Hey Everyone,

Who in PA have swapped over their cab on the truck? Mines getting alittle rusty and I found a good one for decent price.

Whats the legal way? R-title? (really dont want to go that route)

I know i can just cut my #'s and then weld to the new cab, buts thats not the "legal" way. What about the VIN sticker in the door jam, i know you cant remove/replace them, can i just scrape it off the "new" cab? i guess the easiest will be the dash plate.

Any comments, suggeston will be a help. Even if you are out of state, what did you have to do?

Thanks

Hai H

 

first off what year??, and i really dont think there's an actually legal way to swap cabs, other than you bought it, you have the title for it...stickers will be a little hard, im guessing your doing this to a newer truck, but the rest just rivet on...no need to weld

 

Call your local DMV, tell them what your planning doing and why and ask them how you should proceed, I'm sure body shops run into this from time to time, there has to be a way! Good luck.
Pigman

 

do what pigman said, that's probably the best way to do it.

 

Do you have a title to the vehicle the cab is coming from?? a good title not scrap

If you do at the time it is finished you transfer your plate to your new vehicle get it inspected your good to go .

If I was you i would check with one of your local used car dealers that has a in house notary . Don`t get the DMV involved if you can help it they will be sending you 10 pounds of forms to fill out just to explain why you want to do this.

 

the dash is easy to do but the sticker i heard you can use a heat gun to remove it and reinstall.....but thats just what i heard....

 

i have done a couple of cab swaps and i just registered the title that came with the cab.

 

Its a 90 regular cab, theres no VIN plate, just stamped on firewall. Going to the DMV is going to be my last resort. The cab is actually from a junkyard, not sure on the status of the title, im going to look at it today. I'm going to ask the junkyard people, they should know hopefully.

wyoming9 and Ezrider_92356: so the main VIN the dmv goes by is the one on the firewall not the frame? They dont have to match?

I guess i'm going to have to dig harder to see what the proper way of doing this is. I will update this thread since maybe it will help other people out.

I really wouldnt care to do it the "legal" way, but if I ever do sell it down the road I dont want it to come back and bite my a$$.

Thanks again everyone.

 

ur right- the only legal way to do it here in PA is to get a R-title. whenever u get it inspected the first place they usually look is the plate on the front drivers side of the dashboard and i say again-usually. and most of the cops that I have seen USUALLY check that same one also. So if u plan on going the illegal way don't forget to swap out that piece too. and as already mentioned the doorjamb, firewall, frame, and if u realy feel like some fenders still might have em so try to fet them all to match the title u have and then theres the odometer reading.

 

Well seems like you have fill out form MV-426B (reconstructed, collectible, modified, flood, street rods, ect) form. Also the MV-41 form (correction of vehicle record or verification of VIN).

This is from Form MV-426B, I couldnt cut/paste because it was a pdf.

IT states: "If a truck cab is replaced, Form MV-41 must be attached to the MV426B application to request a State Replacement VIN plate. Under section C (Application for State Replacement VIN plate), check "other" and indicate the cab was replaced. The VIN specified on MV-41 should be the VIN that appears on the frame of the vehicle (not the VIN on the replacement cab). NOTE: Form MV-41 and the corresponding MV-426B application must be submitted to PennDOT for processing."

From what I get from this; is that I keep my original VIN, and the state will issue replacement VIN plates to match my VIN for the new cab. I'm hoping to get a "modified" title instead of "recontructed".

Hope this helps anyone trying to do this.

 

Oh BTW,

I went to check out the cab. Turns out the truck was MINT!!!! No dings, scratches, or RUST!!! only thing that stood out was a crack on the dash and clearcoat peeling on roof. Thats it! It was at a recycling place becuase it was a CLUNKER!!! It was really ashame to see a truck that mint, go to the clunker program. Not to mention 2003 4 runner sitting behind that. It was also a clunker, people are stupid. The yard guy said there was nothing wrong with either rigs.

 

I must be loosing my mind, i swear i saw the vin stamped on the firewall. I went out to look today and i couldnt find it anywhere. Quick google search and i found out its only the sticker in the door jam? Is this correct for a 90?

So for VIN location on the cab is only the dash plate and doorjam?

 

the VIN is also stamped into the frame, passenger side, look in the wheel well. but this is irrelevant if you're swapping a cab to YOUR truck/frame. my plate on the fire wall only has trim/trans codes. no Vin

swap your dash board into the new cab; drill the standard style rivets on the door jamb plates, and put yours in the new cab. done. to #&!! with DMV

ah crap. i see you have a 90. to #&!! with DMV anyway!!

=P

 

So where are these trucks at? I could use some parts, and you know how hard it is to find these up here.

 

thats what i did when i switched mine almost 4 years ago. it checks out at both the DMV in vegas (when i registered it out there, had to do a VIN check) and the DMV here in california. (when i re-registered it out here, vin check, cuz they 'convienently lost' my old information). tho ill tell ya: trucks never quite been the same. i STILL havent figured out everything under the dash, i hooked up the evap tubing enough to give me a dash heater from the center 2 vents, i have to manually change the evap box from vent to floor, etc. take your time with it or you WILL end up with electrical gremlins. guarenteed. just pray you dont have to cut the shifter hole any bigger like i had to...

 

I saw it on Craigslist, York City. I ended up buying all the sheet metal off of it.