80 to 74 body swap questions

[72 Charger SE]

This summer I plan to swap the body from a 1980 onto my poor, rusty 1974 3/4 ton. Other than the rust issues (I can see the road through the floor while driving) the 74 is in pretty good shape, with about 85,000 miles on the chassis, a new engine & rebuilt transmission. The 1980 is a 1/2 ton with a bad transmission & questionable engine, but good body.

What issues can I expect to run into for this swap? I know of one of the top of my head - the transfer case shifter is in a different location, so I'll have to scavenge all of that from the 74 cab. I don't know enough about things like the electrical bulkhead, steering column, etc. to tell if I'm going to have problems with them during the swap, and was hoping someone who has been through it might know.

 

[bear]

The body swap it's self should be pritty much straight forward . The electrical bulkhead should be the same but I would save the one from the 80 just in case you do end up needing it . Your 74 should have the gas tank in cab and the 80 will be under the truck , are you going with the tank under the truck or are you going to put it back behind the seat ? In eather case your gunna have to think about were your filler tube is going to come out . Plus the wireing for the fuel sending unit and fuel lines . If your swaping beds as well then you allready have the inlit for the under truck tank and if your going that way you'll need all the hardware to mount the tank from the 80 into the 74 frame and while your at it you might as well use the whole harness from the 80 so everything is right there for you .

 

[Mopardude]

Out of curiosity is there any difference between the 70's 3/4 frame and the 80's 1/2 ton frames strength wise? To me I think it would be less screwing around if you swapped the engine, tranny, axels, and suspension to the 80.

 

[72 Charger SE]

Good question about the frames. I don't know the answer, but I'm not sure that I would be saving much in the way of difficulty either. I want to keep the divorced transfer case from the 74, so I will still have issues with the shifter location, plus I would have to figure out if the mounting hardware will fit easily. The 80 has a married trans & T-case, both in need of work.

Regarding the gas tanks, the 74 has an under body/bed tank, so that shouldn't be a problem unless the inlet location is different. I don't think it is.

Thanks for the input. You guys have given me something to think about. I like to plan for potential problems before I hit them, so I know my options for dealing with them.

 

[RCAddict]

The frame strength revolves around the front axle rating. A truck with a 3300# front axle has a frame that is 1/8" thinner than a truck with a 4000# front axle.

Basically a truck with 1/2" dia lugs on the wheels has a lighter frame than a truck with 9/16" or 5/8" lugs

 

[mopar350]

ok i know this is an old post. i have found that my 1987 d250 is the same frame as my 1984 d150 frame the only difference is the rear leaf springs eye bolts the d150 has 1/2" eyes and the d250 has 5/8" eyes. also if you have the 4000lb front axle
or a d350 they maybe 3/4" bolts. just add this for future reference hope it helps some one.