Cab swap Questions

[Turbo4whl]

My case is start a year ago and ponder what this massive pile of parts is supposed to be!

Sounds like my projects.....

 

[bucket]

I counted 26 spot welds on my '83 dash.

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[Ken B]

it appears I have MORE work ahead....52 spot welds....26 on each.....will need a new bit

 

[bucket]

Oh yeah, I forgot. Iirc, not all of the spot welds visible from the front are for the dash panel, because there's three layers of steel and they weren't all attached at the same time. But that might have also varied from year to year.

 

[Doppleganger]

I used a 1/4" carbide ball mill in a drill and it took me about 30-40 minutes to drill them all out.

 

[Ken B]

Sounds like you have the right tool for the job

 

[bucket]

The Blair spot weld cutter has been my go-to since the late 90's.

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You can easily drill from the front. On your original cab, drill through both layers of cab, but not into the dash panel. This will leave the dash panel hole-less. On your new cab, you don't have to be as careful since you aren't reusing the dash- you can just drill all the way through if you want to. Then when you fit your old dash to the new cab, you will be able to do all the plug welds and grinding from the front where it is much easier to work. Because the dash will be without holes, the plug welds themselves will be super easy to do as well.

 

[Ken B]

Very good info.
Gonna have to find me one of those. Not against work,but if I can work smarter I am all for that.!

 

[bucket]

I forgot to mention, I don't use them exactly as intended. Go ahead and drill the center of the spot weld with an 1/8" drill bit. You don't have to drill all the way through, but just in the first layer or so to keep the center pin from popping out. It will work pretty well.

I actually prefer to drill my 1/8" hole all the way through. Without the tension of the center pin, I more accurately 'feel' when the hole saw cuts through the different layers of steel. You just have to be more careful when starting the cutting. If it bites in unevenly, it can't just skip off to the side. It will break off teeth or break the center pin.

 

[Ken B]

That all makes great sense.

 

[Ken B]

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The angle is kinda throwing me off....for those that have done this before am I on the right track?

 

[bucket]

Looking alright so far. That's your old cab, correct?

 

[Ken B]

that is the donor cab.....i feel like there is some wisdom you are going to impart on me.......

 

[bucket]

that is the donor cab.....i feel like there is some wisdom you are going to impart on me.......

Not really. I was actually a little surprised to see that little bit of rust. It just looks like you are doing a good job of not drilling too far into the dash itself, rather than just drilling all the way through, which is why I thought it might be your original dash.

But I suppose it is good practice for the dash that you do want to use. And your donor dash will be easier to use by someone else if it comes down to it.

 

[Ken B]

For the record I welcome all others wisdom