LB Stepside bed cross braces ?

[RShaips]

I am getting ready to work on my bed and it is missing some of the cross braces that the wood bolts thru. The front ones and the back ones are there but it is missing the center one and the one behind it. The brace in front of it is shorter in height due to the frame being taller at that point and it looks like the one behind it that is missing should also be shorter. The center piece I am missing should be even shorter since there is almost no room under the wood, or is there even one supposed to go there? The bolts are there thru the wood but do they even attach to anything else? Trying to figure out how I am going to put in a gas tank and an aluminum tread plate floor. Thanks

[RShaips]

I know there a few long bed stepsides out there!

[MAR-Ktech]

RShaips:
When we sell these kits we allow for one of the reinforcement strips (the shorter sill about an inch tall) just forward from the frame kick up, 33-3/4" back from the front of the bed floor. There are two more bolt locations rearward that do not have a reinforcement strip, although the position at 60-1/8" could fit one over the frame if you want. The position between them, approximately 47-1/2" back is over the high part of the frame and a reinforcement strip would not fit there.

Having said that, sometimes a customer wants a reinforcement strip for the 60-1/8" location because their truck has one in that position. There are trucks out there that are made both ways, and we do not know if both ways are original or not. Hopefully someone with direct experience will help us out. I would also like to know so we can sell the kits right.

Mar-Ktech

[RShaips]

What you said is exactly how mine is. It looks like there should be one more smaller strip behind the frame kick up, but there isn't. Thanks for the reply