Wrecked my truck, want to rebuild

[Whiteknuckle]

I had something rolling around in my cab and I leaned over real quick to secure it. Tires went in the gravel on the right side of the road, while I was going around a corner, (about 40 mph) I turned to get back on the road and I lost control, my truck slid across the oncoming lane, slammed into the ditch and rolled onto it's top and slid for a ways upside down. It tore my canopy off and smashed the top of the cab in. I had to crawl out the back window. I was wearing my seatbelt which worked really good at saving my life. A fat bloody lip was the only injury, (except for my pride). My truck is an 81 sr5 with a three inch sus. lift and 33 inch tires. One tire came off the rim (right front). The only real damage is to the body... the entire body, mainly the cab. It was on it's top for about two hours, I still got it to start without even having to open the hood. After the tow truck droped it off at my house I drove it to where it sits now (after changing the tire). Everything still works great.

I love my truck too much to let it go, I want to rebuild it. But I'm going to have to get a whole new cab. How hard is that? Has anyone ever replaced their entire cab. How hard is it to find one, and swap one. And how much will it cost?

If I knew how to post pictures, I would. I have some of the truck upside down.

[Shibby24]

Did the insurance company total it? Or...?? If they did consider it totaled it might be ezer to find one with a good body but bad engine and swap engines instead of bothering with getting a salvaged or reconstucted title or whatever it is.

Or you could take a high lift jack and sledge hammer and "fix" the cab, buy a tow rig, and go from there??

As for a cab swap, never done one, but from what I have heard it isn't too hard to do, just take a little time and patience.

[DrumBum]

or, depending on how smashed it is, and if you can or know someone who can weld, you might be able to just chop the top of at the bottom of the a-pillars and put a new top on it.
i was looking for the 'picture posting tutorial', but can't find it, so if you want to email me the pictures, i can post them for you.... drumbum@praisemail. com

[fourwd1]

While I was replacing the totally rusted-out frame on my 4WD 83 (1st gen) p/u, I came across an 84 (2nd gen) 2WD p/u for $50 (well $45 after I found about $5 in change under the seats, sort of an instant rebate ;D ).

Anyway I replaced the rusted-out 83 cab with the 84 2WD cab and bed (so basically I ended up with a whole new truck).

You have to disconnect everything between cab and frame on both trucks - electrical, fuel lines, brake lines, steering column, etc, then swap and reconnect.

The more identical the two are the easier it would be.

Depending on your ability and experience, it might be easier to get another good truck and swap your susp, etc. over to it and sell th eremains.

[Whiteknuckle]

The insurance doesn't even know it was recked,I just had liability on it so I took the insurance off. I have the title. I don't want to fix it with a sledge hammer, I want a nice looking truck. The interior of my truck is still in perfect condition, it's an sr5 and it has new carpet. The dash is in mint condition, kind of rare for a 24 year old truck.

re-welding a top back on it is an idea, but I don't weld (but would like to learn) and I don't know anyone who would do it for me. I'll try to e-mail the pictures to you DrumBum, they were taken with a film camera, so I'll have to take pictures of the pictures with the digital.

I forgot about all the things attached to the cab underneath the truck, I was more woried about the stuff through the firewall. I'm wanting to swap out the interior of the truck into a new cab, the dash and everything. So Fourwd1, you put a 2wd cab on a 4wd frame? I was looking at my 81 Toyota factory repair manual and the mounts for the 2wd and 4wd looked like they were very different. I'll have to look at it again.

[estwing30]

want to sell the truck?

[rocktoy]

Cab swaps arent super hard. Hell I swapped from a standard cab to a xtra cab. Just takes time and patience.

[bailey1972]

Apr 12, 2005 19:42:28 GMT -5 Whiteknuckle said:

I had something rolling around in my cab and I leaned over real quick to secure it. Tires went in the gravel on the right side of the road, while I was going around a corner, (about 40 mph) I turned to get back on the road and I lost control, my truck slid across the oncoming lane, slammed into the ditch and rolled onto it's top and slid for a ways upside down. It tore my canopy off and smashed the top of the cab in. I had to crawl out the back window. I was wearing my seatbelt which worked really good at saving my life. A fat bloody lip was the only injury, (except for my pride). My truck is an 81 sr5 with a three inch sus. lift and 33 inch tires. One tire came off the rim (right front). The only real damage is to the body... the entire body, mainly the cab. It was on it's top for about two hours, I still got it to start without even having to open the hood. After the tow truck droped it off at my house I drove it to where it sits now (after changing the tire). Everything still works great.

I love my truck too much to let it go, I want to rebuild it. But I'm going to have to get a whole new cab. How hard is that? Has anyone ever replaced their entire cab. How hard is it to find one, and swap one. And how much will it cost?

If I knew how to post pictures, I would. I have some of the truck upside down.

[bailey1972]

ITS REAL EASY TO CHANGE CABS, ITS ABOUT 60.00-100.00 FOR CAB I KNOW ALOT ABOUT TOYOTA TRUCKS I HAVE THREE OF THEM 20R-22R-305 WRITE BACK IM ON PAGE 32 IN THE RED TOYOTA STANDING OUT SIDE OF IT WITH MY FOOT ON THE TIRE SEE YA

[bailey1972]

ITS REAL EASY TO CHANGE CABS, ITS ABOUT 60.00-100.00 FOR CAB I KNOW ALOT ABOUT TOYOTA TRUCKS I HAVE THREE OF THEM 20R-22R-305 WRITE BACK IM ON PAGE 32 IN THE RED TOYOTA STANDING OUT SIDE OF IT WITH MY FOOT ON THE TIRE SEE YA