1976 Crewcab Shortbed, bed is too low!

[RADustin]

Greetings,

I dropped the body on my project '76 this past week/weekend and the bed is too low as compared to the cab. It's about 1/2" too low on passenger side and 5/8" too low on drivers.

Some specs of my build-

• 1976 Crewcab Cab
• 1977 CCLB frame, cut to shortbed
• I assume late 70s bed floor, aftermarket bedsides
• LMC PN 30-1161 Body Mount kit (73-80 crewcab), tightened up till the pieces bottom out. Further tightening won't suck the body down anymore.

The bed is sitting directly on the frame. I assume this is how it is supposed to go. Bed fits fine.

From my measurements so far the cab is level with frame, but I will continue to measure different ways to confirm or rebuke. All 6 of the cab mounts have pressure on them, so things 'look' correct. I have the square shims on the front two body mounts, 1 on each side. The 4 rear mounts are body on rubber, no shims.

The frame is straight. I measured it out well when I cut it to a shortbed. The bed to cab gap is uniform top to bottom.

Anyone have some ideas? I can understand the bed being high, and cab low- but not the bed being low. I really don't want a body lift, uneven at that to make things right. I'm hopeful there is a detail I am missing.

Thanks.

[Palf70Step]

I know on my old 70, there was flat rubber pads that were supposed to fit between the bed and the frame mounts. I would assume these years are the same. Those rubber pads much of the time don't make it back on if people have the bed off for any reason, or they don't know they exist because they have deteriorated by the time the bed is pulled. The difference on your body lines is about the thickness of new pads.

[RADustin]

yeah I'm not sure if the 73-87 has any kind of material between the cab and bed. If they do I haven't seen them before and don't see them on LMCs diagrams.

I measured from the top of frame rail to the top of the front bed bulkhead on my truck and another one to compare and both are right around 23". So that matches up.

I'm really concerned that the aftermarket bedsides are off and that everything else is correct.

[mongocanfly]

i wouldn't worry about it...better that its low than to high...at least you can shim it higher.....

[RADustin]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

i wouldn't worry about it...better that its low than to high...at least you can shim it higher.....

that's where I'm leaning towards as the fix, as crappy as I feel about it.

I know my frame is straight. The cab could be a little tweaked as it sat on blown out rubber mounts for who knows how long.

Either way, I think I want to do like a 1/2" body lift overall, so I am thinking about going ahead and ensuring the cab is level to frame then adding 1/2" to that. Then I'll need to remeasure the bed and lift the bed the correct amount- something around an inch. Sucks as I don't like body lifts, but thats what it looking like.

I need to see what this will all do to bumper alignments. The round eye front bumper is essentially not adjustable- so I'm curious how this will work out.

[sweetk30]

73-up = no rubber pads under box .

and I shimmed the body to line up on my 2wd build with BIG THICK washers the same size as the body mounts. went to local fastnal and went digging in the washer shelfs . found what I wanted .

[RADustin]

Originally Posted by sweetk30

73-up = no rubber pads under box .

and I shimmed the body to line up on my 2wd build with BIG THICK washers the same size as the body mounts. went to local fastnal and went digging in the washer shelfs . found what I wanted .

you have to shim the bed or the cab?

Remember how thick the washers where?

[sweetk30]

i had to play with a bit of both cab and bed to level out my body lines and match up .

i have torn down prob close to 2 dozen of these trucks over the years and found shims in every spot . . . factory did what they could fast and shipped them .

the washers ? ? ? not sure off hand on thickness.

[RADustin]

my current math shows me needing about 5/8" of shim on the front drivers side cab mount to level the cab and 3/4" shim under the drivers side of the bed. These would be my two tallest areas.

Seems a little excessive. I knew I shouldn't have spent so long straightening the frame. It was probably perfect bent.

[dagnabbitt]

Two Canadian words:

Hockey Pucks.

[1774btcrew]

There is a lot of nice work on that truck to have to use shims. Good chance of poor quality bed sides

[RADustin]

Originally Posted by 1774btcrew

There is a lot of nice work on that truck to have to use shims. Good chance of poor quality bed sides

I'm really bummed. I did all the body work on the bed to make the bedsides work. Tons of work on the rears of each bedside to fit the tailgate and tail light lens. Of Course I did all this without fitting everything up. But I am pretty sure a major problem with this height issue is the bedsides. They are complete crap. Anyone who says aftermarket bedsides are even decent are mislead.

The top of my bulkhead on the bed is the same height as my dually cab donor's bulkhead. So the bed is essentially the same height, but the dually bedsides lined up and these don't.

[1774btcrew]

Originally Posted by RADustin

I'm really bummed. I did all the body work on the bed to make the bedsides work. Tons of work on the rears of each bedside to fit the tailgate and tail light lens. Of Course I did all this without fitting everything up. But I am pretty sure a major problem with this height issue is the bedsides. They are complete crap. Anyone who says aftermarket bedsides are even decent are mislead.

The top of my bulkhead on the bed is the same height as my dually cab donor's bulkhead. So the bed is essentially the same height, but the dually bedsides lined up and these don't.

You do know someone that could have came up with some nice OEM bedsides! I know shipping from AZ would have been expensive but I might have been able to find some closer to you.

[RADustin]

Originally Posted by 1774btcrew

You do know someone that could have came up with some nice OEM bedsides! I know shipping from AZ would have been expensive but I might have been able to find some closer to you.

I didn’t go to paint yet!

Find me some shortbed sides. Pass and driver fuel cap fillers. I’ve only ever seen one out in the wild. Lol
Posted via Mobile Device

[1774btcrew]

I will keep my eyes open! They are out there. It may take finding one at a time. Both shortbeds that I have right now are gas door 79s

[RADustin]

Originally Posted by 1774btcrew

I will keep my eyes open! They are out there. It may take finding one at a time. Both shortbeds that I have right now are gas door 79s

I'm fine with that.

I have OEM everything else. It's only the bedsides are chinese. OEM floor, bulkhead, and tailgate.

[mongocanfly]

" (..Of Course I did all this without fitting everything up.)"
this is never a good idea....jus sayin

[RADustin]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

" (..Of Course I did all this without fitting everything up.)"
this is never a good idea....jus sayin

I agree.

It's not like the bedsides can really be adjusted. By the time you match up all the mismatched holes, it's on there the only way it'll fit. So I don't think it would have changed much.

[Mattchu60]

Does the bottom of the bedsides currently lineup with the bottom of the cab? Any pictures you can show which are of the full beside/cab?

I was going to get aftermarket sides for my short box, but this makes me want to reconsider.

[RADustin]

I'll get some better pictures of the entire deal.

The bottom of the bed does not line up with the cab. So the whole bed is low.

It's almost as if the inner bedside locates the floor too far up, lowering the bed? I don't know how that could actually work and the tailgate and front bulkhead still fit, but that's what it appears to be.

[rainamy]

Not mine, but has the dual tanks:

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/p...548512985.html

Nola to Atl isn't a horrible drive, I used to live down there around where uptown meets garden district, not far from tulane/audubon

[RADustin]

Originally Posted by rainamy

Not mine, but has the dual tanks:

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/p...548512985.html

Nola to Atl isn't a horrible drive, I used to live down there around where uptown meets garden district, not far from tulane/audubon

Thanks!

unfortunately I'm looking for a dual tank filler cap bed, not fuel door.

I appreciate the heads up though. I would certainly drive to go get it if it was what I'm looking for.

[RADustin]

Originally Posted by Mattchu60

Does the bottom of the bedsides currently lineup with the bottom of the cab? Any pictures you can show which are of the full beside/cab?

I was going to get aftermarket sides for my short box, but this makes me want to reconsider.

I may add, the aftermarket bedsides are terrible. I'll never use them again. At minimum they didn't save any time over OEM originals, are thinner metal, and generally not the correct shape.

I really bought them because I found it impossible to find the OEM bedsides I wanted. If you're not looking for anything particular, I'd find originals and use them.

pictures attached.

[1774btcrew]

Being in the business of selling 73-87 Chevy and GMC truck parts, this is one of the many examples I use when trying to explain why to buy OEM if at all possible. More often than not, it takes less time to repair an original part than to get an aftermarket part to fit right. There is definitely a place for aftermarket(weatherstrips, interior soft parts, wear parts etc) I had a friend that wanted sport mirrors. I explained to him that the aftermarket generally last around 1 year before either pitting or having the glass fall out. He bought them anyway. His lasted 2 weeks and then he ended up buying one from me. GM sheetmetal is FAR from perfect but leaps and bounds above aftermarket.

[bennylava]

Originally Posted by 1774btcrew

Being in the business of selling 73-87 Chevy and GMC truck parts, this is one of the many examples I use when trying to explain why to buy OEM if at all possible. More often than not, it takes less time to repair an original part than to get an aftermarket part to fit right. There is definitely a place for aftermarket(weatherstrips, interior soft parts, wear parts etc) I had a friend that wanted sport mirrors. I explained to him that the aftermarket generally last around 1 year before either pitting or having the glass fall out. He bought them anyway. His lasted 2 weeks and then he ended up buying one from me. GM sheetmetal is FAR from perfect but leaps and bounds above aftermarket.

Words of wisdom ^

I've been bummed out plenty of times using aftermarket parts, and yeah mainly all body parts. You've got to watch it even with interior, as most of them don't hold a candle to OEM. They never go to the same lengths of fit and finish as the factory did. If it had a rubber coating from the factory, the aftermarket won't. If it had a nice piece of thin chrome stripping, the aftermarket one won't. On and on.

The thickness is also always an issue. I'm of the mind that the factory made certain parts, a certain thickness for a reason. If they could have saved money within any kind of reason, you know they would have. But they still made the part thick. Then you get that aftermarket part on your truck and you realize why the factory part is thicker. Not a good feeling. Time, money and brainpower wasted. I've yet to find an exception. Don't care what any retailer says. If they can't legally make it the same fine, but at least say so up front instead of making it out to be as good as, or even better than factory.