SWB truck bed steel in a Blazer

[Toro]

The wheelwells and bed floor are pretty rough in my '72 Blazer. Has anyone ever used the bed from a SWB? I know there would be some mods for the gas filler and seat mounts, but otherwise would it work?

[69-72]

SWB Will not swap over. It will need to be shortened at the front and a donor front piece from a Blazer floor would need to be welded on.

I did this with a LWB bed floor. I took a section out behind the wheel wells to make it the right length and shortened the front and added the front piece on.

[psuedopimp]

Mine was toast from the rear of the wheel wells. I used a long bed and shortened it.

[Toro]

How exactly did you go about changing it? Did you have to take the body off the frame, or were you able to cut out the pieces and put the new ones in? My front piece is good almost to the wheel wells. Are either of you using the rear seat? Did you transfer the mounting pieces over to the new bed?

thanks
Jon

[69-72]

You pretty much need to take the bedsides off and remove the bed floor to do it. Some of the cross members are interchangeable. The rear seat seatbelt mounting plate that’s under neath can transfer over if it’s still in decent condition. Once you start taking things apart you find lots of other rust to fix. It depends how much you want to get into it and what the end goal is with the truck

[Toro]

I’m ok and prefer to do it the best I can. I didn’t realize you could take it apart that far with the body still on. How hard is it to remove the bedsides? I’m sure there are other threads about it. I don’t have the space to take off the whole body, which is why I wanted to know how to change things out if possible. How many sets of body mounts go through the bed floor? I want to change the body mounts so this might be something to do at the same time.

[DaHos]

FYI: Blazer specific cargo floor is available.....

[psuedopimp]

The blazer specific bed is a great option but I couldn’t afford that so I found another way.

I cut the bed in the blazer where the floor began to be solid. It may not be the best method, but I removed the bed while still on the frame and with the bedsides attached. It wasn’t very easy. I then laid the old bed next to the new (old trash trailer I found for cheap with solid floor). I had to transfer bed supports and shorten the new bed accordingly. It will make sense when they lay next to each other. Then I squeezed it back in with the bed sides on. Again probably not the easiest way

[Toro]

Did you cut straight across, left to right? I'm looking to do the same with mine, I don't want to take the bed sides off. I'm thinking an additional cut, back to front would make it easier to get the floor out/in under the bed sides. I'll basically be patching around the good steel I have.

[psuedopimp]

Here are a few pics I found from when I did it

[GMCPaul]

It can be done on the Blazer and before the Blazer cargo floor became available it used to be the only option. But honestly it's easier to remove cargo floor and do the work, you need to reuse your rear Blazer bed support it's very different from the truck though some have reworked truck rear bed supports to work. It's really rather basic to do as it just needs cut to proper length and then bed rear support moved over to new floor and modify truck intermediate bed supports as needed or swap over intermediate supports from original Blazer floor.
If you remove all bed floor mounts and remove bed side bolts then cut welds at rear support the bed sides can be spread out and raised and the floor can be removed. It is easier over all and faster doing it this way in my opinion.
Paul Sr @ GMCPauls

[Toro]

Paul,

Do you have any photos of the "welds at rear support" you mentioned needed to be cut? I'm trying to visualize the area you're referring to.

[GMC-YA68]

Originally Posted by DaHos

FYI: Blazer specific cargo floor is available.....

Nicely done my friend!