Cheapskate: My “48” three window needed partial floor pan replacement, toe panels, cab corners, etc: not real extensive like I’ve seen with some of the projects here on the site. At best I’m an average amateur bodyman so I made those repairs. And then I got the “hots” for a five window. This was 20+ years ago. But cutting out and welding in corner windows-inside the cab and outside–kept me up nights and was way out of my wheelhouse. And then I had a light bulb moment!!! I was at my favorite country junk yard one day and there were a half dozen five windows with the bottom halfs literally rusted away into the ground and way beyond any reasonable panel replacement….but the top half’s were ABOVE ground and solid! Hmmmm? How about a ROOF TRANSPLANT!? So, there’s that body seam/pinch weld at the back of the cab which can be split…but you have yo get to the spot welds. Back then there were no battery powered reciprocating saws so I literally used a hack saw to cut off the roof at the base of both A pillars and below the body seam at the door latch area. From there I used a wide cold chisel and a bfh to chisel cut the sheet metal all the way across the back of the cab about an inch below that body seam. It wasn’t pretty but the salvage yard guy was happy to take my $100 and I strapped that 5-window roof upside down on top of my station wagon. Back home on my 3 window I did all the operating above that body seam and, at the A pillars, found where the factory lead seam was and cut above that area. With the body seam spot welds all now readily exposed it was easy to identify and drill out the factory welds. Placed the donor roof on the lower half of the cab and welded ‘er up. (Make some exacting measurements along the way; bracing as needed). I guess the trick today would be to find a salvage yard that has a donor 5-window cab from which you could decapitate the roof….make some calls….
I LOVE my 5-Window! Good luck, Dave
