Step vs. Fleetside

[GMC Jim]

My 1971 GMC 8' Fleetside ( Recent paint)

[PanelDeland]

The best advice I can give is to look in the Gallery.There are tons of trucks posted there.It will give you an idead of what each wheelbase and bed option looks like and make you drooooooool.Then you will have an idea of what you want.Since this is a first for you it would probably be best if you bought at least the wheelbase you want and swapped beds if needed.Shortening the frame is not for beginers.
If you look for member Krue he has done an outstanding job of organizing the FAQ's pages so that you can find the write ups on different mods.
You can also see lots of trucks in the trucks for sale section.Pick what you like and enjoy.

[68Stepbed]

I personally like the stepsides better, but that may be because I have one. I don't dislike the fleetsides for any reason however.

If you're looking for a daily driver, I would rather have a fleetside with the steel floor. You could get a spray-in bedliner, drop-in liner, rubber bed mat, tonneau covers, and just about any accessory you wanted to make it more versatile. I know, from experience, the stepsides are VERY limited in accessories and cargo space. If you plan to keep it somewhat respectable looking and still use it as a truck, a fleetside would be a bit better. You can do the same stuff with the stepper, but the wood floor will get roughed up pretty quick hauling stuff.

Also, the 6-cylinder will provide enough towing power to haul just about any small load, especially with a manual transmission. They may tend to wease a little with an auto though. My recommendation would be to stay with the six and manual trans, or a V8 with either trans.

Here's some of my stepper.

[glock35ipsc]

Wow, maybe I won't put together a step bed to swap out! I just priced how much it would cost to assemble one, and it's about $500 more than a new short fleet bed! Didn't realize that, but I never figured adding the fenders into the equation.

But I do like the steppers too. 68stepbed, I love yours since the paint job! Blue rules!

[Spray-Bomb]

I like em both
But I only like 67 Chevys & GMCs, accept for 4x4s then I like either a 71-72 Chevy or a 67 GMC

[kcjones]

There are some amazing steppers in this post! I've always thought they look nice, but these make me want to ditch my long fleet and search out a stepper.

Step side vs fleet side, my take: step side gives you better "truck" characteristics. It's a smaller area mathmatically, but it's a lot easier to load, so you can often times get more in them. The fenders on a step side are much more susceptible to damage if you load and unload the bed. Long steppers are somewhat rare, too!

72BLUZ, love the truck, man.

[68shortstep]

Here's my take on it: stepsides were almost always typical work trucks or the "farmer trucks." You put the tall wood sideboard racks on, load hogs or a cow/calf in the back, grain, sacks of feed, manure, whatever. Much easier to load/unload with the smooth sidewalls inside the step bed.

Put a cow or a bull in there on a fleetside bed, & you're inviting a broken leg with them stepping/stumbling/slipping on the exposed wheel well inside the bed. That fatal mistake means they're hamburger or balonie now, instead of profit from many calves later.

Also, you might be able to haul more grain inside a fleet bed, but it's harder to unload.

Where I grew up in North Missouri, the fleetsides were almost always the "in-town gentleman's truck" & not the farmer's.

I haven't ever seen a correlation of geographic sales by body style, but I'd bet the steps way-outsold the fleetsides in the rural/farming states. I'd also bet there were a whole lot more long beds sold than shortbeds, in both body styles.

[72BLUZ]

Originally Posted by richard8971

that is one of my favorite steppers!

Sweet truck.

Don

how could you go wrong with a stepper???

hey thanks for the compliment!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[plzsale09]

Some nice trucks boys or girls... i say you can never go wrong with a fleet or stepside they are all beautiful.

[special-K]

Amen.

[Shyguy]

Saturday I went to a car show in Oran, Missouri. All I saw was fleetside trucks. There were around 12 '67-72trucks there.

I like all '67-72 trucks, but for me I feel the need to be different for some reason and both my trucks of that era are step-sides, one long and one short.

Of course I am also unique in that I like the old 4 speed transmissions. My short stepper has a l-6 with the 4 speed and my long stepper has a 350 with the 4 speed.

My son has a bunch of these trucks and likes fleet-sides with 3 speeds or automatics.

It just comes down to what a person is going to use the truck for and what look appeals to you.

Around here long fleets are more plentiful.

I had a hard time finding a lwb stepper. It is roadworthy, but this year I am starting to restore it.

Danny

[jim zag]

You GUYS just do not get it!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE ONE OF EACH!!!! I want a long fleet with a 383 STROKER to use as a DAILY DRIVER and a short stepper with a 489 BIG BLOCK STROKER for a trip to a show or a CRUISE NIGHT!!!! You need MORE TRUCKS!!!!

[Longhorn Man]

longhorns is where it's at.

[Shyguy]

I would love to own a LongHorn stepper, but they I have never seen a LongHorn around here of any bed configuration.

Danny

[CPNE]

There are no Longhorn Stepsides, they do them 6 inches better! A single rear wheel 133 inch wheelbase 1 ton stepside came with a 9 foot bed! All other 127 inch wheelbase configurations (1/2 & 3/4 ton) had 8 foot beds

[Longhorn Man]

cpne is right. longhorns were fleetside trucks. The 9 foot stepsides were never given a special name, nor were they marketed as anything special.

[BossHogg69]

Originally Posted by jim zag

You GUYS just do not get it!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE ONE OF EACH!!!! I want a long fleet with a 383 STROKER to use as a DAILY DRIVER and a short stepper with a 489 BIG BLOCK STROKER for a trip to a show or a CRUISE NIGHT!!!! You need MORE TRUCKS!!!!

Can I get an AMEN???!!!!!