gap between bed and cab question

[1972BlueC20]

I just now noticed after owning my 72 c20 for about 6 months now that the gap between the cab and the bed is about an inch different from passenger to driver side (passenger side being worse-more gap). Surely this can't be the way it came from the factory right??

Its not super noticeable unless you're looking for it and you know, I mean i just now noticed it after owning truck for 6 months and I stare at the truck all the time, but now it's bothering me. There are no obvious signs that I can see that the truck was in a bad wreck. The frame looks straight and underneath the bed looks good to me.

Any way I can adjust the gap??


Here are pics

[Lee H]

If the frame is straight the gap difference is probably caused by a combo of the cab and the bed being slightly off during reassembly. Time to grab a tape measure, crawl underneath and figure out where it's off. Loosen the cab and or bed fasteners and realign. After doing frame offs on three of these I would not expect the gaps to be perfect. This was at a time when the trucks where coming off the farm and just gaining a little traction as a go out to dinner ride. The fit and finish was just not very good from the factory.

[hugger6933]

The fit and finish from the factory is not near the standard the we have for them now. Even into the late 80's I've had customers bring trucks to me with window stickers still hanging in the window trying to get out a air noise out of a door that the dealer would say there is nothing wrong here or my fav it is well within our quality control standards. That is why the overseas vehicles kicked butt for a while we as a whole [most of the public except true fans]drove better stuff until the "home teams" caught up.
Now with that being ranted, take your tape get under your truck and take a measurement from the left rear cab corner to the right front cab corner. Record that the take the opposite measurement. That is the body shop world is known as a X measurement, it will tell you if your cab is setting square and if the number is say 50 inches one way and 51 inches the other , that means you need to move the to the short side One half the distance in this case one half an inch to make up the whole distance. Then remeasure. It is a lot of fun, some times I get to spend hours doing that on jobs just to make the panels fit right figuring what needs to move how and where. If the cab is square check the front but, if the hood gaps are good I'd skip that cause it is close. go then to under the bed and start over with the tape. Jim

[leftybass209]

I definitely notice it on my truck. I pulled one cab off in near perfect alignment with the bed, and when I dropped the other cab on the frame, I had some issues. It's correctable for the most part. I agree the factory had quality control issues that were far more accepted 40-50 years ago, but I think that argument is overused to try and explain a lot of things that much more likely happened during 40-50 years of use and abuse. I don't mean that directly towards what you said hugger, it's just a blanket statement. I mean, NOS and original used parts aren't prized for their lack of fitment.

[old Chevy guy]

Looks like you just need to loosen up the bed bolts and shift it over to the drivers side a bit. Nice looking truck.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by old Chevy guy

Looks like you just need to loosen up the bed bolts and shift it over to the drivers side a bit. Nice looking truck.

x2. That's what I would do.

I can guarantee that if the box sits on the frame and all the box bolts go through - it's going to get bolted down right where it falls.

I installed about 800,000 of them. That's one a minute for about six years.

K

[laid67]

I was able to tighten up my gaps a whole lot just by loosening the bed and pulling it forward a bit...

[1972BlueC20]

Thanks guys!!

I will try to adjust it when I have time!