This is just my opinion, but the very best cab of all the AD years is 1949 and 1950 for the side opening vent. It's just cool and something not everyone has. The only differences are in the door latch system. This is not a HUGE problem, just one that needs to be addressed. My 1950 has 1953 doors so I know whats involved. Since I like the original wrap around style, I simply reshaped the original ones to fit the newer doors. So really, if it were me, I would look for a SOLID AD Cab 1949-1953. If you have a choice of a rust bucket 1953 or a more solid 1950, it's an easy decision.
Meanwhile, there were many factories that made cabs in the day. This meant parts that were stamped from different molds. I have personally run into a huge problem with doors that do not fit properly. I can't prove it, but I think it had more to do with the different factories (different stamps) than it did different years. My problem occurred when I used a 1950 cab with 1953 doors. The doors are 1/4" too big for the opening! Through some creative cutting, welding and massaging I got them to fit perfectly, but the doors came off of a St Louis, MO truck and my cab is a KC truck. Long story short, whatever you do, measure the door openings and your doors carefully before purchase. They did not make the doors bigger in 1953. Others have had no problems doing that.
How bad is your cab? I had to replace every panel that's available and several that are not to get mine in shape. Maybe it's salvageable?
