Torque_Junkie

Hey guys, this is my first ever post on here and I was wondering if there was a difference in the sheet metal on a 77' W200 vs a 92' W250. I haven't been able to find anything about how good the doors, cab and fender quality of a 77' is compared to a newer 92'. Thanks a ton, if I'm doin this wrong tell me please.
Context: I have a 92' and am considering a swap to a 77' or 78' cab this would be the game changer in that decision.

Berta

Hello Torque Junkie, I believe the 1972-1980 body style is quite a bit different from the early 1981-1993 body style that is generally considered the first generation dodges most are familiar with and I don't believe the fenders,doors ect are cross compatible. With the cab possibly being the exception, although I know the dashes are very different. As far as the quality of the sheet metal its a toss up I personally havn't noticed a specific year to be better then the next. Hopefully this helps!

Check out this wiki page for some pictures/info showing some of the differences.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_D_series

oliver foster

You can bolt the doors, fenders, beds, and cabs from '72-'93 years together without issues.
The body lines will NOT match up though.
Core supports, grilles, hoods / metal panel under the wipers, valance panels and such have subtle differences and all years will not mix and match.

I think the 70's sheetmetal is a thicker gauge I say this judging from how much abuse my old '72 Power Wagon took when I used it as a woods / trail rig. I flipped it over on its roof down a rocky ledge, rolled it on it side, stuffed it through rocks and tree where it didn't really fit ETC and it just kept running with just a few new crinkles and dents in the metal.

NJTman

Uh... whadda you know, only owning more dodge metal than anyone on the planet.............



Other than Dodge itself, of course.

Torque_Junkie

This is what I'm looking for thank you, do you have any hard numbers or not? Especially for things like the cab and fenders.(I just want something heavier duty than what I got now)

mhuppertz

The original post was about quality, I have had (and still have some) Dodge trucks from 1941 to 1993, and I think the '77 was probably a better body, as Oliver said, better steel. If I had to choose between premo '77 or '92 sheetmetal (but could keep the '92 interior) no question, '77.
I had a '72 W300, a '76 D100, and a '77 Mach Power Wagon, would love a '77 Macho Power Wagon on my '93 W250 Cummins Chassis.

thrashingcows

As Oliver has stated the earlier sheet metal does seem to be of a slightly thicker gauge and better quality. And as stated the sheet metal from the 70's trucks will swap with your 92 cab, just body lines will not be right. but if you decided to go with a 70's cab your HVAC and dash will not swap over without a fair amount of work.

Torque_Junkie

If you don't mind me asking how difficult would the modifications to the dash and HVAC box be? Would making a modified dash out of the 70's cab be easier? And to everyone that has helped thanks, the knowledge you guys have is vast and inspiring.

thrashingcows

I have never done this myself, but from pics and vehicles I have looked at the firewall is different on the HVAC side on the 70's cab, so you would have to cut and paste parts and pieces from the later cab to make things work. Not sure about mounting points for dash, pedal assemblies, location of e-brake pedal assembly etc.

IMO it would be better to keep your bare 92 cab and just swap doors, and then the rest of the 70's sheet metal.

Torque_Junkie

Anybody know how bad the body lines are if you do this?^^ any pictures? That's totally the route I'll go if it looks good.

PapeCAT

Body Lines wont be bad as long as you swap front clip AND doors. The body line fades to nothing when you get towards the aft of the doors. So Cabs shouldn't need to be swapped. The roof is more squared towards the back but it doesn't conflict with the earlier doors. I've done a couple cummins retrofits from a 93 to 72/73 as well and gutted/transferred the core support pieces and mounts as well. The early 72-79 sheetmetal is a thicker gauge vs. 80-93. When Chrysler was in bankruptcy trouble in the late 70's lee iacocca came in and retooled the body slightly to save on cost but couldn't afford to make a new truck from teh ground up so that is why 72-93 are so similar. I might be wrong as it has been some years but this is what I recall

mopar2ya

I had a 74 Ramcharger and the hoods would swap, that much I know and the older sheet metal was much thicker. My 93 sheet metal will dent by putting your elbows on it while leaning under the hood, I once had to jump off my roof onto my 74 Ramcharger hood when the ladder fell over. No dents at all.

PapeCAT

For the hood, you'll need the cowl and also wiper pedestals. You'll need to lower the radiator and clearance the inside of the hood slightly for the two "tabs" that connect the fan shroud to the radiator. I believe the radiator ends up sitting on the grommets directly on the crossmember. There was still clearance for the fan and fan shroud under load etc. just ensure your engine mounts are good I suppose to prevent a ton of movement because if you lower the radiator to fit a bird bath hood, you will be lowering the fan shroud as well.

dodgenstein

't know if your Cummins is manual or auto, but if manual, some reworking of the bulkhead connector/ clutch master cylinder area will be required. 70's era trucks had a mechanical clutch linkage, and Cummins era trucks are hydraulic. Hyd setup requires a large hole that interferes with the bulkhead connector on early trucks. Some creative metal work is required if using the early cab.

u2slow

All my Mexico-built doors (90-93) seem real cheap feeling/sounding. They're also the ones with cracks and hinges breaking out. My 84-90 USA built doors seem more solid. My 75-77 doors are too far gone to compare.

A little cut & paste on a firewall, or anywhere else not immediately visible isn't a big deal. Had to do a little for the hyd clutch in the '84 RC. Fine body work on outer panels... not my cup of tea

Also watch the VIN business if changing doors. In my jurisdiction, they want to see original fasteners in the tags, and frame VINs don't count.