Cost of SWB fleetside bed?

[KrazyKevin]

What should I expect to pay for a swb fleetside bed with a few dings and dents? Don't mind doing some body work, just don't want any major rust or gouges in it. I'm just needing a rough estimate. I chunked my old bed because there were waves in the floor and it looked like they had hauled bricks for the last 30 years in it.

Thanks

[special-K]

You should have kept that bed.New floors are made,you know.There`s also always hope to find a good floor in a bed with wrecked sides.My friend just finished a`68 and used the rustfree wavy California floor he had bought.He kept trying to find a better one until it came time to use it.It`s in there now and he`s just bedlining it and putting a tonneau on.I`m just saying,it`s not like beds in the condition you want are lying all over the place.definitely something to think twice about scrapping.

The price will vary from $300-$1,500+ for original to $2,500-ish for new.

[KrazyKevin]

No hope for the old one. All four sides and the bottom looked like somone took a sledge hammer to it. Thats what I meant by hauling bricks. They aren't like dents you can knock out and smooth over. They are gouges and creases galore. Nasty!!!

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by KrazyKevin

No hope for the old one. All four sides and the bottom looked like somone took a sledge hammer to it. Thats what I meant by hauling bricks. They aren't like dents you can knock out and smooth over. They are gouges and creases galore. Nasty!!!

I seen one for sale for $900 and it was said to only have minimal rust ..

If you google up "Chevy short box for sale " that is where I seen it .

[leddzepp]

New (re-pop) bedsides are about $500 each.

[unclewatts]

This is a dumb question, but have you checked around with your local wrecking yards?

[67ChevyRedneck]

Price varies A LOT! I bought a good bed for $300, but the floor was completely shot (barrel rolled) and it had a bent aftermarket tailgate. I got lucky and got an excellent tailgate from out west for $300, a repop header panel was about $100, I bought inner and outer wheel well patches that were cut off a rust free western long bed, and I got a really nice LWB bed floor that I have to cut down for $150. I thought I got a steal on the bed until I started picking up the pieces I needed to make it look new again. So instead of a steal I got a fair deal. I should have an awesome bed someday though

Keep all of those extra costs in mind when shopping for a new bed. Tailgates and floors get expensive quick. I lucked out on my floor, but I think those repop ones are like 8 or 900 bucks!

I agree with Tim, anywhere from a few hundred bucks to well over a grand for a really nice one with a nice tailgate.

[AusTx68]

I found just finding a short fleet in any condition was a problem. It took me 8 months to find one locally and I was searching in a 200 mile radius. I actually did come across one for $900 but passed thinking I could get a better deal. Yea right..I should have picked it up. Took months to find another. I consider myself lucky to find one with bedside damage for $400. I dropped another $1100 in parts to make it near perfect.

[Strut]

I found a original one in Virginia for a good price....less then $1000. Whole bed only surface rust, with a decent tailgate. I will have the original one off my truck for sale soon. It needs some patch work....but it could be fixed.

[KrazyKevin]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

[NWD02]

Kevin, I'm not far from you I don't mind helping you find one. I knew of a board member going through the big "D" that decided to sale his entire project cheap. PM you contact info and I'll help. I drove all the way to Florida to buy mine but the deal was so sweet, $1200 for the entire bed, tail gate, and bed already had spray in liner. Here's pics of mine when I bought it.

-Nick

[KrazyKevin]

Thanks Nick. Awesome find. I'll get with you soon. Thanks!!

[Shyguy]

Short beds, either steppers or wide, are very rare around these parts.

I was lucky to find a near perfect short step-side from a guy in St. Louis for $500. but those kind of deals are hard to find. All the body work and paint prep has been done. It will need a new wood floor.

We can not find good original tail-gates around here for any price.

Danny

[nathansmith15]

Originally Posted by KrazyKevin

What should I expect to pay for a swb fleetside bed with a few dings and dents? Don't mind doing some body work, just don't want any major rust or gouges in it. I'm just needing a rough estimate. I chunked my old bed because there were waves in the floor and it looked like they had hauled bricks for the last 30 years in it.

Thanks

nothing to do with a new bed . . . but i have a question
i have 5 67-72 chevys . . . all lwb fleetsides . . . and i want to know if the swb trucks have rear trailing arms? or if they are all leaf spring trucks . . . if they do have trailing arms . . . are they shorter than the lwb or are they mounted in a different spot up front??
please respond

[HuggerCST]

Originally Posted by nathansmith15

nothing to do with a new bed . . . but i have a question
i have 5 67-72 chevys . . . all lwb fleetsides . . . and i want to know if the swb trucks have rear trailing arms? or if they are all leaf spring trucks . . . if they do have trailing arms . . . are they shorter than the lwb or are they mounted in a different spot up front??
please respond

Welcome Nathan!
LWB and SWB Chevy trucks came standard with trailing arms & coil springs, and the trailing arms were all the same length. Leaf springs were an option on Chevys. GMC came standard with leaf springs, with coils as an option.

[gcburdic]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

I bought a good bed for $300, but the floor was completely shot (barrel rolled) and it had a bent aftermarket tailgate. I got lucky and got an excellent tailgate from out west for $300, a repop header panel was about $100, I bought inner and outer wheel well patches that were cut off a rust free western long bed, and I got a really nice LWB bed floor that I have to cut down for $150. I thought I got a steal on the bed until I started picking up the pieces I needed to make it look new again. So instead of a steal I got a fair deal. I should have an awesome bed someday though

That was very nicely worded!!!

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by gcburdic

That was very nicely worded!!!

I figured you'd be reading that. But yeah, my "cheap" bed is starting to rack up the costs I honestly don't even remember what I paid you, I think I paid more than $300, come to think of it?

But you and I both knew that was going to happen anyway, that's why you went with a new bed Even when I'm done, I'll still be under half of what a new one costs 'cause I'll be doing it all myself.

[gcburdic]

Actually I took LESS than $300.....I felt sorry for ya....so you did get a DEAL!!!

[my67chevytruck]

Originally Posted by gcburdic

Actually I took LESS than $300.....I felt sorry for ya....so you did get a DEAL!!!

What Geoff felt sorry for someone.......

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by gcburdic

Actually I took LESS than $300.....I felt sorry for ya....so you did get a DEAL!!!

So I spent more $ on my tailgate then my bed? Well that's just messed up

[gcburdic]

Originally Posted by my67chevytruck

What Geoff felt sorry for someone.......

YEP....I do have a few sorry bones in my body

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

So I spent more $ on my tailgate then my bed? Well that's just messed up

Nope, that's not messed up....that's just a REALLY great deal
I guess it's like restoring these trucks....we'll never (or rarely) get what we got into them!!!

Sorry KrazyKevin for hijacking your thread!!!...

[lt704]

Hi everyone, I have a 68 c-10 with a 1994 stepside bed looks nice. I am looking for a 68 stepside bed. Questio ? does any one may a reproduction swb bed? thanks

[67ChevyRedneck]

Yes, you can buy a complete aftermarket stepside or fleetside bed.

[lt704]

Hey Redneck, thanks for thinfo. Do you know where to buy a complete stepside bed ? thank you

[67ChevyRedneck]

I don't know of anyone who just sells the "entire bed", but just about any vendor sells all of the pieces seperately to make a complete bed. The vendors on this board try to only stock the best of the aftermarket parts (some of the parts/stampings do suck). If I were you, I'd research what vendors are close to you and buy the pieces in person, or go to your nearest large swap meet, this will save you literally hundreds on shipping and you can check out the quality of the parts in person before you buy them.

The panels and rear step fenders I've seen at the Charlotte Autofair have actually looked really nice. Be ready for a sticker shock, the step fenders are about $4oo each, and I think the rear bedsides are that or more.