Another lwb to swb

[Mullinsracing]

I'm planning to begin the shortening process of my newly aquired 71 c10 tomorrow. I have been reading up on this and have a question. I am going to attempt to cut down the bed instead of buying new bedsides but am seeing 2 different dimensions being used. I know that I need to remove 12" out from in front of the rear fender wells since I will be removing 12" from the frame under the cab but how much off from behind the rear fender well. I have seen some say 6" and others say 8". What is the correct amount to make the bedsides match that of the swb?

Thanks for the help.

[Vova]

8" out of the rear.

[Mullinsracing]

Thanks for the reply. I actually just found another thread about this a couple pages back. I'll post up some pics as I go.

[Ironangel]

Here you go, in detail... http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ow+buck&page=8

[Mullinsracing]

Well I started cutting on the bed yesterday. The PO had a spray in bedliner installed which I have to get out before I start welding the bed back together. The liner is almost 1/2" this in the back.

Any suggestions on the best way to remove it?

[ol_skool_chevy]

Good question..........1/2 inch is going to be a real pain in the a-- to remove..maybe call a company that makes it and ask them?
looking forward to see your short bed though

[WarMonger]

It will look good with the 12 and 8 combo. I did mine like that.

[Ironangel]

Looking good so far...8" inches! 8" + 12" = 20"...20" inches is the magic number...Use a stiff wire wheel on your grinder to remove the bed liner material...Pay close attention to Kevins details in that link I posted...Take your time with the fit up and use tack welds instead of beads when you get the fit right. I would also suggest getting some of these... http://www.harborfreight.com/welding...mps-60545.html Be sure and wear a shield over your face and a thick shirt and jacket when using the wire wheel! keep the pics coming...

[Vova]

It will look much better.

[frankslagoon]

Nice work boys. Is there a magic spot to cut so the bed mounts line up ? and waiting to see where ya cut the frame. I assume under the cab would be best?

[Ironangel]

Originally Posted by frankslagoon

Nice work boys. Is there a magic spot to cut so the bed mounts line up ? and waiting to see where ya cut the frame. I assume under the cab would be best?

Read this, thoroughly... http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ow+buck&page=8 Layout and clean your cut lines before cutting...Much easier to prep for fit up and welding...The body lines are close but not an exact match so you have to "massage" the sheet metal to fit before welding...LFD gives concise instruction in his thread, follow it! Here's another more concise option. Efabmans procedure for cutting the frame is without question the strongest and correct method from a structurally engineered point of view... http://ebfabman.com/

[Mullinsracing]

I agree the short bed will be sweet once done. I am now contemplating on disassembling the bed and "fixing" the bedsides on the table rather than on the truck since the beadliner is being a bi%&$. Then I will be easier to remove the bedliner. Since I plan to bag the truck I am going to go ahead and plan for the future and install the notch and raise the bed floor now instead of doing it later.

I will cut the bed under the cab so that I do not have to move that massive crossmember. Also the "Z" cut is the best.

[Mullinsracing]

Well finally made some progress. Got the outer seams tacked together. Also found that if I cut the bed liner into strips I can peel it out but will still be very labor intensive.

Is there any downside to welding up those seams with stainless mig wire? I tacked them with .035 wire but have a smaller diameter roll of stainless that I can use to finish stitching back together but if I need to I can buy a smaller diameter regular wire if the stainless will not work.

[enduroride]

As far as the bed liner, are you planning on taking to entire liner out, or just the area to be welded ?
We completely removed a green colored liner out of my sons 02 silverado that was at least a 1/2" thick (looked like two liners on top of each other done in someone garage ). We found that if you get a razor knife and cut it in 1-1/2" - 2" strips and then use a air chisel / hammer with a flat blade on it, the liner will come right out. Its was a long process, but we got it done. Had a new black liner sprayed in and it looks a whole lot better !

[Mike C]

Get yourself some .023 er70s mig wire. I wouldn't risk the possible issues resulting from the unknown influences of the stainless filler.

I have found with the little stainless welding I have done that it needs stainless filler and vice versa.

[68350]

Just thinking out loud but could you sandblast the bedliner out?

[Daaaanz67]

I read some where that dry ice was used to remove stuff like fat mat, dyna mat. Once froze it just chipped off. That's going to be a lot of ice though but worth trying in a little area.

[bs46488]

Wow! You weren't kidding about it being almost 1/2" thick. That's insane.

I did the SWB conversion and ran into the same bed liner issue with welding. Mine was nowhere near as thick as yours. I did about 2 - 3 rounds of aircraft stripper, then was able to hit it with a grinding disc to weld.

My guess is that you'd have to make like 8-10 rounds of stripper to get that off.

I had my inner fenders dustless blasted and it took off all the junk, undercoat, etc. The fender where easy because I just threw them in my truck bed and drove there.

[Mullinsracing]

Well got all the seams about 75% stitched. Also got most of the bed liner out by cutting in 10" strips and then clamping with vise grips and pulling out with overhead crane.

[BruthaMan]

How's progress coming? Watching this intensely, as I'm considering doing the same myself this spring.

Any "gotchas" or "man, I should have done it this way" you can share, will be most helpful!

[WarMonger]

I just want to know what was faster. cutting the bed in two sections and welding it back together, or getting the bed liner out?

[Mullinsracing]

Cutting the bed was fast since the bed is back in one piece and the bedliner is still not completely out.

[Mullinsracing]

quick question. once I stared removing paint and welding back together there was a lot of bondo in the areas around the welds. I am thinking of separating the outer bed panel from the inner bed panel so I can hammer and dolly everything the cut down on the bondo as they had ALOT on there but I cannot get to the backsides as the clearance to the inner panel is too close. Does anyone know where all he spot welds are?

[Mullinsracing]

Well I got my exhaust shortened and replaced my mufflers. Dropped off the driveshaft to be shortened. Replaced all the cab mounts and core support mounts. Now I have to adjust my doors as they will not close. Is this normal after replacing some badly worn cab mounts?

[Mullinsracing]

Everything is back together and running again. Time to finish removing the bedliner and do bodywork to the bed. Also plan to remove the upper trim and fill all the holes.