67-72 stepside to fleetside swap

[hath]

Can it be done? Is there such thing as a long stepside vs a short stepside? Everyone talks about hacking up a long bed to convert it to a short bed, but it seems a lot easier to buy a shortbed stepside and swap it for a shortbed fleetside. Thoughts? Links? I couldn't find this topic for 67-72s. Thanks.

[MattVA]

you can watch this youtube video, Stacy David from Gearz TV show and LMC swapped out a longbed for a short bed and gave some really good tips...

LMC Truck: Shortbed Conversion [S7 Ep. 3-1] -...

[SS Tim]

There is nothing to keep you from converting the beds within a wheelbase Fleet to Step or even adding a bed to a factory SWB chassis cab (try to find one). If you are into chopping frames, a no return decision, then you can make pretty much whatever you want. Reproduction bed parts are out there as well as used.

[hath]

Funny I just watched that episode. In that episode he cuts sections out of a LWB frame and then buys an aftermarket bed kit from LMC. My question is about buying a stepside, taking it's bed off and putting on a fleetside bed, maybe from LMC. Not sure if it'll just bolt on?

[hath]

Are you saying that with fabrication skills you can do anything? I don't have any so the easiest solution is what I wrote in an earlier reply.

[Jerryrig]

Hath, yes you can do exactly what you are talking about.

The reason that nobody has a write up on it (I'm guessing) is because its so easy. But I am doing this exact project on my truck. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but in my part of California, short Fleetside beds are very very hard to come across.

My truck started its life as a step side and I was lucky enough to find a guy willing to trade....check out my build thread in my signature...all the details for my build are in there. I will be adding more in about a week after I have installed my Fleetside bed

Hope this helps you out
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[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by hath

Funny I just watched that episode. In that episode he cuts sections out of a LWB frame and then buys an aftermarket bed kit from LMC. My question is about buying a stepside, taking it's bed off and putting on a fleetside bed, maybe from LMC. Not sure if it'll just bolt on?

They made both long and short stepsides, and the frames are the same as the fleetsides, so you can swap a LWB fleetside bed onto a LWB stepside, or do the same thing with SWB beds on a SWB frame. Depending on how the truck was set up you may want/need to swap out bumpers/brackets.

Personally, if I had a SWB stepside, I would keep it a stepside just because I like the look.

[Twisted78SS]

I could be mistaken, but I thought that the actual rear wheel placement was different between a stepper and wide bed.. I know there was a thread or two to that affect.. I'll see what I can find.

[hath]

I looked at your build thread, you mentioned it would cost ~$5000 to get a short bed, can't you get the full kit from LMC truck for like $3000? But I thought I'd buy the two bedsides from LMC, and then buy a longbed from a junk yard and salvage a tailgate, steel floor, and any other peices I need off of it. What do you think? PS how much did you pay for your stepside? And was it running?

[Jerryrig]

Originally Posted by hath

I looked at your build thread, you mentioned it would cost ~$5000 to get a short bed, can't you get the full kit from LMC truck for like $3000? But I thought I'd buy the two bedsides from LMC, and then buy a longbed from a junk yard and salvage a tailgate, steel floor, and any other peices I need off of it. What do you think? PS how much did you pay for your stepside? And was it running?

yeah, i priced it out for individual pieces....basically putting my own kit together. And i think that figure was also factoring in the shipping and handling cost for the big sized parts. And i think the kit from lmc is a wood bed floor, and i was planning on purchasing the steel floor because i didnt want the wood floor.

buying a longbed for a few hundred bucks and then salvaging things like the bed floor, wheel wells, tail gate, front bed panel (the part that is opposite of the tailgate) tail gate hardware and bolts is the way i was going to go to save money. Then i was going to buy the bedsides from classic industries because the bed stake holes and side marker are already deleted.

I thought i put in my build thread that i didnt pay any $$ for the truck. I actually traded for it.....i traded a 2004 convertible mustang gt 40th anniversay for it....and i traded to get that car.........i kind of like to trade things. lol

and yes my truck was/is running. I think it was being advertised for $8500 from the previous owner on craigslist..

-Jerry

[CC69Rat]

www.sokyclassics.com

New (very good quality) Reproduction Short Fleet beds can be had for $2300 or so (picked up) .. ~$600 for shipping depending on where you are.

I've heard a lot of good things from their reproduction beds.

[808_67C10]

I did it using used parts... It's pretty straight forward. The only thing is the bumper n brackets.... Oh, and the rear wiring harness too.
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