Hello I'm new to the site but I'm going to be doing this same swap on my crashed up 90 thank for the info

 

Swap the wiring harnesses complete, don't try to make the '85 harness work. Trying to add what's missing is effort than it's worth, you will save time by just pulling everything apart to do it right.

 

Ok, thanks. I just bought my parts today. I got a bed, cab, door and fenders, all with very little rust for $300. I gave him a down payment and he is pulling it all off of the truck, and i will be going to pick it up in the next couple weeks. Harlan, you want to help me swap the dash and wiring harness?
thanks.

 

Ok, well i dont have the cab yet, because the guy has to strip the truck. but i took apart my dash a little today just to see what i had to deal with. my question is how did you guys go about doing this? did you pull out the small black dash that goes around the gauges, then undo the gauge cluster, and label what each plug goes to, and continue this until everything is out? Then, did you take off the gray plastic dash that covers the metal? how does this come out? after this, you would have the wiring and the metal dash. did you leave the wiring in the metal dash, disconnect everything that attatches to the firewall, then unbolt the whole metal dash unit? this would mean the wiring would come with it, then i could just bolt up the whole metal dash from my 93 with the wiring in it into the 85 cab. is this how its done, or is it more complicated than this? also, my 93 has A/C. will i be able to run it or not?

 

You can leave all of the guages in and connected to the dash wiring harness. There is a bolt on each side down by the kick panels. There are two to the left and behind the glove compartment and the ones that hold up the steering column. Plus all of the screws up by the windshield, which I have only gotten to by taking the windshield out. You'll have to unplug the harnesses coming from the doors on each side, the heater controls, the one that goes to the back of the truck, (I think that is a blue one near the steering column) and the big square one coming through the firewall, the radio antenna. I think you'll have to get into the steering column an disconnect all the connections there also. The dash should come out then with the whole wiring harness. Hopefully I didn't miss anything.

 

Ok, thanks. that doesnt sound too hard. to get to the screws along the windshield, i assume you have to remove the plastic dash cover. how does this come off? Can the cabs be swapped in say a week?
thanks.

 

The screws along the windshield hold the plastic dash cover to the firewall this is the only place the plastic part attaches to the truck body. It will stay on the metal frame. If you remove the heater cable at the blower housing you can take the entire dash out intact without even removing the trim or radio or anything. I think you could swap the cabs easily in a week.

 

OK, thanks for all of your help. where is the heater cable to the blower housing attatched?
do you take out the glove box to acess the bolts that are behind and to the left of it? I think i found the bolts on the kick panels. is one of them next to the e-brake?
thanks.

 

If you open the glove box the back of the glove box catches on the thing that the latch hooks to. Push down on the back of the glove box so it will clear that bracket, and it will flop competely open. You'll be able to see those bolts I was talking about and the cable where it attaches to the blower housing. There are also some vacuum lines that come down from the heater controls that will have to be disconnected. I don't remember where they disconnect other than the back of the heater controls. Once you get everything else loosend up you might be able to see these and disconnect them. Or just remove the heater controls from the front.

 

OK, does the cable that attatches to the blower housing run through the firewall? if not, why does it need to be disconnected? Where is the cable located? just wondering. also, are the vacuum lines to the heater? behind the glove box i only see 1 vacuum line? also, there are 2 wires and a connector that look like they run to under the hood. what are these? its next to 1 wire that i assume is the antenna? I can see the 2 bolts to the left of the glove box, but not the ones behind the glove box, there is a black box, do i have to remove this to get to the dash bolts?
thanks again for all your help

 

Also, when the whole dash assembly comes out, will the vin #s come with it?


Ok, Before the cab is on the new frame, i will strip it, and i plan on some sound proofing. i think im going to use some sort of bedliner. Has anyone on here ever used 3M body schutz?
the company makes rocker schutz, body schutz and water based undercoating. which one should i use? i plan on doing the underneath of the cab. the floor pans. the top of the cab, and the rockers bottoms of fenders and cab corners.

 

OK, well i got some pictures:

first: is this the heater cable i have to undo? if it is, should i just undo the cable, or should i unbolt the nut that is on the back, and take off the whole top assembly?


second:

do i have to remove this stuff? it looks like it runs to the heater box:



third: i assume these wires run through the firewall: what do they go to?


next, i found the bolts to the left of the glovebox, but still cant find the bolts on the back of it: can someone point me in the right direction?
Here is a picture looking straight into the glovebox



thanks.

 

That red thing on the heater cable is a the clip that holds it there you just have to pop it out and then pull that black spring steel clip off of that lever. The other are your vacuum lines that go to the heater and I think there is a connector for those up behind the radio. That black box is your abs controller you'll have to unplug that also. I'm not sure what that other 2 wire plug is I'll have to go look at my truck.

 

Ok, thanks. are those two dash bolts to the left of the dash the only 2 behind there?

 

I was wrong about there being 2 bolts behind the glove box. You just have to remove that one nut that your showing in the picture. Also that yellow wire goes to the dome light switch. There is one on the drivers side also. They are kind of a pain to un plug.