The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks ready to attempt to remove cab from frame

guys
been cruzing the search for anyone having done this..not finding much on my 65 era. my concern from looking at this is the steering colum and the ebrake..any help /words of wisdom would be appreciated

When you do pull the cab off, will the rest of the front clip already be off? Also, do you have a floor or column shifter?

When I removed my 62 cab I removed the front sheet metal to make it easier for me to get to things and I also removed the bed as I am doing a frame up rework. Make sure all wires,cables are free you will need to remove the AC & heater hoses too. If you have them. If you have a 4sp. remove the shift lever and disconect the rag joint on the steering shaft next remove the brake line to the master cylinder and the chutch slave cylinder line too. Don't to forget to remove the fuel line and drain the tank. Oh and one more thing if you need some advice do not be afraid to ask as NO QUESTION IS A STUPID QUESTION. There are a lot of knowledgeable guys here and some are retired mechanics and body guys and some good old gearheads here too who have been around for a long time. Good Luck on your project.

62Blue
Don

thank you all
I have already removed the bed the front fenders are off
nad yes I intend to strip the front sheet metal and then go for the cab.

My Chihuahua and I were under the truck last night with a drop light and noticed the inner fender on the drivers side has a pocket where the steering colum passes thru the inner fender on its way to the steering box... He nor I either one had any idea how to solve that little puzzle.... so we called it a night... any suggestions

To remove the drivers side inner fender I believe you will have to pull the steering column. I removed mine by taking the steering wheel off, unhooking all the linkages, wires, etc, and then unbolting the column from the steering box at the rag joint as Don said. I also unbolted the mounts on the inside of the cab and the one on the firewall to allow some wiggle-room. Then with a little convincing it came out into the cab.
I don't know what condition your cab is in but I would advise soaking the cab mounting bolts thoroughly ahead of time. They aren't something you want to use a torch on being the mounts are largely rubber, and I ended up twisting a couple of mine off because I didn't pre-soak them and didn't have the patience to wait...
After that Don has covered everything you need to unhook to get the cab off.
I would recommend getting a few friends to come over to lift it off rather than attempting to remove it yourself via a cable jack suspended from the ceiling or similar methods. They can end very poorly, as a couple people have discovered the hard way.

thank you I reall do not feel alone in this now...
I know it will sound funny to you but I have been afraid of this part of the process for a long time. I do nto know why but I have.. again thank you all will let you know as I progress along.
Getting late in the season here in Mississippi.. had lots of rain now it is cold sooner than we thought...days are hit and miss

No problem, that's what the 'bolt is for
Removing the cab is a big job, I can understand it being daunting.. but with the advice of everyone on here and plenty of caution I'm sure it will go fine for you. My project has been very slow too. Between school, helping my dad work on his old farm equipment, and all the projects my brother needs help on (right now he wants me to fabricate mounts to drop a 351 into his crown vic), my truck doesn't get nearly the time it should. But keep us updated and everyone on here enjoys seeing pictures. If you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask.

i just took my cab off my 63 and the only thing that i forgot, but caught is a couple metal straps from the tailshaft of the tranny to the bottom of the cab, not sure if it was original or not, but otherwise that was it. I used a cherry picker and 4 2x4's screwed together like a box, 2 side by side and the other two screwed on the edges, worked very well.

old chev...if you look closely at where the steering shaft goes thru the inner fender, you will see that you can unbolt the small piece that goes around the shaft...hope that helps,mark

I have taken a bunch of photos of my truck as I go along to remind me of how it should look going back together. This old buzzard has memory laps now and then. One thing is to make sure if you jack stand it that is is on a solid footing or on a good dolly.
62Blue
Don

Well here is my story and it worked out really well. Yes, I took off the front clip totally and removed the steering shaft and all that connected the cab to the front and rear of the truck.
I took the doors off and removed the windshield. I unbolted the frame bolts and put a 2x6 across from one door opening to the other after adjusting the truck below my little chain hoist. I drilled holes into the 2x6 just outside the door area and put a chain through them and picked it up. I already had a piece of old plywood cut to about 4 foot square with some cheap casters from Lowe's under it.
I wheeled out the truck and pushed the plywood under the cab while it was swinging. That way I could roll it around in my pole barn. This worked out very well.
Gary

Same boat...I've got everything taken off and cab is just sitting there waiting to be lifted off.

I'm curious to know if anyone can post what the approx weight of bare cab is...just wondering if a couple guys could lift it off or would it be a bit much?

Pic is before doors and windshield removed

I don't know the weight of the bare cab, but me and my dad lift them up and move them around easily. Just the two of us. I will say it is a whole lot easier if you have 4 guys, though.

I read in an ealier post that the bare cab weight is ~450-600lbs (one person said 450-500, another said 620). A couple guys can lift them off but you are better off getting 3-4 so you don't strain yourself too much or risk dropping it.

Also, if you do it by hand make sure you are wearing some good heavy gloves. Your hands will thank you for it.