shortbed swap

[sams60gmc]

So I just got done watching the episode of Trucks where they take thier long bed and make it a short bed. They sectioned the frame under the cab in front of the rear body mount. Did they do it this way so they didn't have to relocate the trailing arm crossmember and becasue they had a way to pull the cab off of the frame.

I'm planning on doing mine soon but I was planning on cutting behind the cab and just moving up that cross memeber because I don't want to pull the cab off of the frame. Are there pro's and con's of both ways or just whatever works best for the person doing the work??
Thanks guys.

[Captainfab]

I'm not sure if you could do it that way or not. I did a '68 a couple of months ago and shortened it under the cab. It just seems like more work to have to move the trailing arm crossmember also. You could probably still do it without removing the cab, but it is a whole lot easier without the cab on the frame, especially when it comes to keeping everything straight and square.

What are your plans in regards to the x-member in your frame?

[shrunken66stroker]

Take it from someone who's done it, cut it on the straight part of the frame. You're going to have to pull the cab. If you try to cut behind the cab you'll be cutting where the frame starts to come up over the rear end. It will be a whole lot more work and I echo what Captain said about keeping things square. Tolerances are pretty lenient on these trucks, I think the factory banked on anything under a quarter inch tracking straight. If you do decide to try and leave the cab on, measure, measure, tack weld, and measure again. You're cutting your truck in half so be sure it's going to go back together straight. I took a punch and made marks on both sides of where I planned to cut each side of the frame. I measured from front to back and in a X pattern to make sure it was going to be square. I'd advise you to do the same. Good luck either way.

[sams60gmc]

Thanks for the info guys. Ill have to look at it more after I get the bed off. On trucks they did the L cuts out of the frame but to do that technically you need 24" of straight frame to remove 12" of frame. I don't think there is a long enough section behind the cab. I think maybe I will just take 2 45 degree cuts out of the frame and weld it and fish plate it like Classic Trucks did it if I remember correctly. They moved up thier cross member and re installed it.

I'm just trying to do it anyway I can without removing the cab. Either way I'll tripple check everything before and after tacking and I'll brace everything prior to cutting.
Thanks again guys.

[sams60gmc]

Another concern I have with shortening my truck is, are 60-62 style frames different and what will I be likely to run into while doing this project I.e. Moving crossmembers and such.
Thanks again guys.

[Captainfab]

That's why I asked what you had planned with the X-member in the frame......the big one in the middle. Seems to me that it will make shortening a '60-'62 a big PITA.

Originally Posted by sams60gmc

Another concern I have with shortening my truck is, are 60-62 style frames different and what will I be likely to run into while doing this project I.e. Moving crossmembers and such.
Thanks again guys.