PTO to swap onto the ZF 5sp as your PTO on your BW T19 won't work on the ZF.

A new slave cyl will be required for a ZF swap too. Again there is some great info in tech section on swaps such as this one.

One thing you did not state is your rad size. If your rad is 31"wide or there bouts you have a tall narrow rad, known as an AC RAD if it's about 37" wide you have a wide short rad also known as NON AC rad.

Keeping with the same body style 87-91 would be simplest as you can just swap cabs and the rest of the subsystems fit the same, if you get a gasser cab then you'll likely want to pull your current dash and stick it in for wiring as that keeps the diesel systems all working...glow plug WTS etc..

IMHO, if you could find a Fsuperduty with either a 460 or a diesel and 5sp that would be your absolute best bet for a cab. You get the much wanted drum brake, a ZF, and hydroboost brakes as well. That would be the best setup IMHO for your application

Again Welcome to Oil Burners

Al

 

[mattinthebox]

Welcome to Oil Burners, one of the best places to get good information about these older trucks their engines and respective parts etc.

If you could please, take a few moments and fill in your signature with details about your truck that can be helpfull when responding to querries...

Also please take some time, read through the FAQ's, and our tech article section as there is an incredible volume of info in there, if you have not done so already.


Again Welcome to Oil Burners

Al

Thanks for the great info Al,
Ya I've been a member since 2008, haven't had any questions just been reading all the great articles on several different subjects here till now.
I never attempted a swap like this & thought now would be the best time to ask the experts here.
I'll be sure to update my sig soon.

Now back to shop talk,
You are correct it's a regular/standard cab & the radiator is huge, I haven't measured it but it's huge. It completely fills the space from battery to battery & yes it's equipped with A/C.
When looking for a cab, if I found a gasser, would the radiator core support need to be swapped/replaced to use my radiator?

Would you happen to know what type of PTO I'd need when switching to the ZF?

If I found a Superduty with hydroboost then would that mean I'd no longer need the belt driven vacuum pump on the 7.3 idi?
Also, since the ZF has the drum brake on the tail would I no longer need the drum brakes on the rear axle or should they be left alone for redundancy?
I'd rather delete them if possible since the cables run pretty much exposed along side the frame right under my bed & it doesn't particularly look very good, IMO.

Thanks again...

 

[riotwarrior]

Thanks for the great info Al,
Ya I've been a member since 2008, haven't had any questions just been reading all the great articles on several different subjects here till now.
I never attempted a swap like this & thought now would be the best time to ask the experts here.
I'll be sure to update my sig soon.

You are welcome, and I can see you have been a member but not active... 2008 join date 2 posts...welcome to the Q&A of owning these great trucks...

Many here are knowledgable beyond me....I'm just a noob at this stuff myself...

Now back to shop talk,
You are correct it's a regular/standard cab & the radiator is huge, I haven't measured it but it's huge. It completely fills the space from battery to battery & yes it's equipped with A/C.
When looking for a cab, if I found a gasser, would the radiator core support need to be swapped/replaced to use my radiator?

Radiator size does matter and if you get a gasser cab you will always need to use the diesel rad support.

Would you happen to know what type of PTO I'd need when switching to the ZF?

No I actually do not know what PTO you need, I'm sure a local driveline shop or OTR truck shop would be able to help you, perhaps Towcat here can too he may know a part # for correct PTO.

If I found a Superduty with hydroboost then would that mean I'd no longer need the belt driven vacuum pump on the 7.3 idi?
Also, since the ZF has the drum brake on the tail would I no longer need the drum brakes on the rear axle or should they be left alone for redundancy?
I'd rather delete them if possible since the cables run pretty much exposed along side the frame right under my bed & it doesn't particularly look very good, IMO.

Thanks again...

Lets touch on this part here a little shall we.

Vacuum is for HVAC and brakes, take and convert to hydroboost, still need vacuum for HVACK to function fully!

ZF drum brake is a PARK/Emergency brake only. You will still absolutely need the hydraulically operated rear drum brakes.

Then you can dispense with the cable operated portion that you mention runs down the frame without any worries so long as you have a properly functioning park brake on the transmission.

If you get a SD cab, then you have the correct cable to go to the drum!

I hope this helps you with your plans

Al

 

[mattinthebox]

Gotcha!
Ya sorry, that's what I meant to say about the "emergency cables". . . not the rear drum brakes... Doh!

I'll hafta take a measurement of the radiator but that won't be for a week or two since I'm already in the middle of an engine rebuild on another car of mine.

The PTO on my truck is a Chelsea but I'm not sure of the specs, another thing I'll hatfa check.

It's alot to take in at one time, I just wanted to make sure I get the right info so I get the right shopping list together.
I hate spinnin my wheels unless it's for recreational purposes if ya know what I mean...

Oh... got somewhat of a sig together so people won't get too confused when reading my ramblings.