2003-07 F-Series Cab Removal Procedure

1. Start by draining the coolant, freon, and powersteering fluid. If your truck has an OEM radiator, there will be a yellow 19mm drain plug located on the driver's side lower corner of the radiator. By EPA standards, you will need a machine to safely recover the freon, and Power steering fluid can be sucked out of the reservior or you can just remove the lower house and capture the draining fluid into a drain pan.

Section 1 - Driver's Side

2. Once Coolant is drained, remove the Degas bottle (coolant tank) by removing the 2 small hoses from the top of the tank, and the one large hose from the bottle of the tank. Then remove the 2 8mm bolts holding the tank to the firewall.

3. Remove the air filter and intake tube leading to the turbo.

4. Remove both Batteries

5. Remove the Driver's side Battery tray, there will be 4 13mm bolts, two below the battery, and two that bolt into the inner fender.  

6. Remove both pressure lines that enter the Hydroboost. The hydroboost return line (the rubber hose that is clamped, not threaded into the hydroboost) can normally be left in place. This hose returns to the reservior, which goes up with the cab.

7. Remove the 2 forward-most plugs from the ECU (mounted on the inner fender), and disconnect the multiple plugs mounted on the fender liner below the master cylinder. There are typically 5 of these plugs, but the number of plugs can vary on cab configuration, and trim options. Make sure they're all unplugged, and pay special attention to where the harnesses route, and that they're placed accordingly.

8. For later model trucks, remove the brake pressure and fluid level sensor from the master cylinder, and unbolt the the master cylinder from the hydroboost by removing the 2 15mm nuts. Now remove the 3 10mm bolts holding the ABS module to the inner fender. Unplug the ABS module harness, and lay the ABS module and Master Cylinder over the engine (This is just to raise the cab, the Master and Module will lay on the driver front tire once the cab is in the air).

On early model trucks, we prefer to remove the Brake lines from the ABS module and allow the module and master cylinder to raise with the cab.

9. Remove the coolant heater hose where it meets the "Y" connector below the degas bottle.

10. Remove the Upper radiator hose

11. Remove the Power steering pump feed hose from the bottom of the reservior.

12. Remove both Charge pipes

13. Disconnect the fog lights. There is a sub-harness connector located on top of the driver side frame rail below where the factory air filter resides. Disconnecting it here is much faster than removing both plugs at the fog lights and fishing the wires up.

14. On the driver's side battery positive terminal, remove the 10mm nut, and take the wire off that stud. That wire is the primary feed for the Cab. With it disconnected, move that whole postive cable to the passenger side of the truck. This cable is your "Crossover cable", and connects directly to the passenger battery. You will need to temporarily remove the upper radiator mounts by remove the 2 8mm bolts securing them to the core support. This Cable will remain one piece, and needs to be laid on top of the engine during cab removal.

15. Remove the 13mm bolt securing the Steering shaft to the steering box. Once unbolted, it may be neccesary to use a small prybar to pry the steering shaft off of the box. This is a splined fit, which a machined flat that only allows the shaft to slip on in one orientation. With the wheels straight, the bolt head will face up. It is HIGHLY suggested that you secure the steering wheel with the seat belt before removing the steering shaft.

Section 2 - Passenger Side

16. Remove the Upper AC Condenser Line. This line can normally be exposed by lifting the plastic cover between the grill and core support on the passenger side. Remove the 13mm nut securing it to the condenser, and feed the line through the hole so that the whole line is in the engine bay. It will need to be secured to the engine during cab removal to ensure it doesn't get caught on any parts of the cab.

17. Remove the AC line that bolts into the top of the AC drier. There will be 2 lines entering the top of the Drier, however this is the only removable one.

** NOTE: If you're confused about which lines to remove, a simple way to verify them is by following them to the AC compressor. Both lines we're removing go to the AC compressor.

18. Remove ground located on the firewall, above the HVAC box. This is a flat braid cable, secured with a 8mm bolt. The other end bolts to the back of the passenger Cyl head, so it will need to be laid over the engine once unbolted. Ensure that it will not catch on the cab during removal.

19. Remove the ground located on the passenger inner fender. This wire goes directly to the passenger side battery ground terminal. It is secured to the inner fender with an 8mm bolt. At this time, secure the passenger side ground cable to the engine. Ensure that it will not get caught on the cab during removal.

20. Remove the map sensor hose, and tuck it into the valley of the engine.

21. If truck is 4wd and equipped with automatic hubs, remove the vacuum feed line for the hubs. The location of this hose may vary slightly, but its generally located around the vacuum reservior on the passenger side of the engine bay. It is a 90 degree rubber female fitting. If you're unsure if which hose to remove, follow the vacuum feed for the hubs from the framerail up until you find this connector.

22. Remove the heater supply hose. It is easiest to remove this hose from the pipe that bolts next to the alternator. We do not suggest removing this hose at the heater valve.

Section 3 - Under the truck

23. Remove both transmission cooler lines from the radiator. With a factory radiator, these will be 1/2" quick connect lines. Using a pocket screwdriver, pry the plastic locks off the lines, and use the quick-disconnect tool to remove the lines.

24. Remove the lower radiator hose from the radiator.

25. Remove the push-pins for the lower air dam. This is a rubber sheet that helps direct air towards the coolant pack. You can see it through the center opening in the front bumper. These clips are easily removable with a basic trim tool.

26. Remove the ground located under the passenger front door. This ground bolts from the bottom of the cab to the frame rail, it does not matter which end you remove it from.

27. Remove the parking brake cable. Disconnect it at the slip collar located under the driver's door. We find it easiest to pull slack from the cab-end of the cable, and using vise-grips to hold that slack while we slip the cable end out of the slip-collar. These can be a pain. Be sure to use heat and penetrating oil if needed. Once removed from the slip-collar, release the lock that holds the cable where it goes through the forward-most cab mount, and pull the cable through the holes. The forward portion of the cable stays with the cab, so it is mandatory that it is released from the frame, and free from any obstructions.

28. Remove the transmission shifter cable. The end of the cable mounts to the transmission linkage using a ball and socket fit. Use a trim tool to pry the cable off the linkage, then remove the two 13mm bolts to release the cable bracket off the side of the transmission.


*** NOTE: If your truck is floor shift 4wd, it is necessary to remove the T-Case shift bar. This bar uses the same ball and socket style connection that the shift cable does. If your truck is electronic 4wd or 2wd, you do not have to worry about this.

Section 4 - Interior

29. If your truck is 4 Door or Ext Cab, remove the rear seats. The seats are held in by 3 bolts in the front, and 3 nuts in the back. They will separate into 2 sections, however its easiest to remove them as one assembly if you have a friend to help.

30. Remove all 4 rocker trim panels (These are the trim panels you step on while getting into the truck). There are no bolts securing these panels, use a pry tool to gently release the clips.

31. Remove both kick-panels. These will have a push pin holding this, use a trim tool to remove the push pin, then pull the panels towards the back of the truck to release the remaining clips.

32. Time to expose the cab bolts. Starting at the front, fold the carpet back (pulling it out from under the dash), and remove the 2 large black oval plugs from the floor. And at the rear of the cab, fold the carpet forward. 4 Door and extended cab trucks will have 2 rows of bolts in the rear. The first set will be at the rear cab corners, the second row will be under black plugs, located about 6in behind the front seats.
33. Remove all cab bolts. From the factory, these will be a mix of 21 and 24mm bolts.

34. Remove the front most cab bolts. These are located in the engine bay, below the intercooler pipes. Unlike the other cab bolts, these bolt from the bottom, and normally can be removed by just using an impact on the 18mm nuts below the intercooler pipes.

At this point the cab should be prepped for removal, but it is very important that your work is double checked and inspected before you begin attempting to lift the cab. Aftermarket items like backup cameras, transfer tanks, and flatbeds may have wiring or hardware that interferes and will need to be handled accordingly. We suggest "drawing an invisible line" in the engine bay around the engine, and inspecting each item to determine which side of that line the item needs to be. One side will be the "frame side", meaning it will stay down with the engine, the other being the "cab side", meaning it will go up with the cab. Its very important that these items aren't tangled or misplaced, otherwise damage may occur during cab removal.

To reinstall the cab, complete the steps in reverse order. Need parts? Check the website, or give us a call!