Mopar1973

My cab mounts and more than likely floors are on their way out, and the cowl is cracked on both sides. How difficult is it to replace the cab?

Crossy's son

Easy since you have a lift and a couple friends to help

It all depends if you find the exact cab you have now, or if you have to swap your dash and wiring and all that over. It'd be a super easy swap if you got a 92-93 Diesel 4x4 Auto Club cab, it would literally be "Plug n' play".

But chances are, you're gonna have to put up with having an older cab, or a 2wd cab, or a non-diesel cab. So you may have to switch your dash, wiring, etc.

Mopar1973

shops nice and busy so not sure dad would dig the lift part lol. hmmm i have been working for free idk haha. i havent looked yet but i remembered your dad pointing them out on your primered truck and just thought to look at mine. go figure, they're done

NJTman

Does NJ have an "altered vehicle" title ?


Meaning if you use a body from one truck on another frame, do you have to register it in the new Vin #

If you look closely, the vin tag is held in with "special" rivets that aren't available commercially, AFAIK.

Bob VA mentioned this to me, and I thought he was kidding. Break out a magnifying glass and look at the rivets. They're not round, but hex shaped. This is how cops know that the trucks have been altered / stolen, by looking at those rivets.


Learn something new every day ...

Thanks Bob

Mopar1973

then i will let the cab rot off the frame and do a conversion.

Mopar1973

and i have no idea, but the NJDMV is not to be trifled with. comparable to the waiting room of hell

Onemoparnut

Those special rivets can be bought no problem. And unless you get a cab that is a direct swap you have to swap over the dash anyway so you would still have the correct vin.

Philip

Under the wiper cowl is another stack of VIN numbers also. So that swaped dash board will not match.

It would be best to find your state laws on assembled vehicle titles. Then go threw the correct paper work.

Remember all you need is one person that doesn't like you to make a phone call after your truck cab is swaped. Then your truck is towed in to a compound and you pay storage till the paper work is correct. Going rate in my area is around $25 a day. In my state your looking at least 30 days to get the paper work back.

Trebor

Here's the NJ laws should you decide to go that route:
http://www.semasan.com/semaga/TagTitleToolbox_NJ.pdf

Here's the laws by state listing:
http://www.semasan.com/page.asp?cont...olbox&g=SEMAGA

I been driving in PA since 1966. I have been through nearly a hundred of yearly required state vehicle inspections with multiple vehicles. I have been through dozens of routine traffic check points. Over the years I have been involved in about half a dozen motor vehicle accidents. To date, I have never had any state vehicle inspector, any traffic enforcement officer, or any local or state police officer, insurance agent, or federal law enforcement officer check for a secondary vehicle identification or a number or anywhere else on the frame or body. I have never been arrested or charged in any motor vehicle crimes. This could be part of the reason for not checking. In PA, if you change from a pick up bed to a flat bed and the original truck was not sold from the dealer without a bed, a reconstructed title is required. Locally there are hundreds of flat bed trucks that have been converted without doing the recon title. Also, if any major vehicle component is changed a recon title is required. There are many trucks running around here with mismatched front end assemblies that did not do the recon title deal. Same deal applies to engine swaps and the results here are the same. One local fellow years ago wore out two or three mid-70's Dodge trucks by only swapping the drivers door and license plates without even transferring a title. I have a neighbor who does industrial sandblasting. They bring him truck cabs and other parts to blast. Usually the tags are removed to prevent damage. The tags were removed either by the owners or the shop for restoration. I asked him how they put them back on. He said he has seen them completed with the tags reattached using plain old pop rivets. In the real world [not the internet Dodge forums, ebay, etc] most consider our trucks as old obsolete clunkers. Remember they did qualify to the federal government under "cash for clunkers" Now if you or your friends have a record for vehicle thieft or former friends are looking for a way to get even with you then you may want to follow the letter of the law. That part is up to you as your results in your state may vary. The bottom line is that very very few officials out there are really concerned about what they consider as an old clunker truck unless the driver has or his buddies have criminal records. BTW, our complete 1st gen series of trucks will disappear from Kelly Blue books in about a year.

Mopar1973

well my truck is currently the only reliable cummins/truck going right now so i won't be doing anything major anytime soon. My dads 3rd gen blew the transfer case apart so like i said, it wont be anytime soon. The last thing i want to do is upset the NJDMV.

PJ 3

Have you ever thought about rebuilding it ?

Mopar1973

no because i do not have the fabrication skills nor a welder or anything to that effect. i wish i could learn but do not have the time with work and college. i am mechanically inclined, more transmissions than anything.

Crossy's son

Lets just say the cab is in very bad shape, on the outside and underneath, Hahah

Mopar1973

well the physical body of the cab i could care less about. the drip rail moulding doesn't leak and it doesn't leak in the cab when it rains, but cab mounts and cowl on both sides are rotted/cracked respectively.

Crossy's son

Same here. The cowl cracks leak water in too, It's annoying