cab swap or dash replacement

so my cab is really rusty and the fuse box seems to need a replacement (fuses wont stay in, and some ports have no power to them). the only two options seem to be to swap the cab with wiring included or to pull the entire dash and replace the full wiring harness. both seem like long difficult jobs. i dont have a shop available. and i would have trouble getting assistance. which one is easiest?

so, this is a bit of a loaded question. how rusty is rusty? how much experience do you have with bodywork of electrical work?
I think you said that you had a parts truck also. what is this condition of it?
all of this is very do able. I do this regularly in doing restorations. I also have done many without the help of manpower or even equipment. in fact, I can be picky enough about how I work that often help is just in the way. I had to repaint a bed side once due to someone helping and not listening while installing it on the truck. two-week-old paint and I was less than happy. he might have felt better if I yelled at him but that doesn't fix anything.
it is a bit like remodeling a bathroom. the tub was always the first in and the room was finished around it. that is the cab in this case. you will remove the front clip and hood. then the steering, braking, clutch connections or auto connections all wiring connections from cab to vehicle. speedometer cable, parking brake heat and/or ac lines. vacuum to engine. possibly remove dash and heater system if it is getting moved over. seat. remove the doors (optional but very helpful) any floor shifter/s carpet. two body mount access plates then four 15mm bolts holding the cab to the cab mounts. now is when having four good strong friends is very handy.
 whichever way you chose. make sure the cab you get to put on is perfect or perfect it beforehand. make sure its worth the effort.

i have a parts truck, but i cant get a title for it. its also a different year and model. i guess i should go the dash removal and rewire then, ive seen some wiring harnesses for 300$ and some for 1700$. any good recommendations on sources.
i dont have alot of electrical or body work experience.
would it be possible to replace just the fuse box itself? or the metal tangs? that hold the fuses in?
rust wise, the drivers floor is gone almost, both cab corners are gone, and the l piece at the bottom that holds the weather stripping is gone as well. if i can get frank running and driving, i was plannng  to pull the seat and carpert and replace\patch that all. but maybe thats where i should start.

all of the parts you listed are available as patch panels and I usually keep at least one truck worth on hand. some pieces in multiples. but that opens up "welding skills". i think anyone really wanting to do this should try it. it's the American way!! like the guy across the field shooting his shotgun right now.
 but it is not necessarily "easy". as far as re pinning the fuse box. idk. I'm thinking that replacing the fuse box as a "pigtail swap" is probably as far as I would recommend, and I'm hesitant to say that. this is technically not any different than wiring a radio but instead of +,- and four speakers you are trying to wire twenty and some in parallel.
before jumping into any of this I would suggest a bit more diagnosis and develop a plan. then price that plan.

makes total sense, i would like to learn to weld eventually, they used to offer courses locally but they jacked the rates up so high it was out of reach. ill gather some more info this weekend, thanks again for all the help :)

update: the fuse slot for dash lights is broken, as well as some other critical ones. short of replacing the whole wiring harness, would something like this be a viable solution?
https://www.amazon.com/Painless-30001-ATO-Fuse-Center/dp/B00062Z5YI/ref=asc_df_B00062Z5YI/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241914879076&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8072062865173565334&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008073&hvtargid=pla-569738632694&psc=1

Seems like a viable option if you can't get a stock fuse panel that's in good shape.
It has both flashers but I question if it has enough circuits for your truck. (IIRC mine has 18)
And you will have to sort out powers always on and only while running, as well as all the wire colors to join.
This sort of thing usually needs a spreadsheet.

I see there's a used fuse panel with mounting bracket on eBay from a reliable seller (30k items sold, 99.7% positive)
It's item # 134544527192
This is a pigtailed take-off like Mat suggested above.
I can't say how good it is, obviously, but it's a ~$60 option with ~$11 shipping.
It would definitely have all you need and be much easier to install.

thats a great idea, would this be a strip\solder kinda of thing or anyone know of some good quick connects.  also thanks!

I have quality ratcheting crimpers and use marine butt connectors which come with adhesive lined shrink tube sleeves.
This makes connections waterproof and is a small investment in a tool kit that you could use on your truck for years to come.

Or, you could go with regular shrink tube and solder.
But that gets challenging when you use up 3/4" of wire either side of the splice and need three hands to hold the solder, soldering iron and the panel or wires together.

I have a few Iwiss brand crimpers I've bought through Amazon. I could look there and offer a recommendation for a kit with connectors.
It's nice not to need an extension cord to power the iron and the shrink sleeve can be sealed with a BBQ lighter, avoiding a compact heat gun.

This is how I would approach it. Crimped marine butt connectors. But I already have them and the tool.

Alright, I'm not seeing a kit that comes with enough 14-18 gauge butt splices.
(note! these are not the crap red,blue, yellow plastic insulated connectors you're going to find in Home Depot or AutoZone)
And the crimpers I suggest are specifically for heat shrink connectors

Edit in the links...

TICONN 60PCS Heat Shrink Butt Wire Connector Kit, Insulated Waterproof Electrical Wire Crimp Terminals Butt Splice for Marine Automotive (60PCS) https://a.co/d/irgTnyi

iCrimp Handy Ratchet Wire Crimping Tool, for AWG22-10 Heat Shrink Connectors https://a.co/d/7QP5YtX

would the box from a 1982 f150 non ac work for my truck, i could but it off from the  parts truck i have. thoughts?

cool thanks, ill check those out!

What year is your truck?
A/C or no A/C doesn't matter. The fuse panel is the same.
Yes, it should be a viable swap, but that really is the point of no return as far any remaining value in the donor.
I don't know what your situation is with that.

I went back to my post and edited in what I think are the least expensive Prime options.

82 is the parts and 85 cab on a 80 frame is the truck, if it can be called that lol. i agree, id rather not ruin a factory harness when i can just buy the box for 60 bucks. thanks ill check that out, i appreciate the help, im feeling alot better now about maybe eventually being able to drive the truck lol. thanks again

so before i bought the parts to do the fuse box swap i wanted to make sure it was not just a pulled out wire on hte existing fuse box.  last nite when i got home, well its much worse than i had thought, its not that the connection or box slot is broken.  about 50% of the wires that should be running into the fuse box dont even exist. what a pos situation. so unfortunately thats a harness swap, or swap the cab off my parts truck. ugh or push it into the river lol. :sigh:

It's hard to say what you have going on there.

I know my panel doesn't have any harness connections for things my truck didn't come with (like fuel pumps or A/C)

What are you trying to accomplish?

basic running, to title and tag, gonna need dash lights and since the last guy removed the wires for the dash lights...unless i can wire in some other way to get them to work. i like working on her but i dunno why i keep trying to fix this chaos factory

well at this point i need to remove the dash and start cutting wire ties to get a sense of whats not there and what is. will post updates when i have some, ty

this is a typically very frustrating way to learn about old trucks of any brand. if this is certainly a project and not a needed truck to survive then great. it give you the opportunity to stop and walk away or step back and study at least. do that whenever you feel the need. not all trucks had the full wiring harness even if they had the same fuse box. track down the bare minimum of needed circuits first and verify the basics and you may find that there are only a few circuits missing. the dash light should come off of the headlight switch so trace that first. don't be fooled by bad bulbs either. in this case do not use led bulbs. it may only frustrate you more. I use them but prove the system first before.

sounds like sound advice, ok i wont give up on her yet.