The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Using a 1948 Cab On A 1950 3600 Truck

I'm looking into buying a 1948 big truck with a very nice cab to use on the '50 pickup I'm working on.

I know the '48 had a 3-point mounting system while the '50 had a 4-point mount. Has anyone done this? Can I use the mounts from my '50 cab on the '48 or is there a lot more to it? Is it a bolt-in change or does it require some welding?

Thanks,
Shawn

The 4 point rear mounts are available from vendors. They're welded in so it would be easier to use new mounts than rip the ones out of your '50 cab. I suppose you could bolt them in, but they probably wouldn't be as secure as welding them in. But it's your choice.

Thanks for the info Kevin.

Now I know how they're mounted. My truck is in the back corner of the shed so I haven't been able to get under it.


Shawn

Here's a pic. They weld to the floor and to the rocker/inner rear cab corner. This one of mine had some rust-out issues, so I welded in a reinforcement (not my best welding job )

We mount cabs rigidly with S10 brackets and cushions. Makes for a very stable set up and keeps panels aligned. Would NOT mount this way if truck is going to be used on uneven ground or where frame is repeatedly twisted. 99% of our rides now are driven on paved, even roads so not a problem.

S10 brackets can be shortened and welded/bolted to an AD frame:
[img]https://i.postimg.cc/VJRZVVYt/S10-028.jpg[/img]

Thanks for the photo Kevin. It really helps to understand what will need to be done.

Thanks for the tip Evan. This one's going to be bone stock and it will likely get driven off the pavement some so it'll get the factory style mounts.

My Grandpa bought the truck in 1953 and it was well used for his plumbing and garage businesses. The cab is really rusty in the cowl. He even pop riveted reinforcements between the fenders and the cab to keep it together as shown in the attached photo. I'm still torn if I should switch the entire cab or use the new one to repair his cab. It would be a lot of extra work to fix it but at least most of it would be the cab he sat in. If I replace too many parts, it seems like it wouldn't really be his truck anymore and reminds me of this story:

Bill was admiring the axe John was using. John proudly told Bill "This was my Grandpa's axe." Bill was surprised and said "Really?? It looks like it was hardly used!" John explained as his Grandpa got older, and it was getting difficult for him to swing it anymore, he gave it to John's father. The same thing happened when he became elderly and passed it to John. John said "By the time I got it, it had been filed down so much it didn't work well anymore so I replaced the head. My aim has never been very good and the first time I tried it with the new head, I overshot the wood and broke the handle. So I replaced it with a new one." Bill said "Well hat explains a lot." John finished by saying "Yep, I sure am proud to have my "Grandpa's" axe!"

I know the feeling. Good story about John's Grandpa's axe.

Shawn,
I had thought about replacing the cab on my 59', as you have said it just wouldn't be the same truck. That being said I'm sure you NEED to make some repairs, just be sparing and save as much as you can.

Just in case this is relevant:

A 6400 will have a handbrake lever for parking brakes near the floor shifter. The 50 pickup will be foot operated. The donor cab will require a new hole in the floorboard and pedal shaft seal (felt holder) which I think is spot welded. The 50 parking brake bracket, brake knob and rod, underfloor brace/bracket and associated linkage will be removed and installed on donor cab. Personally I like the parking brake lever better but that would require some fabrication.

Good info.
The foot operated parking brake system could be swapped over to the big bolt cab. It would require a square hole for the pedal itself and the locking shaft also requires a round hole on the toeboard. There's a reinforcing piece for the foot parking brake that bolts to the toeboard that has the pocket for the felt seal for the locking bar, as well as captive nuts to bolt the left side inner fender to. Not sure if the big bolt cabs have a similar reinforcement piece that the inner fender would bolt to.
If the original cab can be saved and repaired (doesn't look that bad IMO, as I have repaired a worse one) that would be the best approach. Definitely check into the serial number tag situation for your state. Using the original cab would take care of that issue.

Any discussion involving removal, replacement or otherwise altering the vehicle identification number is against Stovebolt rules. Even though the information presented is correct please leave such discussion out of your posts.

Thanks for the additional information guys. I never intended to break any rules so I apologize for that. Was just trying to get some information to make an informed decision and now I have it.

I agree Kevin, it doesn't look too bad on the outside. But the inside is a mess. After I removed the patches Grandpa screwed in the kick panel area and where the floor/firewall attach to the kick panel, there's hardly anything left. I know a guy who is a wizard with fabrication and he should have no problem using the parts from the good cab to repair the original one.

My advice is to keep the big truck cab intact if it is in good shape. Don't use it for donor parts.
Try to get a title for it. Once you start cutting on it the value drops a lot.
You can purchase reproduction patch panels for your Grandpa's truck and weld them in.
Either way the bodywork is labor intensive work and labor is costly.

Shawn you didn't break any rules but there are several companies selling (on ebay etc.) $50K trucks that are obviously "breaking the rules".
The buyer/owner has to learn what to look for.

The problem with using parts from an already constructed cab is that they aren't all that easy to get out undamaged. A lot of the spot welds are tough to get at with a spot weld cutter (hollow drill), and some spot welds go thru three thicknesses of metal. Even when I didn't care about one or two of the original parts I was removing, it was still a challenge to leave the one I was keeping intact. Even though most of the repop parts need to be massaged to fit, especially in the cowl area, it will probably be best to use new metal in some instances.
Hope your wizard is up to the task.
Here's a shot of my cab when I got it.

Thanks again guys for your perspectives on the issue.

I was just trying to avoid the Chinese repop parts as I've heard about the fitment issues. I'll work with the fabricator to see how he wants to go. He is a true craftsman and, as he describes himself, he's an "underneath" guy as much as he's concerned with the appearance on the top. He's done some outstanding work on my Dad's '29 Model A and my '58 Plymouth. It was expensive, but well worth it in the end. I'm just trying to get the best quality job possible while managing the labor and expenses.

Kevin, your photo looks very similar to view I had only from inside the cab.