Desperate need to fix Longhorn worktruck bed!!!!!

[427tom]

I have a 69 BB w/air CST C20 Longhorn work truck where the bed is a disaster.

The wood is rotten and about 15% is missing and another 15% could be ripped out with bare hands - it is that bad.

To make matters worse, the wheel house flanges are all gone as is the flange on the bottom of the inner side walls.

I see these plans of action:

1) find used Longhorn bed,
1a) find a used 8' bed,
2) replace deck with 3/4" Wolmanized plywood and use sheel metal angles to connect the wheelhouses and inner side walls,
3) find an 8' bed liner and fill up the 6" forward gap with wood.

There are 2 questions regarding this.

1) does anyone make an 8' bed liner?
2) does anyone make a Longhorn wood deck kit?
3) does anyone know about Markay Specialities? (a friend told me that they may have the deck kit, but internet searches have not yielded anything.)

Thanks in advance!
Tom

[krazy_texan]

i would think that gmc pauls or any of the other vendors on this board would have them, i personally have only had the pleasure of dealing with ricks pickup parts and he was a standup guy, but i also hear that about the others.

[chevy_fatman]

There's a board mamber that was parting out a truck with a bed like the one you need, he might still have but not sure, here's a link to his thread:

http://207.44.196.117/vboard/showthread.php3?t=117182

Good luck.

[427tom]

Wow, I didn't realize there was a "stepside" Longhorn bed!!!

I just found a perfectly fitting 8' universal bed liner. It may be called universal, but it fits the Chevy PERFECTLY!!!!!!!!

I got it from Butch's Hubcaps in Connellsville, PA. He said when they were discontinuing that liner, he bot a bunch of them because they were perfect for the 67-72 Chevy.

So now, I have to decide am I going to install it with the gap in front or in back. (You can slide the liner forward and it comes within 1-2" of the front bulkhead. It hits the wheelhouses. It covers about 1/2 of the top edge of the front bulkhead so that is very, very close. I was thinking if I did that, I would get some aluminum diamond plating and make strips for the gap at the gate - the liner has a lip that you could lay the plate on that would be very slick.

If I put the gap in the back, I will make a "roll bar" rack for hauling.

Of course, I still have to patch the wood deck because in one corner I basically have a 2' by 3' hole (!!!)

[Longhorn Man]

There are no step side longhorns tom.

[cwilli84]

Tom what about a tool box up front. Just an idea

[427tom]

Yeah, I was thinking of a little "trough" up front for shovels, rakes, etc.

However, the more I think about it, I'm going to try to slide if forward and put diamond plate strips to make up the difference - however, I won't make that decision until I have the deck patched and get the liner in there and play around with the fit.

[cwilli84]

Tom I think your computers clock is off a bit. Look at your posting time.