80 to 81 body swap

[MadOgre]

Get it all lined up, make sure your measurements are the same in your new cab as it was in the old cab. Try to use measurements in a 3d method. Back to front, side to side , top to bottom type thing. when your all happy install it with your screws. Don't trim the cab yet. now when your hump is exactly right and installed with your screws mark it with a jiffy around the bottom of your new hump. remove your hump and trim the cab so you have a couple inches of over lap. Then just clean it up, both the hump and the cab scuff it up good with some 180 grit, shot of primer and couple coats of spray paint. After its all nice and dry usually a day or two later then reinstall your painted hump with seam sealer onto your painted cab using your existing screw holes that you already have. ( when your prefitting it install it like you want it in the end )

And after its all dry it might be a good idea to get underneath and grind off those screws sticking out under your cab. just so you don't wipe out your knuckles on them down the road when your working under there.

After all that you can clean up your cab underside and paint the whole thing or apply some under coating or not. Good idea though to give your cured seam sealer a shot of paint or two.

Always prep surfaces with some kind of wax and grease remover before painting any surface.

 

[bucket]

Well I tried putting an 85 on to an 80 and it doesn't work its sits at a wrong angle. And those bumper bolts can be next to impossible to get off with out wrecking the finish on the bumper. If your gonna go to all the trouble of refitting the top bracket why not just zip off the frame like in the pics and then simply slide on the new bumper drill some holes and be done with it . If you got the bumper odds are the brackets are still on it.

Hmm, maybe I just drilled new holes for the upper bracket. Or maybe used spacers, I really can't say. I just don't like sawing off part of the frame with an original bumper mount, once it's cut it is cut. Just personal preference I guess.

Although that is a good point about the bumper bolts.

 

[Trippin3030]

ogre I really appreciate the step by step now i just got to get over the fact that im going to have to cut apart my truck haha be honest with you im debating whether on not to try an save the old one but the cab supports are rotted right know how i made it this far with it

 

[MadOgre]

well just take it easy and take your time. Like I say cut out as much as possible from your donor truck and just slowly whittle it down to size, cause if you cut to much off your gonna have to get another donor piece or pull out the welder so just take your time. Take some firewall from your donor truck with the hump your cutting out.