The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Question on stretching a cab?

I like to know if anybody has attempted this? I have a 38 chevy 1ton and like to make it into a club cab.Any thoughts? thanxs for looking.stefanP

Stefan-

Welcome to the Stovebolt. This is a great place to get info and technical tips from experienced folks. There is an amazing wealth of expertise among our members. Speaking of which, look at Mongo\'s Cruiser for some ideas on what an extended '51 looks like.

Do you have an extra cab for parts or are you just looking to stretch what you have?

Welcome!

51phatboy thank you for the welcome.No I don't have an extra cab yet.But also I had a thought at work of trying to find a sedan deleivery and cutting off enough of the back and welding a cab back side to it.I'm looking for idea's now.

Stefan-

Glad you've come by the Stovebolt. For a club cab application (where the passenger gets their own set of doors) it seems like an extra cab or some compatible cab makes sense for the lines of the completed truck. An extended cab (like Mongo's) is a bit easier to pull off with sheet metal. I've never done this, so don't think I am the voice of experience!

I have also seen a post with a AD cab-over-engine (COE) truck extended to become a sleeper cab. i will try to dig that up to give you an idea.

I'm planning to build a dually with an extended cab. I've not got all the details sorted out yet, but my current thought is to start with a suburban body and graft the back of a conventional cab on behind the first set of pasenger windows on the suburban.

I have a parts '52 GMC Suburban that may become the donor for this project, and I have the back half of a '47 5-window cab, and a complete '55.1 cab from which to scavenge the back of the cab.

So far this project is still in the thinking and parts collecting stage, and I'm very interested in seeing what others might be thinking as ways to approach similar problems.

Don't know much about the pre-47 trucks but..
Here's some pics of a 4 Door (with back suicides) that I've seen around a lot, talked to the guy he's pretty nice I believe it's on an 80's big truck frame, Might even have been a rollback frame if memory serves.
[img]http://www.mongosgarage.com/pfp/Dcp_1174s.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.mongosgarage.com/pfp/Dcp_1177s.jpg[/img]
I have more pics of it I could email you if you'd like, let me know if you want em, I climbed under it one day and took some when we were thinking about building my truck.
I can't find the pics of my cab's buildup I got from the guy that did it (might have lost them when my old 30 Gig died) To build my "Extended Cab" Took 2 Cabs, and 6 doors (3 Pairs).

Oldsub
I looked at the concept of building one with a suburban but the roofs are different (Taller) on them so it would require "Chopping" the roof down to meet the truck cab back we decided it would be easier to just start with a couple cabs and merge them.

Good luck - Welcome to The Bolt.
MONGO

Mongo-

Nice red club cab! Thanks for sharing! The suicide rear door is much like current extended trucks. I likey!

None of this club cab doors have vent windows. Sub and Stefan, that might be something to consider.

PS Mongo, how is your extended family project going? Hope Ms. Mongo is doing OK.

I'd like those pics if you don't mind. The truck I'm planning to do the extended cab on will be a dually, and this looks like he dealt with some similar issues.

Thanks!

Stefan and Steve-

Not to resurrect this thread, but I have been watching the Hot Rodders Journal for Willy's '36 updates. Alan Horvath turned me on to this site. There are now 14 entries as one rodder does this conversion. It will be an extended cab by adding a full door's width, rather than the club cab option Mongo shared. Check out the link for a lot of helpful info. You may want to print out these pages for future use.

Hey PhatBoy that site is cool! I just went through the entire process. I have the back two feet of a 5-window cab and at least 7 more doors than I have openings to put them in, so I might try his approach.

Still thinking about cutting up my parts suburban, but this looks like a good alternative.

Joe and Steve-

Yeah, it is great when someone shares this kind of info in a step by step manner, so idiots like me can follow. Kudo's to Willys'36! Hope it helps anyone considering this conversion!

That's great I love pictures, that's pretty much how my cab was constructed, it has about a half a door on each side in the extension.

Turns out the guy from the pics I posted above was at a car show my club helped put on last saturday in Blue Springs, MO and he had his buildup album with him, so I took some pictures of his pictures enjoy! Posted them on my website..

http://www.mongosgarage.com/others/ExtSuicideAD

Oldsub, these are much better than the one's I took before so I won't bother sending them ovet.

MONGO
P.S. For those interested the baby's 4 days overdue so far so no new news yet, I'll let you all know when he arrives, I have a feeling he'd be like his father, Runnin' late and in a hurry to get there.

This is a subject of great interest to me, as well, so I saved the journal pages to my hard drive. Gonna save Mongo's photos, also. But...

Is there a quick or automated or otherwise easy way to save the full photos with the web pages, and have them referenced properly by the thumbnails as they are online?

Joe

Mongo, great pics! Thanks!

Mongo-

Many thanks from me as well. These photos are a good resource.

Keep us posted on Baby Mo. Best wishes to the lady doing all the hard work!

thanxs for the link,VERY KOOOOOOOOL stefanP

Just do like they do on TV hook a chain around an Old Oak tree start pulling on it and it streches the truck. Of course you got to burn and smoke the tires. popcorn The Truth is Out There (Really its got to be the truth I seen it on TV)

Yeah but the rear wheels turn too. Do they just not get good enough traction to keep truck from stretching. I was interested in those trucks until I saw how obviously "wimpy" those frames and sheet metal must be!