longbed to shortbed conversion

[68c10owner]

I know that you need to take about 20" from under the cab and 8" off of the rear but has anyone here actually done it? I`ve got a CCT mag where they did it and they make it look easy. I see alot of longbeds cheap these days, cheap enough that it would justify spending the money on a repop bed kit.

[67cst]

20 inches? i couldve swarn it was 12 under the cab and 8 off the rear to total 20 inches total but maybe im wrong, it was about 4 years ago i shortened mine

[72CSTC5]

its 20 total of the bed requiring two cuts but the frame is just one cut.

['68 longbed]

makes me want to keep my long stepper, long! won't be long before people start saying "hey why can't we find any trucks that havn't been cut down.


cut it down man , cut it down!! ;-)

[dan42]

There's tons of stuff here somewhere - a couple of threads with guys that have done it, pictures and everything. Browse through some of the old threads.

[mr48chev]

The amount cut out is the difference between a long bed and a short bed wheel base. Most folks cut behind the front bed mount.

One trick that one of my running buddies has used is to cut the frame so that it is cut half way down then cut the back half up from the bottom half way so that the two sections tab over each other and give more weld surface than a plane butt weld. Either way it is done the frame should be plated and boxed.

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by 67cst

20 inches? i couldve swarn it was 12 under the cab and 8 off the rear to total 20 inches total but maybe im wrong, it was about 4 years ago i shortened mine

your right, it was 12" but a total of 20". I tried looking for some threads but ran out of time. I`ll try again. I just wanted to hear from people that have actually done it and if there were any problems along the way.

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

The amount cut out is the difference between a long bed and a short bed wheel base. Most folks cut behind the front bed mount.

One trick that one of my running buddies has used is to cut the frame so that it is cut half way down then cut the back half up from the bottom half way so that the two sections tab over each other and give more weld surface than a plane butt weld. Either way it is done the frame should be plated and boxed.

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Anyhow the cuts look something like the above rendition and seem to add a bit of strength to the unit.

If I end up with the right truck, I`ll do it like I saw in the mag and cut the frame at a 45* angle. They did it probably for the same reason you mention. Early classics also sells a frame brace kit for doing the modification, at least they use to.

[jmking9]

Early Classic has a very good article in the tech section of their web site. Ive seen a couple of people do it on here, and theirs looked better than ECE's.

[ChevyDude]

I am in the process of changing a LWB to a SWB. Board member and friend Glock/Bob has done his and will be doing my cutting soon. Here is his frame being done:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=123624


Alex

[LockDoc]

-
I did mine using Glocks method and it worked out great. The reason I used this method is because I personally think it gives the strongest joint possible... If you are not an experienced welder have someone who is weld it up for you.

Just my 2¢ worth.

LockDoc

[Frizzle Fry]

Just to be clear; it's 12" of wheelbase and 8" of @$$-end. The 12" section needs to come out from between the tranny x-member and the trailing-arm x-member (if not a coil/auto truck it'll be in the same section of frame there between the front and rear cab mounts). A 45* cut with ECE boxing channel worked out perfectly for me. There's no doubt that it's stronger in that section than it was before

The 8" is just lopped off the back of the frame for trucks (sectioned out again for Burbs).

You can see mine in my Tahoe sig link.

As mentioned above there are a number of threads on this (a good one in FAQ too).

[deadof_knight]

I took mine out of the center just under the cab where the trailing arms mount welded them back and been driving it for 6 years now under the influence of teens both my boys have drivning it for the last 6 years

[krue]

Click the Index link in my sig, there's a couple of FAQ's on this subject.

[2bits]

You can do it the "wrong" way too... Move the rear axle up with leaf springs and cut the rear of the frame off. The mechanics on mine ain't sexy but it looks good, and it's solid and working fine, depends on how flexible you are hehe and you obviously won't want to go as drastically short lol. (I didn't do it)

[68K20 x Drill]

Is that a 4'X4'

[2bits]

Mine? No. I put Blazer rear leaf springs on it because the PO messed up the leaves he had in there trying to lower it. They sit too high for me, so I need to remove 1 leaf from the rear and I still need to install my new front springs to get it back stock (he heated them up to to lower the front )

[jandones]

Yeah it can be done. I saw it on Trucks.... And that same weekend i attempted it here at my house... 12" outta the frame right infront of the rear cab mount. and 8" out of the rear frame. and same with the bed... About 30-35 hours of work. Marking everything right and getting everything to fit just right... Looks awesome. here are some pictures...

[jandones]

here is another pic

[Roman]

Quick question, I would like to convert my 71 longbed stepside to a shortbed. Do I need a shortbed propeller shaft and trailing arms? A nice article was published in the July edition of Custom Classic Trucks, but it only talked about how to hack the frame and reposition the bed mounts. What else is involved? Thanks!

[Ram-Man]

Click on the linky's in this thread, or my build thread. If the classic truck one is the one I read they took a tough route to do it by cutting out from behind the cab and not underneath it. It sounds like a major undertaking but it is fairly simple. Just make sure you measure alot and keep everything square. You use your existing trailing arms and crossmember. Good Luck!

[Roman]

Ram-Man, nice thread, thanks for the quick answer. I plan to take photos for posting, I hope not to mess it up.

[68c10owner]

I`m pretty sure the trailing arms are the same for long bed and shortbed. The driveshafts are definatly different as you suspected. You should be able to find a 1 piece shaft pretty east from donor vehicle to work wit hthe shortbed.

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by jandones

Yeah it can be done. I saw it on Trucks.... And that same weekend i attempted it here at my house... 12" outta the frame right infront of the rear cab mount. and 8" out of the rear frame. and same with the bed... About 30-35 hours of work. Marking everything right and getting everything to fit just right... Looks awesome. here are some pictures...

Awsome work. Thanks for posting the pics. There is a ton of longbeds around here for cheap.

How bout` this one, what about converting a 3/4 ton longbed to 1/2 ton shortbed? I know the article I read used a 3/4 Ton and used a conversion spindle from early classics I think. Did all 3/4 tons use rear leafs instead of coils?

[Roman]

A couple questions guys, I'm about to hack the frame of my 71 LWB stepside to make it a SWB. I want to make sure I have everything I need before hand and try to avoid any surprises.

I noticed that after cutting 12" of frame from under the cab and joining the frame back together, the cross member and trailing arms will shift almost 12" forward under the cab – Have you guys experienced any problems with this? The cross member has this raised shape in the middle, I’m slightly concerned.

My LWB (L6 3 speed std trans) has a two piece driveshaft. I understand a shorter driveshaft would be needed. Do I need to find a driveshaft from a SWB?

Thanks in advance for this thread and input.

Roman