ok im starting take my 60 dodge truck apart. and of course like any other old vehicle it needs repair work. but wandering if anyone could tell me if the doors and front clip will bolt to a 57 cab as i found one in nicer shape. thanx for any and all help
1957 is a weird year for Dodge and Fargo trucks. Much of that year is ONLY for 1957! Your cabs should be the same, as that cab was used from 1956 in all lines, all the way to 1974 on the LARGE trucks. Fenders and hood are '57-only, but your '60 fenders and hood should bolt right up to the '57 cab. Somewhere in there, the door strikers were changed, also. You might have an issue in that respect, putting your '60 doors on the '57 cab. The doors are physically the same, but the strikers were changed in that time period.
57 is a unique cab - not much will interchange - doors , floors etc are all one year only I attached a copy from www.townwagon.com website.... always been pretty accurate Regards, Clay <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 align=center><TBODY><TR bgColor=#33cccc><TD>Sheet metal interchange through the years</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>As the TW/TPs shared the cab area and front doors of the pickup of the same year until 1961 I started by describing the changes in the pickup cabs. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600><TBODY><TR bgColor=#33cccc><TD>Pickup truck cabs:</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The 1954 and 1955 first series cab: This is the first year for this body style truck and shares almost no parts with the '53 and earlier trucks. While some of the dash parts and door hardware may interchange with '55 second series and '56 trucks the '54 cabs themselves will interchange with nothing else. The '55 second series and '56 cab: These truck cabs are only interchangeable with each other but with some modification can be used in a '57. The 1957 cab: is a '57 only part, the main difference is the hinge location for the doors, and the battery being in the floor. '57 is the first year for the "starwheel" the older trucks used something like a house door lock. The '58 cab: is almost the same as the '57 cab except the hinges have been moved, and the battery tray is now under the hood. Both '57 and '58 trucks have flat floors, and use the same dashes(but not the same dash trim). '59-'60 cabs: Are the same, they have internal stepwells instead of the external steps used on the '58 cabs, and they have new dashes. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600><TBODY><TR bgColor=#33cccc><TD>TW/TP cabs: </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The front portion(from the rear of the front doors forward) of the TW/TP cab changed as the pickup of the same year did, until '61 when the TW/TP continued to use the '59-'60 cab design until the end of production in '66. The rear of the TW/TP cab stayed the same from beginning ('54) to the end ('66). There were slight differences in the internal bracing, and the badging/trim, but the main rear body stayed the same. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 bgColor=#33cccc><TBODY><TR><TD>Doors:</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>'54 to early '55 doors only fit '54 trucks Late '55 and '56 doors are very similar to '57 doors, though the latch mechinsm is very different. It is possible that some parts interchange. '57 doors use the same internals as the '58 and newer doors, but they have different skins, and the hinge location in different so they wont bolt up. The '58-'60 doors are the same. In '61 the standard pickup changed to the wide square style, and the TW/TP stayed the same. '61-'66 TW/TPs use the same doors as the '58-'60 pickups and TW/TPs, but there is a small difference in the stampings, where the window portion of the door joins the main door the sharp crease of the '60 and older doors is changed to a nice curve. This solves much of the cracking that the '60 and older doors are prone to. The other difference between '60 doors and '61-'66 doors is the door handles inside and out. the older ones are smooth, and the newer ones have three squares punched in them, the same as the '61-67 pickups. Another truck that uses the same doors as the '58-'60 pickups and TW/TP's and the '61-'66 TW/TPs is the '60-'74 LCF(Low Cab Forward). The doors on the LCF's use the same internals(except for the door latches in the end of production, '73 and '74) but the stamping is different in that the lower hinge is moved, and the front lower corner of the door is cut off. I have heard of modifying the LCF door to fit a regular cab, and the LCF door is good for making some patch panels. What this means is that you can use the internal door parts from any: '57-'60 pickup TW/TP from '57-'66 LCF from '60-'74 You can also use the starwheel itself from '61-'67 pickups (the rest of the lock mechanism is different) The door itself interchanges from: '58-'60 pickups '58-'66 TW/TPs(though the stamping is better in the '61-'66 doors) With some modification, '60-'74 LCFs <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 bgColor=#33cccc><TBODY><TR><TD>Front fenders:</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The front fenders from '54 to '57 are the same on all 2wd TW/TP's and all 2wd D100-D300 pickups. '57 4wd pickups and 4wd TW/TPs share the same fender as '54 to '57 D400 and D500 medium duty trucks. '58-'60 2wd D100-D300 pickups and 2wd TW/TPs use the same fender skins, but the mounting on the rear of the '58 fender is slightly different, not to hard to change. '58-'60 4wd pickups and 4wd TW/TP's use the same fender as the '58-'60 D400 and D500 medium duty trucks, and the '58 still has the mounting issue in the rear. In 1961 Dodge changed the wheelbase of the shortest trucks (TW/TP, short wheelbase pickup) from 108" to 114" which meant that the since the TW/TP cab didn't change, the front fender wheel wells had to be moved forward in the fender. At the same time Dodge put a different lip on the TW/TP wheel well, and they started using the same fender for both 2wd and 4wd. This fender was used without change on the TW/TP until '66. The '61 and up style pickup shares no body parts with the TW/TP or the '60 and older pickups. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600><TBODY><TR bgColor=#33cccc><TD>Core support: </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The '54 to '56 core support is the same. The '57 core support fits '57 only. The '58 core support comes in both single and dual headlight versions, the dual headlight '58 core support is the same as the '59-'60 core support. In '61-'66 TW/TP's the core support is the same as the '58-'60, but there are some issues with the way it mounts to the frame, and the way the radiator is mounted. None of those issues would make the part not fit, but it might take a bit of modification to get a '58 core support to fit on a '66 TW, and the opposite holds true. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600><TBODY><TR bgColor=#33cccc><TD>Hoods: </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The '54 to '56 hood is the same. The '57 hood only fits '57's. The '58-'60 pickups and the '58-'66 TW/TP hoods will fit any one of the other trucks. The difference comes in the mounting holes for the badges, and the louvers in the side of the hood on the '58-'59 trucks. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600><TBODY><TR bgColor=#33cccc><TD>Rear doors for TW/TP's: </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The rear doors for a '54 TP all the way until a '66 TP/TW are the same. There are some small differences in the mounting of the hardware, and I think the early stampings have some small aesthetic differences on the inside, but they fit just fine, and look right from the outside. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600><TBODY><TR bgColor=#33cccc><TD>Windshields: </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The 1954 and '55 first series windshield is a '54/'55 first series only part. The windshield will fit off any size truck from those years but no other years interchange. The 1955 Second Series to 1966 windshields are the same. The windshields off of any size truck (except for buses, military style trucks and route vans) from 1955 Second Series to 1960 will interchange. As will LCF windshields from 1960 to 1974 and Bighorns (Just try finding one of those). </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Has anyone out there tried a bolt in IFS swap on a 57' with either a aerostar or crown vic front suspension? I have an aerostar bolt in suspension on my garage floor. The aerostar frame rails are about 5" further apart then the dodge, but the there is plenty of flat area on cross member to put the dodge frame rails on.
Ive attempted the volare, and seen Mustang 2's but cant say ive ever seen a windstar, heard of crown vics fronts just not on a dodge, good front end I dont see a problem with it. the f100 guys love them but then again they love the volares too and those **** on these trucks note the "ATTEMP" above -Joel
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