lassy

question 1st gen gurus:

could i put a 91 W150 ext cab regular bed on my 91 W350 standard cab long bed frame?

just found a beautiful truck in my area for CHEAP and I have no clue if this swap would work....but it looks like it possibly could! please help you guys!! thanks

j_martin

If you really want some response to your question, start a new thread with a title that summarizes the question. For instance "extended short bed cab on a standard cab frame" instead of "what do you think about this"

hope it helps

90ctd

I'm sure it's doable but it won't be easy. Your truck has a 131" wheelbase and the ext cab shorty will have a 133" wheel base and I believe the frame drops down for the ex cab so you would have to channel the floor of the cab to accommodate the frame rise or run a big body lift. Another option would be to cut off the back of your frame and graft in the extended cab frame. Either way it will be a big undertaking.

wheelieking71

unfortunately lassy, that body swap will not work. is the extended cab 4x4? if it is, your entire drivetrain would bolt right in. even if its 2x4, you could still swap your drivetrain. but the swap would be much more involved! if you arent mechanically inclined, and are not stocked with some serious fabrication tools, and know how to use them. i would shy away from the 2x4 to 4x4 conversion. you see, the actual framerails between 2x4 and 4x4 trucks are the same. the differences are: the engine crossmember, the front frame crossmember, the front spring hangers, the radiator support brackets, and the addition of the shackle hanger. all these parts are riveted to the frame. and if you have never had to play with these rivets, be warned, they will whoop you into submission right quick. i have personally done this several times, and its a piece of cake for me. but it has taken alot of blood-sweat-cussing to get to that point. plus, as mentioned, your truck may have the much stronger 8" frame being a W350. (measure the frame height right under the front of the bed to know what you have) bye the way, it is true that not all intercooled trucks had the 8" frame. i have 2. my 91.5' has the 6" noodle frame. my 93' has the 8" frame. i think somebody mentioned that the 8" frame started in 92' and i believe that to be true.

i think your truck looks great AS-IS!!! give it a decent paint-job, and enjoy!

lassy

thanks guys!! i didn't want to clutter up the main page with another thread. looks like I've got all the info i need right here. oh well...the thought was exciting at 2am this morning. haha

i'll continue to work on my body. i need to take some more pictures and show you guys the spots on the body that make me frown. some shotty dent repairs in years past is the likely culprit.

i'll measure the frame and figure out what I'm working with.

thanks fellas!!

lassy

just poking the fire here while the coals are cherry...

Would a standard cab, long bed be easier for a swap? I'm assuming it's the same body, interior and cab right?

here's what I'm looking at now:
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/2823323424.html

This was the other truck that will not work for me. Might be perfect for someone else though:
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/cto/2828896109.html

PapeCAT

Those trucks look pretty clean. I wouldn't worry about getting into some project $$$$... It is a waste of money but if you want the experience and looooove projects! Go for it!

Waste of money I say because you can save a lot of money over time just tinkering with yours to make it solid/reliable and then if you wanted a nice one, just sell yours and buy a nicer one.

I've had a 1989 reg cab D250 Diesel auto, 1972 W200 Crew Cab, 1989 W250 Standard cab 5 speed, 1990 D250 reg cab auto, 1993 W250 Club cab 5 speed, a 1972 D200 Crew Cab, and a 1992 W350 club cab 5 speed.

Most of the trucks above were donors for the 1972 W200 that I did a cummins swap on.

With all the parts runs and junk yard runs it adds up REAL quick. But fun if that is what you want to do!

To answer your question - no chassis configuration has the same frame. A Crew Cab Short bed and Club Cab Long bed are close in overall length - but the part of the frame that dips for the cab is longer on the crew etc. People have been able to put a crew body on a newer Club/long diesel frame but it requires a body lift or tubbing/clearancing the floorpan of the cab to fit the frame.

wheelieking71

the red truck in the first link, the body WILL swap right on your chassis. BUT! the floor will be different. more specifically the tranny tunnel will be different. it will not clear the 4x4 shifter, and i dont think it will clear the T-case either (dont quote me on that though).

now, the blue truck, ME WANT! i want that thing so bad i can taste it. that is exactly what i want, club/short, and its already my favorite color! ****!

lassy

wheelieking71: I'll go buy inspect it for you, buy it and deliver all for a reasonable finders fee

enafzige

Hey there Lassy!!! Where you from? That truck you bought looks oddly like the one in Knoxville TN that was on Craigslist!!!

Not sure why you'd want to swap bodies...it looked pretty decent from the pics I saw?

--Eric

DJ Turbo.

Nice ride to begin building with man!

lassy

enafzige: it's got to be the same truck! i'm from just South of Atlanta, the truck came from Athens TN.

lassy

If you missed it, here is an update of what's been going on.

New seats with a center console set up,new grill and parking lights. Side marker lights and new weatherstripping to come.
seat install:
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...d.php?t=302856


I topped off all of my fluids this weekend since acquiring the truck and noticed I will need to replace some axle seals very soon.

I also want to do this thru-body exhaust mod in the future.

NJTman

I bought the kit from Rockauto, and I'm very happy with them. You do need to make sure the holes in the door are not distorted, as mine were, which made installing new seals quite difficult. After the first door, I figured this out, and the second door went nice. Worth every penny, as I don't cut up my forearm any longer resting it on the door seal.

lassy

I'll 2nd Rock Auto, can't beat the prices and delivery. The grill is obviously thin and cheap, but hey, it was like $60. Definitely beats spending $400 + for a Dodge grill and or searching junk yards for used grills.