nmoussal

my 91 ram 350 floor pan is rusted through on the driver's side, big hole beneath the pedal cluster. the front left cab mount is gone too. found these replacement parts online for a total of around 100$. got a quote over the phone for labor at a body shop for between 600$ and 1000$ to install the two said body parts, depending on the extent of the rot, they said without being able to see it in person.

does this sound reasonable?

anyone have links to this type of floor pan/cab mount restoration? should i try doing it myself?

peckens

Its just a floor pan. Just cut out the old tack a new one in, seam seal it and paint it. Unless you want it to be show room quality.

thrashingcows

Well the floor pan is generally simple enough. But nmoussal mentioned that the cab mounts are toast as well. Those are not available in the aftermarket to my knowledge. SO that will require a bit of fab work to get things right.

BearKiller

If you do it yourself, you won't ever agree to do anyone else's for less than what was quoted.

With that being said, if your floor and cab-mounts are in that bad of condition, the best scenario is for you to completely remove the cab from the frame, build a cradle of sorts, and flip the cab upside-down where you can address all the many things that will get left un-done otherwise.

Another option is to mount a completely different type of body on your frame, such as an International or an old Peterbilt, or a B-model Mack or such.

A guy down the road from me put a 1972 Peterbilt cab on his 1990 D350 and it is sharp.


There are lots of things I would do before I spent $1000 on a cab-mount.

nmoussal

a replacement cab mount for this truck is around 50$, and so is the floor pan. i just dont know how i would install the mount myself.
im trying to get an idea of what this all would entail to do the job right, im leaning towards doing it myself. or maybe having the mount installedin a shop and then doing the floor pan myself.
anyone have any instructionals, or videos to refer me to?

maybe368

Here you go...Mark

maybe368

Here is the cab mount...Mark

nmoussal

ordered the mount and pan. when i was ordering the mount, the website had a note saying that i had to find my own special bolt to attach the mount to the frame. looks like theres a fat rubber washer involved. anyone know where to find these?

MrFusion

Fastenal has the style of bolt mentioned. Rubber thing is a cab bushing. LMC Truck sells a set for the cab. They might even sell them separately. I am in the exact same bot that you are. DS floor pan has a big rot hole that ate the cab mount too! Also needs rockers. Really needs a rust free club cab transplant but those don't show up in the northeast too often. Good luck with it! It doesn't look particularly difficult but looks like a PITA. Man I hate bodywork...

MrFusion

A place called Auto Body Specialties lists front and rear cab mounts for older dodge trucks. They list a lot of other parts for 1st gens as well. They don't show up too well on an internet search. I kinda stumbled onto it.
http://www.autobodyspecialt.com/cgi-...&category=0966

nmoussal

got my floor pan and mount from autobodyspecialt.com
happy with items and shipping speed, good parts source.

however, im not having as much luck with the hardware for the mount.
i know i need a cage nut, a bolt, a rubber bushing, and probably some washers.
trouble is i have no idea what to search for.

is there a good source for specs on this hardware?

mr fusion,
glad to hear someone else is on the same page. if your a few steps ahead of me in the process, could you tell me exactly what i need in terms of hardware?
also, any pics or stories about your process would be much appreciated.

BearKiller

The way I see it, you may as well go ahead and buy a complete set of cab-mount cushions/bushings.

If you only replace the one, and it located between two old worn-out ones, then that is going to put stress on the cab and new mount.

I wouldn't be surprised if a new cab-mount was as much as 1/2" or more taller than a 20-plus-year-old one.

As for the big bolt that goes through the center, unless I am way wrong in my thinking, a plain old bolt of the proper diameter/length should work; I would use a nylock nut on account of the up-and-down movement.

Body-lift kits come with plain old bolts, just longer.

mknittle

Thanks Tim, that is a good link.

MrFusion

Yeah I was pretty stoked when I found it. 'Course it's nothing you California guys would need. Ya know with your lack of rust and all! Your project's looking good Mark.

MrFusion

Nmoussal-I haven't actually started the body work yet. I'm still in the planning (procrastinating) phase. As for the nut you need you'll have to figure out the size when you take the bolt out and go look for it here:
https://www.fastenal.com/web/product...ge%20Nuts%22|~
BK is right. I'd replace the whole set.
Before I do any of that though I would figure out where the water is coming from that rotted the floor pan and cab mount. Cowl cracks, wiper bushings, door seals etc.