55-59 bed questions

[Longstep70]

So I have a couple of questions about the beds for 55-59 trucks.
I'm currently looking for a 55-59 truck after previously owning a '70 so bear with me if I ask something obvious, its all part of the learning curve...
First off is the topic of interchangeability. Are the step bed sides, fenders, front panel and tailgate the same as the ones used in later years? Fenders on 60-66 look awful similar. I have the bed box for a '70 step and these parts look the same or very similar to the 55-59 stepside parts too. Are they the same?
Fleetside beds on the 55-59 seem to be less common than the steppers, are they more valuable? I don't seem to be seeing much, if any difference in prices for fleetsides over stepsides.

-Andy

[GRIMSS]

55-66 step fenders are the same. as for the boxes i don't know.

I'm a fan of fleetside bed so to me I would pay more for one than a step.

[CAL 58 GMC]

The box is the same all the way up to 87, just the holes for the fenders were different. As GRIMSS said, the fender were the same from 55 to 66.

[dwcsr]

The fenders have a slight difference after 62-63 in that there is a recess in the fender where the tail light goes. In 67 they changed the fender to the more squared type. So you could use 55 2nd thru 66 on the box and also the fender if you don't mine the recess

[MAR-Ktech]

Andy, we have some information on the website that may be helpful. Go to http://www.mar-k.com/installation_hints.html and scroll down to the bed side interchangeability file. There is one for short beds and another for long beds. Every year series change actually changed the bed, some in subtle ways and others in major ways. It depends on how much work you want to do to make a different year bed work on your truck and how much you care about things being like original.

Mar-Ktech

[Longstep70]

Ah, great links. thanks very much. It looks like there are less changes from year to year on the front panel and tailgate than on the bed sides and fenders, am I right?

[MAR-Ktech]

Correct. For Chevrolet, the tailgate was unchanged except for what seems like lighter gage metal somewhere in the 70's. Front panel is unchanged except for the holes along the bottom to match the changed wood board widths from year to year.

Mar-Ktech

[samcrf450]

Sorry to change the subject a little but Mar-k I was looking at your tailgate link assembly part #102834. My question is when mounting the pivot bracket to the tailgate are the screws visible when the gate is closed? I could not see it in the install pics because there was not a shot of it at the right angle.

[MAR-Ktech]

The screws are visible on the tailgate when it is closed. In the fleetside installation instruction http://www.mar-k.com/58-66FTGlinkassy.pdf (check the final step) there is a shot of the fleetside tailgate that shows it, and the system is very much the same as your stepside. You could weld the pivot bracket to the tailgate end to eliminate the screws.

Mar-Ktech