Why is it so hard to find stepside beds

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by rigon4

I've been looking for a stepside box on CL ever day for a couple months now parts are getting hard to find!

True, cars / trucks are all the rage right now, all the motorcycle chopper shows have been replaced with hot rods or rat rods or other car make over shows.

And you have the Mecum Jackson Car Auction TV show to thank for the over inflated prices, with sellers pricing their cars/parts for what the "potential" is

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by chrismoore701

The crazy thing is the tailgate. Try to find one of those for under $300. And I think that is probably the longest produced body part of all time

Amen to that, not even for the step side, but for a regular truck, did someone go around stealing them at one point, I can't tell you how many trucks for sell I have seen minus the tailgates.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by rigon4

I've owned 3 stepside trucks and still have one in just looking for a extra bed to make a little trailer

Wait What? You want a tailgate to make a trailer, LOL, dang bro, there are people looking for a tailgate to make a truck, ha ha

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by OldBlue4Life

Up here, it was cash for clunkers. Everyone cleaned out their backyards years ago...

Having participated in the program myself, if it was anything like the one in California I doubt that's where these trucks went, as the cars/trucks had to be in running / driving condition and have a current registration. Current registration means also insured.

I bet lots of these trucks in your parts, and in any parts for that matter fell off of the Motor Vehicles registrations years and years ago therefor they would not qualify for the Cash for Clunkers buy back or it would be cost prohibitive to SMOG them, Insure them, and Register them first, and if anyone did, then why not just keep em and drive em. ha ha

I bet most of them were bought for $300 bucks by Pick N Pull outfits and the like just to be towed off of the property and parted out and scrapped.

[OldBlue4Life]

Originally Posted by Gregski

it would be cost prohibitive to SMOG them, Insure them, and Register them first, and if anyone did, then why not just keep em and drive em

No emissions requirements here, and I'm pretty sure if you could get them to the yard they'd take 'em. I've had plenty of junkyard workers talk about how many good condition trucks they had to crush during it when I ask them about parts.
They ran the engines dry til they stopped and couldn't part the vehicles out at all. They had to be crushed. This is all the info I hear around here when I ask around at least. I was too young to pay attention when it was actually going on.

[ECU PIRATE]

I know of (2) in a local yard that I would not mind bringing home to make myself my own matching trailer

[USSkoval]

Most stepside trucks were bought as work trucks or fleet trucks, they got used/abused and tossed in the scrap heap eons ago.

Deals are still out there, just have to be patient. I got my rust free (but banged up) tailgate from a local scrap collector for a measly 10 bucks. However, it would be nice if somebody reproduced filler hoses and a left fender with a gas door.

[DPowers]

https://tricities.craigslist.org/pts/5393555570.html

[PAWS 72]

What about a bed like this? Former Sheffield Utilities meter reader truck. D ad bought from them about 1990.

[85supersierra]

If you want to find more long bed stepsides than you can shake a stick at, just go to Saudi Arabia. They cant get enough of them over there.