Shortbeds?

[hath]

Hi guys, I'm new to the board but I've got a question. I'm looking for a shortbed chevy (2 x 4) or (4 x 4), aside from the C10, are there any other shortbeds (non-stepside)?

[SS Tim]

Funny we just had something on this the other day. Basically it boils down to what everyone usually considers a shortbed is the short wheelbase 115" SWB pickup with a 6 1/2' bed. Blazers have a shorter bed at 5 1/2' and are sometime equiped with a rare half cab. The there is the long wheelbase 127" LWB 8' bed trucks found on C10 and C20s. To complicate further we have Longhorns with longer beds at 8 1/2' on 133" wheelbase 1 ton chassis rated as C20 or C30. If that is not enough there is a 9' stepside as well.

Welcome to the board!

[weever82]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

Funny we just had something on this the other day. Basically it boils down to what everyone usually considers a shortbed is the short wheelbase 115" SWB pickup with a 6 1/2' bed. Blazers have a shorter bed at 5 1/2' and are sometime equiped with a rare half cab. The there is the long wheelbase 127" LWB 8' bed trucks found on C10 and C20s. To complicate further we have Longhorns with longer beds at 8 1/2' on 133" wheelbase 1 ton chassis rated as C20 or C30. If that is not enough there is a 9' stepside as well.

Welcome to the board!

That didn't sound to confusing at all...

Weev-

[SS Tim]

Relative sizes. Shortest, Short, Long, Longhorn, Longest.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

Relative sizes. Shortest, Short, Long, Longhorn, Longest.

This is helpful. No wonder when I see some of these pics of long beds on the forum, they seem longer than my truck.

So, is my truck the size of that yellow one you posted? It's a c20 btw


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[67ChevyRedneck]

The most simple answer is no. C20's on up were only longbeds or longer (longhorns). There are shortbed 3/4 tons, etc out there, but they were converted to a shortbed by someone at somepoint. So they do exist, but not from GM. I guess you want a 3/4 ton shortbed, is that why you're asking?

[SS Tim]

Yes, your C20 is a regular longbed LWB truck with a 127" wheelbase, like the yellow truck. The Longhorns had a section grafted onto the front of the bed sides and left the stake pockets in the 8' bed position. In fact if you want to post a picture of your SPID I will be happy to decode it for you. Block out the last six digits of the VIN number on the top left if you want, as they are the actual serial number.
Didn't mean to confuse people but sometimes its fun to put accepted norms in a relative light. How short is short and how far does long go?

[special-K]

A shortbed C/30 is the same wheelbase as the longest C/20...133" WB

Actually this is "longest":

[SS Tim]

OK, Tim, Yes there were other longer wheelbases. :-) But in 67-72 the 133" was the longest wheelbase pickup offered, 8 1/2' was the longest Fleetside bed offered and 9' Stepside was the longest bed offered. Both the 8 1/2' and the 9' were on the same 133" wheelbase!

However I am still kicking around a 10' bed / 157"WB 4x4 pickup idea. It would haul a dog box or a 10' Alaskan within the bed.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

Yes, your C20 is a regular longbed LWB truck with a 127" wheelbase, like the yellow truck. The Longhorns had a section grafted onto the front of the bed sides and left the stake pockets in the 8' bed position. In fact if you want to post a picture of your SPID I will be happy to decode it for you. Block out the last six digits of the VIN number on the top left if you want, as they are the actual serial number.
Didn't mean to confuse people but sometimes its fun to put accepted norms in a relative light. How short is short and how far does long go?

Thanks. Here's a snapshot of the sticker in be glovebox. It's a little hard to read, but I was actually able to make it easier to read than with the human eye


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[SS Tim]

Well here is your option list. Actually it is pretty sparse, but that leaves room for improvement. Bet you miss having power steering or power brakes. An interesting fact is the Custom Comfort and Appearance package but no radio. Lots of springs though to carry a load.

Model CE20934
C80 Door Jamb Switch ...dome lamp operating
F59 Front Stabilizer Equipment ...stabilizer bar
G70 Rear Suspension Leaf Spring ...HD upgrade from coil springs
M49 Turbo Hydra-Matic ...3 speed automatic trans.
V46 Chrome Bumper-Front ...no rear bumper as built
Z62 Custom Comfort & Appearance Package
607 Blue Custom Cloth Trim

BX2 Body Side Molding Wide
F52 Front Shock Absorbers ...HD rears included with leaf springs
G50 HD Rear Spring ...max capacity
LS9 350 Cu In V-8 Engine
PO3 Chrome Hub Caps
Z53 Ammeter-Oil Gauges
537 White/ Light Blue ...521/507 GM color codes

BTW: No optional mirrors listed

[special-K]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

OK, Tim, Yes there were other longer wheelbases. :-) But in 67-72 the 133" was the longest wheelbase pickup offered, 8 1/2' was the longest Fleetside bed offered and 9' Stepside was the longest bed offered. Both the 8 1/2' and the 9' were on the same 133" wheelbase!...

That's all correct,but I was responding to the original poster's question. He asked about shortbeds other than C/10s and never actually specified "pickups",just non-Stepside. People forget that 10-30 series are all in one group and my point was to not leave out the C/30s. They came in short & long. GM never referred to "longbed" or "shortbed". They referred to "wheelbase".

Originally Posted by hath

Hi guys, I'm new to the board but I've got a question. I'm looking for a shortbed chevy (2 x 4) or (4 x 4), aside from the C10, are there any other shortbeds (non-stepside)?

Originally Posted by special-K

A shortbed C/30 is the same wheelbase as the longest C/20...133" WB

Actually this is "longest":

[SS Tim]

Tim, You win! :-) 157s are the longest and you have one as I remember.

[cdowns]

if you are lookin to buy a shortbed truck

do yourself a favor and crawl under it and LOOK// there are a large amount of cutdown longbeds being sold as shorties some good most bad// to me a cutdown longbed is not worth the same money a factory short is

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

Well here is your option list. Actually it is pretty sparse, but that leaves room for improvement. Bet you miss having power steering or power brakes. An interesting fact is the Custom Comfort and Appearance package but no radio. Lots of springs though to carry a load.

Model CE20934
C80 Door Jamb Switch ...dome lamp operating
F59 Front Stabilizer Equipment ...stabilizer bar
G70 Rear Suspension Leaf Spring ...HD upgrade from coil springs
M49 Turbo Hydra-Matic ...3 speed automatic trans.
V46 Chrome Bumper-Front ...no rear bumper as built
Z62 Custom Comfort & Appearance Package
607 Blue Custom Cloth Trim

BX2 Body Side Molding Wide
F52 Front Shock Absorbers ...HD rears included with leaf springs
G50 HD Rear Spring ...max capacity
LS9 350 Cu In V-8 Engine
PO3 Chrome Hub Caps
Z53 Ammeter-Oil Gauges
537 White/ Light Blue ...521/507 GM color codes

BTW: No optional mirrors listed

Thanks! Yeah, it's pretty basic, but that's ok. It seems to have the good foundation stuff. It does have power steering, so someone must have added it later. Good to know about the mirrors. I like the stock smaller mirrors, but now I've got those holes left from someone slapping on larger mirrors
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[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

Well here is your option list. Actually it is pretty sparse, but that leaves room for improvement. Bet you miss having power steering or power brakes. An interesting fact is the Custom Comfort and Appearance package but no radio. Lots of springs though to carry a load.

Model CE20934
C80 Door Jamb Switch ...dome lamp operating
F59 Front Stabilizer Equipment ...stabilizer bar
G70 Rear Suspension Leaf Spring ...HD upgrade from coil springs
M49 Turbo Hydra-Matic ...3 speed automatic trans.
V46 Chrome Bumper-Front ...no rear bumper as built
Z62 Custom Comfort & Appearance Package
607 Blue Custom Cloth Trim

BX2 Body Side Molding Wide
F52 Front Shock Absorbers ...HD rears included with leaf springs
G50 HD Rear Spring ...max capacity
LS9 350 Cu In V-8 Engine
PO3 Chrome Hub Caps
Z53 Ammeter-Oil Gauges
537 White/ Light Blue ...521/507 GM color codes

BTW: No optional mirrors listed

Tim,

Another question. Is mine a C20, Custom 20, or Camper Special? There seems to be some confusion. The title says C20, but the emblems say Custom 20(which someone easily could have changed to). It has the extra bed tank, and marks on the bed lip where a camper may have been mounted, which sounds like a camper special.

Can you tell exactly what model from this sticker on the glove box?
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[pat 70/71]

Originally Posted by cdowns

if you are lookin to buy a shortbed truck

do yourself a favor and crawl under it and LOOK// there are a large amount of cutdown longbeds being sold as shorties some good most bad// to me a cutdown longbed is not worth the same money a factory short is

This is good advise, you really need to check the truck out. some less than honest types push the cut downs as originals and thats just (in my opinion) wrong. I cut a long bed down to a shortie because I like the proportions of a short bed visually and I would never try to hide that fact or, bs a buyer. cheers, Pat

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

Tim,

Another question. Is mine a C20, Custom 20, or Camper Special? There seems to be some confusion. The title says C20, but the emblems say Custom 20(which someone easily could have changed to). It has the extra bed tank, and marks on the bed lip where a camper may have been mounted, which sounds like a camper special.

Can you tell exactly what model from this sticker on the glove box?

Its simple and clear.
C/20 is the series designation for a truck with a 5200-7500lbs GVW (gross vehicle weight) range. This is the legal designation of your truck.

Your truck has option Z62 "Custom Comfort and Appearance", as part of this option your truck is badged a Custom/20. This is a trim level as it denotes nothing but that.

Your truck is NOT equipped with the Z81 "Custom Camper Nameplate". If your truck were, it would have a "Custom Camper/20" superseding the "Custom/20" badge. The option is not a specific package, it only means the truck has meet the model specific equipment requirements to qualify. The badge was in fact a no charge option that many qualifying trucks were never ordered with. So its not really a model badge but more of a certifying badge of a chassis equipment.

The tank is an aftermarket tank and many trucks carried campers as a useage. But "Custom Camper" and the later post '72 "Camper Specials" were identified option nameplates.

[Cash3481]

Tim,
Reading this has me asking...
What is the vehicle rating of a custom camper C/20, with the rear helper springs? Does it affect the GVWR of the vehicle or is it just a means for me to overload it with piece of mind.lol seriously though, does that affect the rating or is a 3/4 ton rating all the same?
Mike
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[SS Tim]

Mike,
It says it all right here on the door plate. The left column indicates what your truck was sprung for and had the tires to carry AS BUILT. The right column indicates the max. certified load the truck should carry and could be modified to carry if the left number is lower. You might have to add springs (front and or rear) and heavier tires to meet the load requirements. This informaion is in the owners handbook that I feel every owner should have. Now a big problem is many trucks have had their wheels and tires chaanged from stock sizes. This leaves it to the owner to verify the tire load rating is high enough and the wheels as well. Custom wheels & tires might not be up to a loaded 12' camper! This is an issue with the heavier C30 Longhorns, a pair of 2600lbs rated tires won't do on a 7500lbs axle carrying 7000lbs.
If there is still a specific question on your truck PM me.

[SS Tim]

Here are some numbers to digest and match up to your specific trucks. Its for '72 but close for many.
Did a Longhorn spec. out the other night for myself just to see how it would do. Truck ended up with a calculated curb weight of 5000lbs and a 9000lbs GVW. The options totaled 716lbs! But that still leaves me 4000lbs (2 tons) capacity to leave a scale clean.

Remember loaded trucks and soft spring ratings will not carry much load.

[Cash3481]

Tim,
Really just trying to convince myself to make a trailer tow vehicle. I have the custom camper C20 chassis (3/4 ton coil rear with overloads). My 2007 Sierra 1/2 ton squats a lot with the trailer loaded no matter the distribution of weight. I want to tow safer and easier on me and the truck. I think you have answered many thoughts I had. Thanks...time to read and study!
Mike
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[SS Tim]

Anytime the trailer gives pause it probably should have a full equalizer rig. A lot of car trailers go by here going to Willow Springs Raceway. Its amazing the number that are dragging butt because they don't have one. The coil/aux seup is a nice ride and good for the occasional heavy load. Tall camper and wind not so much. But adding an equalizer and premium shocks (4) will help a lot. If you need more there are airbags to fit in the rear coils.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

Its simple and clear.
C/20 is the series designation for a truck with a 5200-7500lbs GVW (gross vehicle weight) range. This is the legal designation of your truck.

Your truck has option Z62 "Custom Comfort and Appearance", as part of this option your truck is badged a Custom/20. This is a trim level as it denotes nothing but that.

Your truck is NOT equipped with the Z81 "Custom Camper Nameplate". If your truck were, it would have a "Custom Camper/20" superseding the "Custom/20" badge. The option is not a specific package, it only means the truck has meet the model specific equipment requirements to qualify. The badge was in fact a no charge option that many qualifying trucks were never ordered with. So its not really a model badge but more of a certifying badge of a chassis equipment.

The tank is an aftermarket tank and many trucks carried campers as a useage. But "Custom Camper" and the later post '72 "Camper Specials" were identified option nameplates.

Makes sense. Thanks so much.
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