Cab Removal Time!!

With the passenger side rocker complete, I decided to remove the cab to make room for the chassis and motor work. Those two items are the biggest part of the LWB to SWB conversion. The mounted cab prevented me from making any real progress on the chassis. With it removed, I can work on all three.

All the work is happening in my two car garage since my neighborhood HOA forbids working in the driveway. The garage has two separate doors. One side has an opener which sits too low to lift the cab. That confined me to the other side. After thinking it thru I came up with the following plan. At this point the cab is bare except for the empty gas tank. I heard the cab was front heavy so I left it in place. I doubt it made much of a difference.

First I built a cab dolly out of 2x4's. Cost$65. I considered welding a steel frame but felt it was overkill for something I'd use once.

Next I positioned my lift between the wall and cab then setup a 4x4 on wood blocks left over from the cab dolly. I made sure to position the 4x4 as far forward as possible.

With the cab bolted down, I raised the 4x4 to the cab to see where to cut the notches. I used a sawzall to make the cuts.

I then unbolted the four cab bolts and slowly lifted the cab. As the cab came up I expected it to tilt forward but it stayed level. The cab is suprisingly light. Only about 300 lbs.

Once the cab was high enough, I pushed the LWB chassis sideways until it cleared the cab. Tireskates made this easy. I then lowered the cab onto the dolly.

Once the cab was on the dolly, I moved it into the corner of the garage. That gave me enough room to angle the chassis back in place and prepare to remove the engine and tranny.