68 GMC to a 2003 Tahoe chassis

[Getter-Done]

Hey 75Dually
I am still following .
You are doing an Awesome Job on your build.
The wiring project you have to do takes time and patience
Great Work

[aggie91]

Getting Closer...

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by Getter-Done

Hey 75Dually
I am still following .
You are doing an Awesome Job on your build.
The wiring project you have to do takes time and patience
Great Work

Very right on the patience part! I'm actually looking forward to tackling the wiring and the other technical parts of this build. I always learn a ton, and the guys here on this forum are very helpful when you run into any issues. Thanks for keeping up with my build.

Originally Posted by aggie91

Getting Closer...

I know right!

[75Dually]

Measure, measure, measure... Tonight guess what I got figured out! You are correct the measurements on the cab placement! I have also found a couple of items that are still in the way and are going to have to be moved. One is the exhaust hanger just in front of the muffler, and the rear assembly that holds the charcoal canister on the side of the gas tank. Both are in the way of the cab and will be moved enough to clear the cab.

I pulled the cab off again so I can start to fix those areas and so I can cut the Tahoe cab mounts and move them to their new homes. I took a picture tonight of the simple wood part I'm using to move the cab on and off. The 2X4 beam I used to support the Tahoe body was perfect for my needs, so I cut it to length, and then I bolted two 2X4 side plates onto the beam. It works great. It does not scratch the inner roof because it stays firmly in place, and it makes taking the cab off with just one person a very easy chore.

Stay tuned!

[69SCSS]

Originally Posted by 75Dually

Measure, measure, measure... Tonight guess what I got figured out! You are correct the measurements on the cab placement! I have also found a couple of items that are still in the way and are going to have to be moved. One is the exhaust hanger just in front of the muffler, and the rear assembly that holds the charcoal canister on the side of the gas tank. Both are in the way of the cab and will be moved enough to clear the cab.

I pulled the cab off again so I can start to fix those areas and so I can cut the Tahoe cab mounts and move them to their new homes. I took a picture tonight of the simple wood part I'm using to move the cab on and off. The 2X4 beam I used to support the Tahoe body was perfect for my needs, so I cut it to length, and then I bolted two 2X4 side plates onto the beam. It works great. It does not scratch the inner roof because it stays firmly in place, and it makes taking the cab off with just one person a very easy chore.

Stay tuned!

That cab lift is such a great idea. I was using a piece of plywood, a blanket, and a flat plate at the end of the boom, but that looks more solid. Mind if I steal the idea?

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by 69SCSS

That cab lift is such a great idea. I was using a piece of plywood, a blanket, and a flat plate at the end of the boom, but that looks more solid. Mind if I steal the idea?

You go right ahead! Because I think the product rights to it are with the guy I stole it from!! LOL!!!

I cannot believe just how well it worked the first time out of the gate. If you have moved your cab before you know how front heavy they are and how much of a pain that makes it to move it even a little. This DIY lift just lifts it with no fuss. Could not be happier just using stuff I had around the shop. I even used some old lag bolts too... The only thing I had to buy was the 7" bolt which I got at ACE Hardware.

[cornerstone]

Originally Posted by 75Dually

Measure, measure, measure... Tonight guess what I got figured out! You are correct the measurements on the cab placement! I have also found a couple of items that are still in the way and are going to have to be moved. One is the exhaust hanger just in front of the muffler, and the rear assembly that holds the charcoal canister on the side of the gas tank. Both are in the way of the cab and will be moved enough to clear the cab.

I pulled the cab off again so I can start to fix those areas and so I can cut the Tahoe cab mounts and move them to their new homes. I took a picture tonight of the simple wood part I'm using to move the cab on and off. The 2X4 beam I used to support the Tahoe body was perfect for my needs, so I cut it to length, and then I bolted two 2X4 side plates onto the beam. It works great. It does not scratch the inner roof because it stays firmly in place, and it makes taking the cab off with just one person a very easy chore.

Stay tuned!

Looks like a nifty plan. Im gonna make one today and pull my cab back off instead of rolling it all out to the tree and using my chain hoist. Thanks for posting that pic!

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

Looks like a nifty plan. Im gonna make one today and pull my cab back off instead of rolling it all out to the tree and using my chain hoist. Thanks for posting that pic!

Let me know how it goes. If it goes bad I was not responsible!

[cornerstone]

It went pretty smooth... I still had some weight on the front of the cab, like dash innards, steering column, master cylinder, etc. so it was leaning pretty hard. I had my son stand on the back of the hoist just to make sure I didn't have any boo-boos. I can say that the job is done.

[75Dually]

Made some progress tonight, a small bit of progress, but progress none the less! When the cab sets on the frame it was hitting one of the exhaust mounts, and it was hitting the mount for the fuel tank carbon filter box.

The exhaust mount was the easiest because it was a simple cut and weld job. Then I threw some etch primer on the bare spots and called it good for now.

Moving on to the fuel tank carbon filter box (I hope that is what it is called?). The cab structure that spans the rear part of the cab was running into the OEM mount, so this had to go. I took the old mount off, and then built an aluminum 'T' shaped bracket. One end of the bracket as you can see is mounted to the shield, and the other side is mounted to the filter. This filter has a very sturdy mount on the cross member towards the front of the truck, and it is not very heavy so it only needed a mount to just stabilize it.

I then put the cab back on for a test fit. I could not find anything else that was an issue, so I will next work on the new cab mounts. That will be a fun job for sure!

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

I've been working on putting a 12V Cummins in my Dually for the past couple of months, so this ride has just been patiently sitting. As soon as I can get that power plant in I will be back on this ride for sure!

Stay tuned I will be back on this before you know it!

[75Dually]

As most of you know I have been working on the 12V Cummins on my dually. This week I wanted to see what those 22" transports would look like on the 68. What it really showed me was how much real work I have ahead of myself. The cab pinch weld was 14" off the ground in these shots, and that was without tires! What am I doing here building a pre runner?!?! Now there's an idea! But seriously I need to get a plan together for the suspension changes to get this truck closer to the pavement.

Stay tuned!

[kiwikid]

on the bed cuts how many inches were removed front and back ? looks good

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by kiwikid

on the bed cuts how many inches were removed front and back ? looks good

A very good question. To make a long bed into a short bed you need to take 12" out of the front and then 8" out of the rear. You then also need to cut 8" out of the rear frame if you still have the original frame.

Now the next question is where to cut on the bed? Actually I don't know the answer to that, but on mine I did the cuts where you see them because of the body damage on the passenger side and then matched it on the drivers side. If I were to do it again without a damaged bed I would cut very close to the leading edge of the bed on the front. On the rear I would cut in the exact same spot again. The reason for this is due to the sloping body line. Your going to have to match it up or else it looks horrible. I think I found the sweet spot in the rear quarter, and only had to slightly move the slope line just a smidge when welding it up to make it line up. Also make sure your cut lines are super straight. Can't emphasize that enough. If your lines are not parallel and perfectly straight then you might have one heck of a time trying to get it to fit back together. Measure 100 times and cut once. Trust me!

Oh yeah one other point is to use a cut off wheel when you make the cuts. Run a tape line where you plan to cut and just follow the edge of the tape with the cut off wheel. Don't use a Sawzall because you will damage the panel. The push and pull of the blade really bends up the sheet metal pretty badly.

Hope that helps.

[kiwikid]

Thank you for the detailed information cheers

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by kiwikid

Thank you for the detailed information cheers

Anytime!

[75Dually]

It has been a very long time since I have updated anything on this project. I got the 75Dually finished as far as the new Cummins 12V and the new wrap on it, pic below. We took it to LST and it got 16 mpg, and ran amazing the whole way and back. Super happy with it.

So now I can get back to this build, it has been forever since I have even touched this ride, OK except to pile stuff on it!

At LST I bought a 4 link from Thorbros, and hope to be into that here soon. Then I will attack the front end and get this at least drive-able. One of the areas that I have been looking at hard is the cross members for the transmission and the torsion bars. Seeing that I will be doing away with the torsion bars I am going to more than likely going to cut that out and replace it with some tube structure that moves it further up, same for the transmission mount. Both hang too low for this project, and both can be changed without much issues.

Here's hoping that my work schedule does not go so crazy and I get some time in the shop to work on this ride.

Stay tuned!

[72 tigger]

Looking forward to it!

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by 72 tigger

Looking forward to it!

Me too! Thanks!!

[richards72chevy]

Nice trucks following.

[aggie91]

I almost jumped off the cliff to do this swap for a square body I have, as I found a Tahoe set up with the body already pulled for a good price recently. But luckily I decided my time and money was better spent on my '65 C10 that I already have most everything I need to get on the road...

[MikeinNH]

Any movement on this? I'm currently looking for a Tahoe to put my 71 cab and stepside bed on. Digging though all the threads on this site for ideas. I will document as much as I can when I get to the real stuff.

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by MikeinNH

Any movement on this? I'm currently looking for a Tahoe to put my 71 cab and stepside bed on. Digging though all the threads on this site for ideas. I will document as much as I can when I get to the real stuff.

Actually there has been a good bit of movement on this project. I have been working on the truck through Covid. I will post some updates on it.

[75Dually]

Been a long time since I have posted anything on a forum. Mostly been using Instagram to post pics of my work any more. If you want to see more current stuff go over there and find me under @75dually .

I have been working on getting the bed mounted, tubing in and welded up, and the bed flooring completed. Here are a couple of pics of my more recent work. The last picture in this stack is from back in January this year. I got Covid in early February, not really bad, but it set me back about 6 weeks. I have not been back out working on this because of motivation and other life priorities getting in the way.

Once I got the bed squared up I built the tubing frame work, and then I started laying the down the plywood base. I coated all the plywood in bed liner for long term protection. Then I bought a bunch of really nice red oak and milled it for some custom metal slats. I have since these pictures sealed up the oak with a single coat of poly and some stain. I have all the metal slats cut and waiting on etch primer and then paint.

Some other small items I have completed is the front sheet metal has been hung, and the front bumper and it's mounts have all been finished up. So that really helps check off a lot of small items on my super long list. I have found a 90's blue 60/40 bench seat at a local bone yard. It was a really great find. I still have to get the steering column mounted and the shaft hooked up to the steering box, but I am gaining!

I have tires mounted on my 22" transport rims, and they are temporarily mounted on the truck so I can roll it around the shop. The rims are going to get painted when the bulk of the work is completed.

So basically I'm down to getting all the lose ends tied up before I can start it and bring it to some shows. I just need some motivation!

[aggie91]

Nice update Chris!

I wish we could have worked out our schedules to come see your stuff when I was out there.

Well, now you just have to get it finished enough to bring it to C10's in the Park in September. I am shooting to have 2 or 3 projects there at the show this year. I know that 1 will be ready, the other two are a mystery if they get finished...