A friend of mine keeps running this by me as he thinks it can be done.

I've heard it so many times now I am curious enough to ask so I can put this to rest.

Could you put a Gen 2 extended cab onto a Gen 1 extended cab frame and drive train and have it work????

I'm mostly interested in the problems you would have so I can shut him up.

 

As far as I can see it would be a major engineering feat...

The Core supports are totally dissimilar, I doubt the cab would be even close to lining up steering shaft, gear selector etc.

You would need to move the brackets around on the chassis. Although I do believe they are the right width.

The beds are totally different as the first gen frames are shaped differently than 2nd gens.

 

Why would you wanna do that or your friend to a first gen....its like a bad science project gone wrong....

 

ya, that is just a bad idea. the gen-2 frame is FAR-FAR superior to the gen-1 frame. dont get me wrong, i absolutely love my old dodge trucks, but the frames, pre-94, are really quite weak. i have bent several myself without wrecking the truck.

 

im actually in the middle of doing that exact project. you have to add 7 or 8 inches in the middle of the frame, cut the 2nd gen body mounts and rad saddle off and mount them to the first gen frame, cut about 3" off the rear to fit the bumper, cut big hole in the floor to accomodate the shifter and t-case shifter< i havent got to the steerin yet< but you have to make up new inner fenders up front due to the suspension> its been like a 3 year project so far, but eventially it will be finished lol. in the time being i bought a southern 1st gen lol. have fun!

 

Way to prove me wrong

I was enjoying the having the upper hand for a while but now you've brought my house of cards crashing down.

I suppose this day and age one shouldn't second guess the creativity and fabricating skills of anyone else.

 

i bought a hoist especially for this project, had to get cab level, attach mounts to body, then weld them on frame, but cab had to be up quite a bit for the box to clear the rear frame rails, the 1st gen rails on the rear have a big hump in it where 2nd gens are pretty much straight.

 

A really good piece of advice.

Document the entire process, including video, still photos, diagrams, detailed measurements, ETC.

You can make some money on your effort, by simply selling the videos, and offering the plans for sale. Might make you at least a few dollars back on your time and investment.

T.

 

Yes and No...

A second gen frame is boxed in...Great for strength...Great in the southern dry climates. Not good in the salt belt. Impossible to get salt and moisture out of boxed area. Salt gets in all the holes. Frame rusts from the inside out.

At least an old "C" channel can be cleaned up and painted all the way around.

 

Another option is to rust proof the inside of the boxed frame. I did it with my Yota.

Pop the access holes, inject the metal rust converter / preservative, put the plugs back in.

Toyota frames are notorious for rotting from the inside out, as well. The rust treatment can minimize any rust if done properly.

 

before i ever swapped body gens to other frame gens, i would just build a frame. and i strongly believe anybody with the skill to actually successfully pull the swap off, should just start from scratch. it really wouldnt be that much more work!

 

Funny, I moved into a 2nd gen, I miss the 1st gen body and the 1st gen steering / suspension. I just wish I had a crew or a club cab 1st gen.

 

Funny that I actually "needed" an answer to my question and made a topic about the same thing 1.5hours earlier and no one even replied to it!

Here's my topic:
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...s-t286797.html

I test drive the truck and liked it, the body is rough but the chassis and running gears are good!

I'm still tempted to do a body swap!

 

Pay for my plane ticket and just feed me until we are done.

I ate in a Finnish mess hall years ago on one of my overseas tours and they couldn't get rid of me. The head cook couldn't speak a word of English but I made it very clear of how good a job he was doing and how good the food was.

The Fin army could not believe how much grub I could toss back!!!!!

I don't think you got any replies because of the rules and regulations in your country. I too was hesitant to respond so feel free to double up on my thread.

 

Heh. Nice to hear ! We're a small nation, but we do have some rare vehicles in here.
Like many says in here, if there's a some ultra rare special model, like 2 of them ever made, certainly the another has been imported to Finland

But I'm very interested of the 2nd gen body swap. The bed is not a problem, but I'd like to know how much I have to do fabrication between reg cab 1st gen and reg cab 2nd gen. What are the main concerns. Thanks