Can a stepside bed be shifted/centred?

[70StepsideC10]

I searched around the site but could not find a definitive answer to my question. While measuring the rear of my truck for new wheels and tires I realized that the stepside fenders are not centred over the wheels left to right. What I have found is that the rear end is centred, the box seems to be close to centred, but the driver side fender sticks out further from the wheel mounting surface than the passenger side. The fenders are aftermarket, installed by a PO during the restoration, and it appears that the driver side fender is 3/4" wider than the passenger side fender. As a result, the wheels/tires do not sit evenly in the fenders, the driver side is sunk in a bit and the passenger side is pretty much flush with the edge of the fender. Is it possible to shift the entire bed assembly towards the passenger side so that the fenders appear centred over the wheels? I would only need to move it about 3/8" to accomplish this. I know this doesn't seem like much, but it is rather noticeable. There are 8 bolts that hold the bed on, and I took a look underneath and it doesn't look like the holes are slotted so not sure if the bed can be shifted.

[outfield]

Hi Stepside,

There should be 6 bolts that attach the bed to the truck frame. You will see the round tops of the bolts when you look at your bed floor. Loosen up the nuts and shift away.

I would double check that the frame is centered over the axle. The axle track rod runs from the axle to the truck frame. If the frame is not centered, you can get an adjustable track rod to center it up.

The bed will shift left to right as the suspension cycles. The track rod is what keeps the bed in place left to right.

[70StepsideC10]

Thanks for the info outfield. In my bed I have 8 bolts, it is a wood bed so not sure if that makes a difference in the number of bolts. There are 6 further forward in the bed, and 2 right at the back just inside the tailgate. They appear to attach to the end of the frame. I'm assuming that since the holes are not slotted then the bolts will just sort of 'lean' a bit when the bed is shifted, since the bolts can't actually slide in the frame holes?

The axle is fairly centred in the frame, I don't remember the exact measurement but it is definitely not 3/4" off. I can recheck, but it was almost right on centre. Either way I will be installing an adjustable track bar when I lower the truck and will ensure the rear end is centred.

One thought I had today was if I could use the adjustable track bar to shift the axle over the 3/8" I need, instead of shifting the bed. The axle wouldn't be centred in the frame, but it would be centred in the fenders. Is there any issue with having the rear end off centre slightly?

[KMAT]

From my knowledge moving rear over out of center will put stress on u-jionts and rear pinion. I would suggest NOT moving rearend off center

[72c20customcamper]

Yes there is some adjustment when the bolts are loosened. Are the washers off centered like factory.? It's a little nerve wracking making the holes but in the long run it's better.

[67C10Step]

I would not want to shift the rear diff as that brings a lot of driveline and suspension geometry issues that are way more concerning than just visual.

Shifting the bed seems best as long as it's not so far as to make the box to cab centering off enough to be noticeable. Whatever you find that works please post back. My project is a stepper and anything someone learns I'd like to hear just in case I need that same trick down the road.

[outfield]

The opening that the bolts go through down at the frame location give you some wiggle room to shift the bed sideways. This is how they centered the bed at the factory.

[70StepsideC10]

I wasn't so sure that shifting the rear end off centre was a good idea, and you guys confirmed that for me. I am going to re-measure everything, maybe centring the axle will make up a little bit of the difference, though I think it's pretty close already, then I will only have to shift the bed a little bit. This all seems like a lot of work for 3/8", but I want to run wider tires and this 3/4" difference from left to right would be noticeable because the passenger side tire would stick out to the edge of the fender or even outside the fender.

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

Yes there is some adjustment when the bolts are loosened. Are the washers off centered like factory.? It's a little nerve wracking making the holes but in the long run it's better.

Yes, the washers look like the ones in your photos, with the holes offset.

Originally Posted by 67C10Step

I would not want to shift the rear diff as that brings a lot of driveline and suspension geometry issues that are way more concerning than just visual.

Shifting the bed seems best as long as it's not so far as to make the box to cab centering off enough to be noticeable. Whatever you find that works please post back. My project is a stepper and anything someone learns I'd like to hear just in case I need that same trick down the road.

I haven't actually measured this part yet, but from looking at it it looks like the cab and box are not perfectly centred. It seems like the box is slightly closer to the driver side of the cab, so when I shift the bed to the passenger side it won't be way off centre from the cab. I think it will be close enough that it won't be noticeable. And I will post once I get this sorted out so others know what to do if they have the same issue.

Originally Posted by outfield

The opening that the bolts go through down at the frame location give you some wiggle room to shift the bed sideways. This is how they centered the bed at the factory.

Good to know. I'll give this a shot, hopefully I can get everything lined up since I only have to go 3/8".