88-98 stepside/sport side install

[NightRodder]

im putting a 92 sport side bed on my 77 2wd stepside truck. i already have the box sitting in place and a pretty good idea of how i plan on attaching it but i would love to hear from someone that has already done it.

ive been reading the forum for a while now and have yet to find more than a couple of rough pics of what others have done underneath by way of attaching the bed. if you know of a thread that might be helpful, please let me know.

what im curious about is what you did that worked and what you would do differently if you did it again. also are the frame specs the same on the late 60's-early 70's models as they are for my 77? if so, then maybe i can ask in that forum also.

what i dont want to hear is a bunch of whiners complaining that i shouldnt do it. i didnt ask for opinions and dont want them so if you cant add value to this thread please go complain elsewhere. ive noticed that the few times someone does ask for help here on this subject, that the first bunch of replies are just negative crap and would like a thread to help me and anyone/everyone else like minded minus the rubbish.

thanks in advance for any help on this.

[NightRodder]

bump

[notallthere]

Might be interesting to see it done and how you adapt to make the bed fit the frame. Just post pictures because I have a buddy that wants to do this to his 83

[cory d]

why do want that over a square stepside bed?

[NightRodder]

Originally Posted by cory d

why do want that over a square stepside bed?

first, my bed was junk. as a person with a better stocked garage and fab setup than most pro shops, when i say its junk, suffice to say it is. sure anything can be repaired or fabricated but its time vs. money.

to replace an older stepside bed is very expensive and still requires assembly and buying a used one is either very expensive or you have to do considerable work to it.

i was able to buy a 92 sport side, already rhino lined, with tonneau cover, tailgate and taillights for $550. it took me 2 hours to clean some surface rust off the cross members and weld in one 2x4 patch. voila, perfect bed.
by using some 2" square tubing and some C channel, it will get attached.

then i will have a durable bed with metal floor that has many aftermarket parts such as caps, glass covers, roll pans, etc available.

since you guys want stuff to complain about then you should know it has a 94 engine, a 700R4 tranny and i just picked up a 2000 posi rearend with 3.73 gears. i plan on cutting the leaf and shock mounts and rewelding into the correct locations for my application. the truck already has a flipped axle setup and dropped spindles. oh and i added a sunroof. its far from stock already...

[notallthere]

Is the rear end a disk brake rear end?

Also how is the 700 holding up. I was thinking of ditching the 400 right now in the truck in favour of the 700.

[NightRodder]

yes, the rear has the disc brake setup and is a six lug. once its modified and installed, i will convert the front to a six lug also.
the tranny hasnt been ran yet. i put the 94 engine in the truck a couple years ago and it was used, a year later i had a piston shatter in the number two cylinder so i finally just got around to dealing with it.
i didnt use the tbi, instead using an old factory aluminum 2-brl intake and a brand new carb, though i did keep the serpentine belt setup and converted the wiring for the newer alternator. the tranny seemed a good idea while i had the drivetrain out and it will be nice especially once the rearend is installed.

as for the bed, instead of using square stock to bolster the cross members, i notched the one cross member that was sitting on the middle/raised portion of my frame. this allowed the other cross members to come very close to being flush. i will take some pics soon so it makes more sense but this allowed the bed to sit lower. now it is in perfect alignment with the cab rockers and the top of the bed matches the flow from the hood. the other upside is it was a lot less work.

the next step is to make some ell brackets. instead of trying to bolt anything to the mostly closed cross members for the bed, i will weld them to the cross member and just bolt them to the frame where there is much easier access. then if i want to change beds later, my frame is unmodified.

[andrewmp6]

I have seen it done but not a clue on how it was done.