LWB to SWB questions...

[texascowboy593]

Hey ackattack... Im getting rid of the long bed (Bad shape) and going to find an existing short bed. If I hit the lottery, Ill buy all aftermarket new stuff...Too much of a hassle to cut up an actual bed!

[Frizzle Fry]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

what is everyone doing for the bed?

I'm going to do this. Are you guys cutting the bed floor and fenders or what?

...

[bubba72]

well i know people turn their nose up at it but my plan is a late 90 step bed. i like the look and the wheel openings don't matter to me. it is a daily driver that goes 7 min. to work and burns rubber when needed. i hope to find one cheap in the paper or on the web.

short beds are hard to come by in my neck of the woods.

joe

[TravisH]

Originally Posted by bubba72

i was just trying to be helpful, but here is my question. if a prof. welder welds the frame and gets good penetration isn't it going to be stronger then the frame itself? i have heard of welds cracking and stuff like that, but... help me with some knowledge cause i was thinking about the ece way because cutting a frame at 45 would be alot easier with a sawzall then the step cut. i was also thinking about fish plating the weld.

In theory the absolute best weld is equally as strong as the metal alongside it, but its near impossible to do in practice. I don't want to go into all the metalurgical properties that would affect and change (and don't consider me an expert on that either) but consider this:

You have a piece of steel that has the same strength all over it. If you bent this piece from the edges it would fold in the middle, keep bending it and it would break there. Now say you get it welded and theres absolutely no defects in the weld but it is stronger (coming from your post). If you bent the piece the exact same way it will bend next to the weld instead of on it (where it bent the previous time). The problem with a stronger weld is that it will bend at the edge of the weld with less force than before because the weld will resist deformation more, thereby making the piece weaker.

By no means take this post as gospel, there are far to many factors to discuss here and I've already confessed that I'm no expert


On my frame I did the step cut with radiused corners like in glocks FAQ. I V-grooved the outer edge and then did a back weld (grind out a slot from behind and reweld that). I still used a 16" piece of C-channel on the inside to reinforce.

[milehightoyz]

whats the easiest way to do this to a daily driver truck without having to tear the entire cab off the frame? any ideas?

[Brad]

I don't think you can and still have ideal results. Optimally, the location just underneath the cab is the straightest/best place to cut the 12" out of.
Taking the cab off isn't too bad-I did it all by myself with an engine hoist. There are several good posts on that subject too.