Complete fleetside bed???

[chevynut]

Can I build a new complete short bed from aftermarket parts or do I have to start with a used short bed?

Thanks, Mike

I think you can but you would still need a good metal guy (not 100 % plug and play).

[cornerstone]

Yep. Packages start at 2500 for everything. Several suppliers have them.

[GMCPaul]

Yes you can and in regards to comment on a " good metal man needed " our customers whether novice or not are not having any issues assembling the complete beds without professional help.
https://gmcpauls.com/bed_parts.htm
Paul Jr @ GMCPauls

[AussieinNC]

Originally Posted by GMCPaul

Yes you can and in regards to comment on a " good metal man needed " our customers whether novice or not are not having any issues assembling the complete beds without professional help.
https://gmcpauls.com/bed_parts.htm
Paul Jr @ GMCPauls

You will not go wrong with a full kit from GMCPauls....excellent fit and finish...

[sprint_9]

As has been said you can build one completely aftermarket, but thoroughly mocking everything up is an absolute must. I built one with what I would consider quality parts but it was really a pain to get everything to line up. Dont go into assembling one thinking it will just fall together and be ready for paint.

I spent around 10 full days getting everything sorted out. Some of the work included working on quite a few of the bolt holes by either slotting them or welding them shut and moving them completely since they were so far off. I had to use a porta power to expand the channel in each box side in order to get the rear cross brace to fit right. One of my box sides was stamped wrong on the inner panel, to fix this I had to slit the inside skin about 6" long, cut out about 3/8", and then weld it back. The rear tail light openings needed alot of hammering to get the light buckets to fit. After all that I was able to assemble and get everything square.

Another issue was the rear splash guards. They needed to be modified heavily to fit. One of them I had to cut in half in two different spots in order to get it to fit.

In the end it really wasnt anything too major, just alot of little stuff in order to get a finished product that fit together pretty nice. Id say other than the fitment issues the body lines and over all appearance of the panels was very good. It sure beat fixing a lot of rust or cutting a long box down, which realistically are the only other options.

[GMCPaul]

Originally Posted by sprint_9

As has been said you can build one completely aftermarket, but thoroughly mocking everything up is an absolute must. I built one with what I would consider quality parts but it was really a pain to get everything to line up. Dont go into assembling one thinking it will just fall together and be ready for paint.

I spent around 10 full days getting everything sorted out. Some of the work included working on quite a few of the bolt holes by either slotting them or welding them shut and moving them completely since they were so far off. I had to use a porta power to expand the channel in each box side in order to get the rear cross brace to fit right. One of my box sides was stamped wrong on the inner panel, to fix this I had to slit the inside skin about 6" long, cut out about 3/8", and then weld it back. The rear tail light openings needed alot of hammering to get the light buckets to fit. After all that I was able to assemble and get everything square.

Another issue was the rear splash guards. They needed to be modified heavily to fit. One of them I had to cut in half in two different spots in order to get it to fit.

In the end it really wasnt anything too major, just alot of little stuff in order to get a finished product that fit together pretty nice. Id say other than the fitment issues the body lines and over all appearance of the panels was very good. It sure beat fixing a lot of rust or cutting a long box down, which realistically are the only other options.

Did you purchase your bed kit from us, as I've never heard any of our customers having a issue like this??? The most we've ever heard a customer had to do was elongate a hole or 2 to get these assembled. I'm guessing the issue's were caused by the defective bed side you had to rework. Do you happen to remember the name on the bed side boxes that they arrived in?
We like to stay current on issues so we can head off any issues in advance by checking things out. Dad and I can normally assemble 1 in less than a day without rushing.
Paul Jr @ GMCPauls

[sprint_9]

Originally Posted by GMCPaul

Did you purchase your bed kit from us, as I've never heard any of our customers having a issue like this??? The most we've ever heard a customer had to do was elongate a hole or 2 to get these assembled. I'm guessing the issue's were caused by the defective bed side you had to rework. Do you happen to remember the name on the bed side boxes that they arrived in?
We like to stay current on issues so we can head off any issues in advance by checking things out. Dad and I can normally assemble 1 in less than a day without rushing.
Paul Jr @ GMCPauls

No I did not purchase from you guys. I did price through you guys a couple times but I ended up going with a fairly local seller so I could pick up myself and avoid shipping. I remember thinking about it fairly hard on where to buy as the pricing was more or less the same but I wanted to avoid shipping and any damages that might come with that. I kind of wish I could go back and have a redo of that just to see how much of a difference there is.

Everything was a mix of Triplus and Woodall, the bed sides specifically were Woodall.

[GMCPaul]

Originally Posted by sprint_9

Everything was a mix of Triplus and Woodall, the bed sides specifically were Woodall.

By chance was the problem bed side the passenger side? Because if memory serves me correctly around a year or so ago we heard there were some passenger bed sides by Woodall Industries that had issues if memory serves me correctly. When did you make this purchase I'm guessing it's been awhile?? Thanks
Paul Jr

[sprint_9]

Originally Posted by GMCPaul

By chance was the problem bed side the passenger side? Because if memory serves me correctly around a year or so ago we heard there were some passenger bed sides by Woodall Industries that had issues if memory serves me correctly. When did you make this purchase I'm guessing it's been awhile?? Thanks
Paul Jr

Yep, passenger and about a year ago.

[JMD]

I purchased a complete short fleet side from Goodmark that Ive been happy with. Some of the holes had to be elongated, and the tailgate handle was useless but other than that it went together without much trouble.