chevy cabs

[ernie in]

I am wondering if Chevy during 73- 87 used the same cabs? If so can I place a 86 or 87 dash into a 78 cab? will 87 fenders and hood work with a 78 cab? I have a 78 that I am about to start on, but I like the 86 & 87 Body. Thank you all in advance for the responses.

 

[JB]

All parts are interchangeable throughout the years 73-87. I have done many restorations on these trucks, and aside from trim differences all fenders, doors, tailgates/beds, hoods and bumpers will bolt right on. Same goes for interior pieces. All trim will also fit but it is just a matter of what year and trim level you like. Blazer and Jimmy (K-5) panels and interior parts will also be the same. Good Luck. JB

 

[Alan]

Sorry JB, but not so. The cab and doors are the same, but fenders, radiator support and hood, along with some related parts are different. I think the change year was '81. To put a later nose on a pre-'81 you ahve to do the whole nose, from the firewall forward. Later fenders have the side marker horizontal, while earlier ones were vertical,, or maybe it's vice-versa

 

[MTCK]

Alan's right, firewall back should bolt up from 73-87, but the front clips were changed in 1981, and stayed the same shape until 87. You also have to make sure, if you're mixing and matching parts, that you get all the stuff from either trucks with single headlights, or trucks with dual headlights. Some of the supports and trim are different between these. Also, the 81 and 82 trucks had their parking lights and turn signals in the bumper instead of the grille. Something to think about.

 

[yortengel]

alan is right, I have installed an 83 cab on a 74 truck. but I kept the old front clip. It worked but there were some differences. It looked ok. Also the newer dashes don't fit real well into the older trucks. I installed a 84 dash into a 75 C65 last year, It worked but didn't seem to fit quite right.<br>Good Luck. There are also differences in the door hardware. before 80 is one type and after is another. They can be mixed up but won't work quite right with the wrong year door panels, As I remember the window regulators have different lenth shafts to the window cranks. and there are long and short door panels.

 

[Chuck Smith]

Yes, for the most part, they are all the same. I have a page on my site listing what parts will interchange between what years.<br>If you wanted to put an 81 or newer hood onto your pre 81 fenders, you'd have to chop the insides of the fenders, to allow the hood hinges to work. There's subtle differences. The 81& up hood, has a seperate cowl, and pre 81, the cowl is part of the hood. The list of parts that interchange is long....<p>~Chuck<p>----------<br>Chuck's Chevy Truck Pages - Snowplowing Central<br>http://www.chuckschevytruckpages.com/snowplowingcentral.html

 

[JB]

There all correct. The original question was could a newer front (86-87) end be installed onto an older (78) cab. It can, but you must use ALL of the newer front end components including radiator support etc. Sorry for any mixup, JB<br>

 

[ernie in]

I want to hank everyone for the responses to my question. To the earlier post that had difficulty with the later dash installation, was the newer dash too big? Can you explain the trouble you had with this installation?

 

[Captkaos]

73-87 cabs have some subtle differences, but the are the same basic stamp. I will take pics of my '73 and the '86 I am working on to maybe help out. The dash on both are the same (metal underneath) The dash pad appearance wise is different, but will bolt up. I had a '87 in mine at one time. If you want a list of parts for the front end conversion, go here: http://www.coloradok5.com/grilleswap.shtml or here http://www.off-road.com/chevy/tech/grill/ Same article. I am doing this to my '73, but I am using a tilt front end....<p>----------<br>Chris Lucas<br>http://www.wwisp.com/~captkaos

 

[yortengel]

The newer dash didn't seem to fit the cab above the insturment panel. It was a C65 Dump truck, this may have had some thing to do with it.