Hi everyone,
As I stated in my other post, I am looking for a 79 4x4 S/B body, bed, and frame to replace my rotted 79. My truck has only 37,000 miles on it, so I will be swapping as much as possible over to the "new" truck.
I have found a few different trucks, one is an 82 and one is an 83, will my 79 parts fit? The 82's and 83's have square headlights, can I swap in my 79 round lights? What about the tail gate, mine has two latches on each side, the "newer" trucks have the center latch. What about the 20R engine, as the newer trucks have the 22R? Is the dash board different? Again I want as much 79 as possible. I guess basically will everything from a 79 bolt up to an 82 or 83?


Thanks for your help,
Zack

 

No, everything will not "bolt up" but you can make everything fit. The only thing I would tell you (if you are going to offroad this and it is not in terrible shape with a lot of miles) keep the 22r over the 20r and there are several reasons for this you can find through searching. All the deminsions should be the same inside the cab, I have an 80 and 83 and the dash is identical. The tailgate will obviously take some modification but nothing too serious. I put an 82 center latch tailgate on my 80 which has the side latches like yours so it can be done.

Thomas

 

Thanks! Do you have any specific examples of things that will not bolt up directly?

Thanks,
Zack

 

Most everything will bolt up. The only time you are going to run into problems with those years is things like the tail gat from an 82 will not work with a gate from a 79. It will bolt up nut the latching system is different. But if your swaping the drive train from the 79 into something newer you shoulddnt have a problem. The headlights shouldn't be a problem either. You will need to use your old grill and trim pieces and light brackets from your 79 but everything should bolt up. Other than some small differences in the tail gate and front axle housing everything should swap very easy.

 

I think the majority of what will not bolt up is minor stuff. Headlight brackets, and things like that. Engine to tranny and major stuff like that should bolt up fine. Some of the wiring connectors will be different, but since you've got both trucks, you can cut & splice the correct plugs in. Wire colors may be the same, just different plug styles. Anyways, I doubt you'll have to do anything hardcore to make things fit. Just a little drilling & splicing here and there.

 

So I have been looking at a few 83's and I noticed that the dash is different (the tach, speedo, odo) and it seems that the front bumber is also different. I wonder if the dash could fit the 79 cluster, and the front take the 79 bumper?


Zack

 

Don't know about the bumper, but the dash is identical. The actual instrument cluster displays are the only thing that changed. You can screw a 79-81 cluster into a '82 or '83truck (they changed it in '82). The wire connectors are different, but as far as the dash & cluster "fitting", it's all exactly the same. That's what I was talking about with wiring differences. I'm guessing all the right wires are there, but the way it actually plugs into the back of the cluster is a different set up.




The dimensions of the dash itself are the same, just the cluster changed. The top one is my '83, bottom is a 79 or 80 I think. The 82s and 83s went to the square style plug that the next generation pickups used, but 79-81 used a round style plug. Just like the headlights. Although how the headlight doors plug in on the 79-81 is a square connector, but round on an '82 or '83. If you go through with this stuff, you're going to be the expert on the changes between years!