Body Dropping a 69

[69ChevyGuy]

Does anyone have any information on how to body dropp, shave the dripp rails or making a long bed a short bed....I am about to srart my project...if you know of any web sites that have detaile information or if you have some could you please share...thank you

[wink_tim]

Early Classic Enterprises has an article about cutting the long wheel base down to short, dont know about the body drop.

[Joey-D]

Check out
www.kcinter.net/~anmore/bdrop.html
and
http://www.minitruckin.primediaautom..._tech01a.shtml
and
http://www.minitruckin.primediaautom...2_tech01.shtml

I just did the drop on my cab and it was a headache, easy but headache. But then again thats what it was all about. I did a 4 inch body drop, (pretty extreme drop). First I cut out the floor and mocked it up 4 inches higher, threw a seat in the and hated it, there was no room for my feet and legs and I am a pretty tiny guy. I then cut out the area of the floorboards that are commonly replaced. I dropped the rear floor and tranny tunnel 4 inches, but the foot areas only 2 1/4". Doesn't sound like an inch and 3/4" is a lot, but it makes a world of difference. In order to do that I lower the front frame hangers ( where the cab bolts to the frame) 1 3/4" inch to make up the difference. Then had to fab up filler panels around the floor boards and tranny tunnel. I will put up some pics as soon as I get them scanned. Hope you followed what I said. This was my first body drop so I kinda just made it up as I went. There are tons of varieties though. Also 2" inch is the most reconmended because the leg room, the peddels hit the floor and the steering column linkage get messed up.

[Joey-D]

Arrow points to orginal bracket holes, if I remember right, I reused the bottom 2 holes as my new top holes and drilled 2 new holes. Also brackets were L-shaped and had to cut off the top and used grade 8 bolts. Now the floor boards almost, almost, almost rests on the frame rails. The cab support that runs from the lower firewall to the rear had to be highly modifided. Also the rear panel has 4 inches cut out. Instead of cutting 4 inches off the bottom I took it out of the middle to give a more factory look. Its the little things that make the truck. There is no textbook way of doing a body drop so experiment. If you know any old school hot rodders talk to them, They used to do this all the time, but they called it "Channeling". As far as the rain gutters, I cut mine off w/ a sawzall and am just going to weld the pieces back together. Hope this helps, anymore questions I do my best to answer. Just remember this was my first time also!

[Joey-D]

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[Joey-D]

12 and done, does anyone know how to include more than one picture at a time?

[Joey-D]

You really can tell the difference on the firewall/ tranny tuneel from the outside. And look where the floor come to on the door now.

[Slammed66]

Id rethink the body drop idea Id sooner go with a drop member ( which I did) or z the frame , for wicked site check out www.ifcustom.com go check out the project espeically the past projects and check out the lowest 70 ive ever seen and they show how to do it , the also built a crazy 63

[69ChevyGuy]

Thanks for the pictures and the information.....it will help me alot in my quest to body dropp my truck....one more questoin...someone posted that they are selling videos on how to repair rusted parts, shorten a lwb frame and body drop....have you heard of those....if so do you think their worht ordering...i think it's $99 for a 3 hour long dvd...Thanks

[Joey-D]

sorry I fudged up on the first link and this one was the most informative
www.kcinter.net/~anmorel/bdrop.html

[boraxman]

Damn Joey-D, youve been busy on that truck....and to think theres people out there worried about cutting the dash for a stereo!

[Joey-D]

Almost everyday, hope I don't get burned out to quickly, next after replacing the back wall of the cab, its destroyed from years of someone not tieing down there cargo, cab corners, rockers, footwells, and dog ears (lower A pillars) and a custom inner rocker to raised floor, shaving the firewall and stripping the cab for paint; I am moving on to a 4 link rear (maybe) and a narrowed rear end. I have already narrowed the frame w/ a custom rear frame I built. READY FOR STEAMROLLERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ol skool 68]

wow joey-d looks good and to the comment about people getting pissy about cutting the dash, the way i look at it, i am just glad to see people saving these trucks from crushers, no matter how they decide to restore or rod them...........
69chevyguy: you should be able to find alot of help to almost all your questions from this board, this is the best board i have ever been to, GOOD LUCK with your truck keep us posted!!
BBB

[Joey-D]

The dash was a nightmare when I got it, the guy had roughly (i mean the cut and not the size) cut a 10 x8 hole for the stereo. Then he took another piece of metal and screwed it in with self tapping screws. I have a picture somewhere.

[Nate003]

i'm bodydropping my 67 shortbed, but instead of the oldschool method that joey-d is going with (which i've done on minitrucks) i'm gonna go with the stock floor bodydrop where you don't cut up the cab, you just cut the frame however much you wanna bodydrop it and put box tubing in it for strength and then lower the cab mounts, seems alot easier and you don't loose any room.