[mechanicalman]

We used a BFH to pound the stiffener channels in (thicker metal than the frame rails) then the holes that were originally 24" apart became 12" apart so we bolted in the 12" standards to assure we shortened exactly 12". Our gaps needed to be ground down a little but in the end they were tight and the stiffener channels do a great job of keeping the frame rails straight but we did have to use a lot of grade 8 bolts to suck the stiffeners in all the way, and also bolts on top as well. We drilled through the front two cab bracket holes through the stiffener channel and installed those two bolts then drilled through the bracket itself to locate the rear cab bracket bolt holes. So the cab brackets bolted through the frame and through the stiffeners as well. And the rivet we had to remove from the front of the front bed mount became also a bolt that went through the bracket, frame, and stiffener channel.

We welded the butt ends of the frame together but my welder did not want to weld the stiffener plates in that area. We only stitch welded the stiffener plates on the edges of the C channels.

After we finished that the two left-over holes from the standard dimension worked perfect for the clips that hole the wiring harness to the rear.