Custom 2Gen Crew Cab! How to do it?

[zstroken]

Bayer makes the rear doors. There are several places that can do the work, but Bayer was the only place I found that could give me a true crew cab. I kind of like the idea of just extending my existing 01 quad. Use the same suicide doors in the same location. Just extend the cab enough to handle another front seat from the same year. Then keep the small seat in the very back. 95% of the time we would only use the two front rows with the middle row slid all the way back. This would provide lots of room, but we could still, if need be put 3 kids in the very back. So if push came to shove we could put 9 people legally in the truck. I have looked at trading in my truck for a mega and they want about 15-20K difference. I can get the extension done for about 10K and we would have way more room. Plus my truck only has about 40K miles on it. There was a place in texas that made dually fenders for short bed 2nd gens. I figure I will go to a dually setup if I do that.

[jkretzer]

anyone know what the approx cost of a crewcab conversion is?

[zstroken]

$14K-15K is what I was quoted.

[Lucky Jeff]

there was one on Craigslist for 1500 bucks not far from me a month or two ago.. . I really with I had the cash on me at the time . Seems like there are a couple out there. some look good and some look way out of place.. This one was like the freedom diesel truck.. niiiicccceeeee

[Mountaineer]

Here is another....

stretchil8_th.jpg

rednecklimo.jpg

[97crewcab]

IMHO if you really want a crew cab do a cummins conversion in your factory crew cab of choice. Unless you really really like your truck or just have to get one.
The Bayer door frame is multiple sections welded together with a factory door skin on the outside. The inside panel is fiberglass.

[AsTroSS]

Originally Posted by 98andahalf

there was one on ebay a week or so ago with a twin-turbo'd p-pumped 24valve.

Here is some pictures of Your mentioned truck, super clean :

[AsTroSS]

Mountaineer, do You have bigger /better picture of the first white truck ?

[AsTroSS]

Originally Posted by zstroken

Bayer makes the rear doors. There are several places that can do the work, but Bayer was the only place I found that could give me a true crew cab. I kind of like the idea of just extending my existing 01 quad. Use the same suicide doors in the same location. Just extend the cab enough to handle another front seat from the same year. Then keep the small seat in the very back. 95% of the time we would only use the two front rows with the middle row slid all the way back. This would provide lots of room, but we could still, if need be put 3 kids in the very back. So if push came to shove we could put 9 people legally in the truck. I have looked at trading in my truck for a mega and they want about 15-20K difference. I can get the extension done for about 10K and we would have way more room. Plus my truck only has about 40K miles on it. There was a place in texas that made dually fenders for short bed 2nd gens. I figure I will go to a dually setup if I do that.

Sometihng like this?

[Jim Fulmer]

Originally Posted by AsTroSS

Here is some pictures of Your mentioned truck, super clean :

P-Pumped with what looks like an old mitchell set of twins......what did it sell for?

Jim

[97crewcab]

That was enterprise engines old truck. It sold on tdr for ~$20k ~3 years ago.

[rattlindodge]

well i was quoted about $5k for just a paint job for just below the windows, so $15k seems reasonably if you get good work with high quaility paint and no crappy bondo sanding marks. 80 grit doesnt cut it for me, and nothing less than ppg for the shiny stuff either.

[zstroken]

Originally Posted by AsTroSS

Sometihng like this?

similar just still 4 doors. You would have to pull the seat forward to get into the 3rd row. Remember 95% of the time the third row would be just storage, but once in a while we might have 6 people. 2 kids in the very back, 2 adults in the middle, and 2 in the front.

[Dodgentwo]

Originally Posted by 97crewcab

That was enterprise engines old truck. It sold on tdr for ~$20k ~3 years ago.

Yea what he said. I live not far from enterprise. Saw that truck several times. Didnt care for it much to be honest. Looked a little odd in person. And its not near that clean in person.

[Rob24vCTD]

Originally Posted by AsTroSS

Sometihng like this?

Now thats a MEGACAB!!

[97crewcab]

HERE are my pictures of the rear doors by Bayer auto. These are from when I put new door skins on them last winter.

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[AsTroSS]

Now I have clear picture how they did it.

[AsTroSS]

I still think, easyest way do do it ,is just weld two rear doors together(one normal size ) and leave door hinges to it original location. (cuecide type).

[Greeds22]

Well it looks like i am few weeks late on this topic but i just found it so i figure i would chime in. I got a wild hair in me when i crashed my truck 2.5 years ago and decided to take on the crew cab project. I had never seen a crew cab in real life. I was going off of pictures i found on the internet. Its been a lot of trial and error. I have spent a lot of time trying things out that didnt work. I drove my truck to bayers shop and he looked at what i had done and quoted me 5 grand to finish it. Not too bad considering they get 20 grand to do it start to finish. I would have done it, but i didnt like the way i was treated when i was there. I had drove 1.5 hours to get there and he wouldnt even give me 20 mins to talk. I dont know if it was becouse i am 23 and he figured i didnt have the money or what. And i couldnt get a defent answer on what all was going to be done for 5 grand. All he said was he would put a window in it that whent up and down. No paint. No interior.
I started out all wrong. I made a door and was going to get a window to fit in the door. You have to built your door around the window you plan on using. Bayer had a custom window made and all there custom peices are staped out of steel. My hats off to them. They have the best look out of all that i have seen but i dont have 20 grand to spend. Nor do alot of other people.
so i changed it up. This is what it looks like with the new window.
My Crew Cab Conversion 228.jpg

My Crew Cab Conversion 220.jpg
THe bottom half of the door is a dodge door that is sectioned down. The top half and window is that of a mid 90s chevy suburban/crew cab door. It gives it a little diffrent look, but i think that it fits in well. Over time it grows on you. I got the idea from this pic of a truck i found on the internet a few years a go. Its a regular cab truck that had a reskined suburaban door fabed onto the back.
GenesdodgeBIG3.jpg
I have been working on crew cab conversion for the 3rd winter now. I work constrution in the summer and work on the truck in the winter when i get laid off. The lost a lot of time with trying things that didnt work out. My advice would be to get a diffrent cab and work on that. That way when the cab is done, stretch the frame on your truck and set it one. The least amount of donw time.
As far as the pillar goes. It started out as 5in channel iron then got switched out to 3in channel iron. I dont know about you but i dont want to be in any truck that rolls over but that 3in channel iron is beefer then any pillar i have seen in any production truck.
Thanks to all that have help out with showing pics of there crew cab.
Keep thinking outside of the box. There is nothing that is impossible.
i have a few week on the drivers side then about a month on the passengers side and the truck will be ready for paint! I will get some more pics out then.

Eric

[VMacKenzie]

Originally Posted by AsTroSS

Here is some pictures of Your mentioned truck, super clean :

I wonder if this truck started off as a QC longbed, and was converted without stretching the frame, and swapping for a sort box? If that was the case, and you didn't need the long bed, it could save you some work.