body swap time, tips tricks and a boat of questions

Howdy
I have aquired a couple of goodies one, a cheap 2002 manual V6 4x4 with get this, a recall frame for 1500 canadian sheckles

The catch is, the person I purchased it from didnt leave the body in good condition, she rolled it, but her loss is my pain in the ass.

I know where the mounts are and that I need to take the steering wheel off but other then that im still researching on what to do.
would anyone be able to point me into the right direction!

 

@Blackdawg
@Speedytech7
@Empty_Lord

 

@BartMaster1234

 

to be clear, a friend and I are both doing effectively the same job, so we are renting a gantry

 

Bed comes off super easy. Just 6 bolts(hopefully they aren't siezed and break the nut) and then you have to undo the tail light harness and then the gas filler tube shroud.


The cab is a bit more complicated. But not much.

You have to remove a lot of stuff in the engine bay that is connected to the wheel wells and other things.

-Radiator
-AC condensor lines
-Engine harness
-Cab harness on BOTH side, easier to undo connections in the cab and push out into the wheel well.
-Fuse box needs unbolted
-Brake lines at the MC
-Clutch lines(if a manual)
-obviously the battery.
-Steering shaft needs seperated

There is also a some plugs under the truck body, one just below the drive seat. The shifter also needs to be prepped to come out cleanly, I can't quite remember but I don't think you have to undo any of the wires on the tranny.

Might be a few more minor things Im forgetting but it's all do able.


I did a body swap on Frankenstein link is in my signature if you want to see the old shitty phone photos.

 

Check out my build page I did a frame swap 2 summers ago. Close to the same process as a cab swap. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-green-truck-an-illustrated-story.660999/

 

I could kiss you both

 

Having a gantry will make it that much easier. Maybe @Empty_Lord has some advice, he’s used to swapping bad frames.

 

would you like the whole instruction manual for the swap? i can get it tomorrow. we leave the engines in the cabs. but for most at home this isnt possible.

 

@Tour991 can speak more about doing it at home. im spoiled at work.

 

Even at home it's not that hard just pay attention to where you disconnect stuff. Take lots of pictures. You need 8 10 12 14 17 sockets and your good.

 

I’m just spoiled because we keep the engine and trans up in the cab.. no coolant to fuss with or a/c. Or engine harness

 

How the hell do you do that? Haha

 

This is how I did it

 

That would be an absolute blessing, I'm breaking the steps down into digestible bits, I can assure you that we have plenty of room to do the swap.
This Is the donor so I dont reckon I want to keep the guts in

 

That's ballin on a budget if I've ever seen it

 

Both awesome and terrifying

 

You should see what his crawlspace looks like.

 

Engine support and a chain to support the trans

 

What other baller shot like this do you do, I'm impressed with you Bush mechanicry