Cab swap?

[79K10]

replace what metal you need :/ lol... put the stickers in the right spot. good to go

 

[79K10]

thanks for the reply guys, i thought it was an easy swap. Wasnt really too worried about the vin plate since the guy selling the C20 said he had title and if they were both in my name I thought Id be ok. I guess it woulnt hurt to check with the local DMV to see the best way to handle it.

if you do that youll be at your friendly local leos office and theyll be crawling under it with a flash light. if its reg'd and insured with the correct plate, tag,slip, and insurance youre good, imho lol

 

[rscustomrods]

I think you guys are making it a little too complicated. I see the op live in CA and they do some wierd things in that state. However, in AZ it is simply not that complicated, from a legal standpoint. I have a 1978 k10 that is a rust bucket and I took a very clean 1978 c10 and put all of the metal, cab included, on the 4wd frame. I own both and hold titles to both. When my project is completed in a few weeks, I will simply own a 1978 c10 on paper, that happens to be a 4wd. It is perfectly legal and I am currently in a local law enforcement traffic unit and have been in LE for 16 years.

As for the technical side of the op question, you guys are right on, as usual. I cut the hump out of the k10 and put it in the c10. I will post pics soon of my truck in a build thread as my daughter was taking pics this weekend as we built the motor.

 

[Swims350]

yes if you get a title for the cab you use, then that's simple. Just as above put that in your name and that's basically what you are driving.

 

[FRANKENTRUCK]

No question about it. Just title the new cab as your truck, then register and tag it as such. The old title for your truck follows the title for it. When you sell the old cab that title will be signed over to the lucky new owner.

 

[adinpoor1995]

illegal.

Who.Cares.

 

[Old77]

 

[towjoe]

I build alot of trucks from scratch and I've had a heck of a time with this VIN deal over the years. I have one truck here that is a 78 frame, 89 engine, 80 transmission, 84 cab, 91 front , 76 bed and 87 axles. I used the Vin that was on the cab, but it says its a 1/2 ton 2wd and truck is 3/4 4x4. I tryed the constucted title one time and had a terrible time trying to get that done here in Indiana. spent 4 months till I gave up on that Idea. Local secratary of state tells me the title to a truck stays with the frame and that is the one to use. A little time and a dremel tool and the factory rivets are easy to copy. I would make sure tho that you have paperwork to all trucks involved to prove ownership tho if you change a number or cab. I have even had the trophy shops make vin plate to put on a cab to match frame when the original vin was rusted to a point it was un readable from the donor. I have taken full dash out of the original donor cabs and swapped them that way to. It all depends on the way you want to build a truck and what you plan on doing. I'm sorry, but if I'm building a true K30 4x4 I don't want title to say it's a 1/2 ton 2wd.

 

[1973 Chevy]

My opinion on the vin plate is who cares? My '86 cab was so rusted so I got a low rust '73 cab that came with no title or vin plate. The whole dash part in the '73 was messed up so I just cut the whole **** out of my '86 without messing with the plate rivets. Then when I get to the point of welding the dash part in, ill make it look like nothing ever changed. Im not worried about it at all. Also I never heard of the frame matching the vin but im good because I got the original '86 frame.

 

[towjoe]

I had a salvage yard and the state cited me for having a frame that was cut in half with no title to it. they pointed out the vin # is stamped in the frame about where the drives floorboard is. cost me a $500 fine and about cost me my scrap licence. I'm glad I'm just a hobby truck collector now.

 

[1973 Chevy]

I had a salvage yard and the state cited me for having a frame that was cut in half with no title to it. they pointed out the vin # is stamped in the frame about where the drives floorboard is. cost me a $500 fine and about cost me my scrap licence. I'm glad I'm just a hobby truck collector now.

Wow that sucks man! I didn't think they would be that stingy about the frame, I could see the cab but I can't see that with a frame.

 

[HotRodPC]

Just my 2 cents and what I'd be doing. I'd be moving the VIN plate if I owned the original truck. I'd take my current VIN and get it to the new cab. WHY? So that the VIN matches the Frame VIN. You'll be in more headache and hassle with mismatch Cab VIN to Frame VIN that you'd want to know. Just swap the VIN's IMO. Is it wrong? Probably? So long as I know I'm NOT using stolen parts and I'm not swapping parts to hide or disguise stolen parts, I'd be able to sleep just fine at night, knowing the VIN's were swapped. But, I aslo think I'd do it, forget about it, and shut up about it FOREVER and I don't even think I'd tell my closest friends or spouse. Noone knows, noone can say, I have this buddy that.....

So now I need to go change the oil in the 86C20. Oh wait, it's an 84. My bad memory !!! Damn !!!

You must be registered for see images

 

[HotRodPC]

I had a salvage yard and the state cited me for having a frame that was cut in half with no title to it. they pointed out the vin # is stamped in the frame about where the drives floorboard is. cost me a $500 fine and about cost me my scrap licence. I'm glad I'm just a hobby truck collector now.

I'm not sure they put it on the driverside too, but know for a fact it's on, or is also on the passenger side top of the frame rail about under where the passenger plants their ass. I've had 3 cabs off of frames on 81 thru 86's and all of them had the VIN on the top of the frame rail. I'd say impossible to see with the cab in place. Maybe with some cleaning and an inspection mirror in that little space between the cab floor and top rail created by the body mount cab bushings.

 

[towjoe]

your right about the passenger side. all the frames get confusing when there cut in half and stacked up for scrap. I almost never scrap a good 4wd one tho anymore, I sell quite a few.
I bought a truck from a car lot once that caught on fire. when the fire department put the cab out the VIN # disappeared. Must just been stuck up there or glued. After the fire the cop doing paperwork realized it was missing the VIN. Thank goodness he was cool about it, and just stated that the fire must have melted it off.