:lol: Well, okay, just minor surgery is all. Yep, I finally did it- I finally got everything off the frame and in a few days I'll get her back as a SHORTBED frame! I can't wait to start puttin' parts back on!

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm.......................
:wop:

:lol: Well, okay, just minor surgery is all. Yep, I finally did it- I finally got everything off the frame and in a few days I'll get her back as a SHORTBED frame! I can't wait to start puttin' parts back on!
cool !!!!

i have a question for ya , why a cemetery as your avatar ? if you dont mind me askin

Sorry, I forgot to bring my camera. I'll bring it when I pick it up and try to document the rebuild.

Here she is ready to get on the wheelchair for the ride home.

Now, I've got a whole list of things I'm going to do while I'm building her back up.:)

dang. that's real clean. looks like they did a good job.

The frame looks real good. Is the longbed truck next to it yours, or is that a total coincidence... if it is, are they shortening the bed, or are you buying a shortbed box?

Charley is one of the best! He's a really nice guy too if you ever get a chance to meet him. He does it with the 'Z' cut that has been described in the forums before. I believe it's Efabman has pics of the same style of cut & weld process that Charley has used for 20 years or more.

That's Charley's shop truck- just a coincidence. Yes, I have a short box in pieces that I'll be building and putting on.

looks good keep us posted

This afternoon I swapped out my old non-syncro 3spd for a Saginaw 3spd. Taking the trans and bell housing off was a pain! Then I found out that the I6 bellhousing and trans have smaller diameter circle where the trans sticks into the bellhousing. Fortunately, I had a V8 bellhousing and was able to bolt the Saginaw and V8 bellhousing together and got it all bolted up to the engine. It fit really well. Next, I'm going to swap shifters and then I think I'll be able to put the cab back on

What a small world. The bridge jobsite in the background of your picture is a project I'm working on. I'm on site 2-3 days a week.

It will be nice to have another swb running around.

Looks like good work. :D

What does something like that cost to do , the frame cut and repair. Hmm could be tempting

Good move Brad and good to see you back on boards more. Charleys has been dropping these trucks and other vehicles in NW for years. Very well known. I think I have some old work of theirs under my sons 71. Just need to get back to it someday to decide what next.

Thanks Bob, it's good to be back. Since I couldn't get that maroon swb off your hands, I had to go make one myself!

DavidH- it cost me $500 to do it but that's just cutting and welding the frame. It doesn't include shortening the driveshaft or brake cables or anything else.

Haulna- I didn't see your truck at the site??? I've always admired it!

Brad I was in Portland on business and got a chance to swing by Charlie's ,
you're right he's great . I think i'll have him shorten my 72 Cheyenne , man i'm glad you posted this . I'm hoping to get this done before Christmas . Keep ya posted.

This afternoon I swapped out my old non-syncro 3spd for a Saginaw 3spd. Taking the trans and bell housing off was a pain! Then I found out that the I6 bellhousing and trans have smaller diameter circle where the trans sticks into the bellhousing. Fortunately, I had a V8 bellhousing and was able to bolt the Saginaw and V8 bellhousing together and got it all bolted up to the engine. It fit really well. Next, I'm going to swap shifters and then I think I'll be able to put the cab back on The diff on the bellhousings is 67 or older (small hole), or 68 up (large hole). This applies for I6 or V8 ;) Very nice job on the frame! :crazy: L

Thanks Longhorn, at the time I vaguely remembered something to that effect and so I did the swap and later that day checked some old posts I had saved from several years ago to confirm this fact.

Great job. Has anybody shortened a bed? I know these short beds are hard to come by anymore.

Hey Brad, you are going to the best of the best when you go to Charlies Drop Shop. I have a truck that I have had for 20 years now and it has Charlie's lower control arms from when he first started. He welded ''DROP SHOP'' on them back then. I knew his Dad before he passed on which in my book was the best guy to have your top chop. His Dad knew what he was doing. All in all, Charlie is the man when you want some to be done to a 67 to 72 truck.

The work looks great Brad. Never saw pics of your truck when it was long, but sure waiting to see it when you reassemble it as a shortie. You going fleetside or step side?

Here's what it used to look like. That's oxidized red paint on the fender btw, from when I replaced the bedside.

I'm definately going fleet- is there anything else?:hm:

Here are some new pics from today. My main goal was to mock up the bed to find out what I need to do to get it ready to put together.

The bed floor was sagging down between the cross supports and so I basically did some bodywork with a 5lb sledgehammer and straightened it out so it sits flatter now. On Thursday, I'll be taking a wire cup to it and then painting it with some of the cheap spray-on bedliner paint. I've used it before and it works great with the little use that it'll get. Besides that, I have a tonneau cover for it.

I found many parts that I had forgotten that I had. I found 2 headgate panels. One is for a wood bed and the other is for the steel bed- fortunately the latter one's a little nicer too. I've included a picture of the difference for reference. I'll be using the tailgate from my old lwb and I have 2 sets of wheelwells to choose from. I'm hoping to put this together within a week and slap it on the frame at that point.

Yah, it looks clean but you shouldnt of cut the frame in a z, it should always be a 45 so theres no corners for stress cracking and the fish plate should of been a 45 also.
-Ryan

I disagree. This has been covered in one of the loooong posts on chopping the frame. Charley has literally done hundreds of these and a boardmember does it this way also- Ebfabman is his name.

Read efabman's post on shortening. If I remember correctly, he uses radiused corners and no sharp points.

Brad, don't buy new brake cables. Cut the long one in the middle and splice it back together with a cable clamp from a hardware store. They cost under a buck each. The front cable from the cab is the same for long or short trucks, and the two rear cables are too. Just the middle one needs shortened on either side.
http://www.otherpower.com/images/cable_clamp.jpg

Nope, he uses a square cut- you can see here: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=17888

But let's not turn this post in a different direction. I want it to be a progression of my truck for others to see and maybe get some ideas along the way.

I noticed that the cable happened to be looped in a circle using two of those clamps, (but same difference) when I picked it up from the shop. I didn't bother asking if this was acceptable or if I should buy another cable-now I know. Thanks Firefighter, you da man! Btw, your truck is inspiring me! :)

Can you please take a closer picture of the ebrakes lines, brackets and all the hardware i need to mount mine, i just have the cables and i have no idea how to set up them.

I'll see what I can do, but it won't be before Thursday.

Looks good Brad, nice progress, keep us updated with pic's ;)

I will be converting my 71 GMC to a SWB this weekend, I've figured that it's 12 inches that need to be cut out, right? I want to make absolutely sure before I make the first cut. Also, how much comes off the rear end of the frame? Thanks for any information.

Well 49studebaker, Good luck on your project. Hope it turns out good for you.

Would like to see more pictures of the Studebaker.

12" from under the cab and start with 6" off the back. I took 8" and I could have used a extra inch.

Thanks Mario, I really needed some assurance before I cut into a perfectly good frame.

Congrats cannot wait to see it done....

i took 8'' off the back of mine.
-Ryan

my frame was choped by a po 4wd so he cut it right behind the cab no need to move cab mounts and i'll have to look again but i dont think he even had to relacate box mounts either. he cut it straight plated and boxed the insid as well he never ground the welds but they look very nice

please stop cutting up long beds ,what a wast of a good truck

Come on now Shawn, to each their own.

Besides, you got a good shortbed frame from me and planned to use it, last I knew :)

Great progress Brad, keep us posted!

When the square corner is welded and if its a full penetration weld the sharp corner becomes rounded or radius ed as the weld puddle is created during the weld process.

If a guy was worried about square corners he could simply go back after it was welded up and drill a 1/2" hole where the corners are and it would be removed.

I have welded up motor mounts on 8' diameter fans in a nuke plant, the motor mounts are made from 1/4" plate the fan blade was out of balance and the motor mounts cracked (300 HP motor) the procedure was to just weld up the crack no drilling then end of the crack like everybody says "you have to do" we inspect this fans every 2 years during a refuel outage after 10 years of the fan running 24/7 365 the cracks have never came back even tho they still have 'vibes' problems with that fan assembly.

hmm.. never knew there was a difference between metal floored and wood floored head panels. Thanks for the pics.

3qtrtontarrer - Don't ask why, its his truck..... Some nerve....

Yep, I did the Z cut on mine, along with 8" off the rear, and it came out perfectly, good to see yours did to!

Jason

3qtrtontarrer - Don't ask why, its his truck..... Some nerve....



Jason


No need for that jab, either.

If you guys need long bed trucks, come to Texas. I take any parts off of them that will fit a shortbed and throw the rest away. They're everywhere here for the taking.

Does anyone know if you have to relocate the front of the rear spring on a 2wd leaf spring set up? I'm thinkin about doing this to my 70 C10.

Also, does anyone know if putting a 88-98 step side bed on there would be a problem to match up to the frame after it has been shortened?


:fb:

I will be in Portland this weekend, maybe I can find some time to stop by Charlies' shop. Is there any chance he is open on Saturdays?

Sometimes he's in on Saturdays, but call and make an appointment.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been doing some minor stuff which included taking a wire cup on my grinder to the bed floor. I got most of the rust off(I wonder if this was in a fire? - it was bad!) I went through 2 wire cups on this bed and I'm still not totally done. I still have to get the very back edge near the tailgate. Afterwards, I sprayed the store bought bedliner stuff and used 2 cans which also covered the wheel wells. This has worked great for me in the past, but I don't use the bed a whole lot and I keep a tonneau cover over it to keep the weather out.

Friday I should get my driveshaft back from the driveline shop and I'll install it. A couple days ago I worked on installing my blazer gas tank back in and making the fuel line fit. I also began cutting out my low hump and I'll be replacing it with another low hump trans cover for now until I can get a nice 5 speed down the road.

Also, I hooked up everything to the cab and tightened up my E-brake cable. Next I'll be reworking my clutch rod with heim joints and making it slightly longer so that I don't have to push all the way to the floor. I'll also be cleaning the cab out entirely and working on putting new chrome vents in the doors before they go back on.

I'll try to add more pics in a few days.

Make sure you're using a twisted wire cup brush rather than a straight wire cup brush. They will last many times longer.

Make sure you're using a twisted wire cup brush rather than a straight wire cup brush. They will last many times longer.

Sure, NOW you tell me! :lol:

Nice job on the bed floor, I can see the hours and the elbow grease from here. :c2:

it all looks good. :D

Here are some pics I took today. I made a longer clutch rod using heim joints and 3/8" round stock. That's the thickness of the original rod so I figured that was good enough. Weird thing about the original rod is that I can't find it anywhere. I wonder if I left it on the frame while towing it and it fell off at some point???
Took some pics of the interior that I'll be cleaning up. I'm also showing the progress on my transmission area. I'll be bolting on another low hump for now. Wanted to work on the gas tank some more, but it was raining and I had to go to work. I may be doing some more work to it this weekend.

Here are some shots of the entire interior and what I'm working with. Notice the transmission cover hole...:crazy:

looks like you've been dodging the rain sucessfully !!! keep up the great progress and the pics ....

Today I tried working on installing the gas tank and where it used to bolt up to, a crossmember was hitting it so I moved the tank forward. Unfortunately, I discovered something I've never heard about on the board before. If you look carefully, you'll see that the filler tube hits one of the crossmembers. I had all the bed holes lined up with bolts going through the front 2 holes (4th pic) and I could not get the filler tube away from that crossmember. Why is it doing this? Am I doing something wrong? Has anyone ever encountered this before???

It's not that big of a deal because I've had a 73 Suburban gas tank in my shed for years now and I'll be using it instead. It's a bit bigger and will fit very nicely once I modify the filler tube to point the right way. I'm guessing it's about a 25 gallon tank???

I picked up my driveshaft today, but didn't have time to put it on. I can't go anywhere anyway until the gas tank issue is fixed.

That's the problem with the Blazer tanks (in shortbeds). They all hit that crossmember on the shortbeds. On a wood bed truck it's easier to massage the brace(cut it away basically). Since your's is out you'll need, yours' should not be hard to do. Otherwise you'll need a a fuel cell or a custom tank to clear it. I'll be facing that issue on my fleet also. Not sure which whay I will work around the problem yet.

Thanks Bill, I had no idea this was an issue on SWB's. I guess that solidifies my choice in using the Suburban tank. It has a minor issue in that there's a dome on top and the sending unit hits the same crossmember, but I can work around it and I think it'll be much better anyway. I just need to have the inlet turned 90* towards the viewer and I'll be on my way!:)

I did the blazer tank on my swb, all you have to do is trim that crossmember to where the tank clears the member... Just use a cuttin wheel, and go at it. We made ours curve gradually... Works perfect!

Jason

That tank you have pictured worked well in a short step I put it in. You'll just turn the fill tube to the side like you mentioned (I went through the floor). I did have to trim the frame cross member in front of the tank. Here it is:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/e78999/69%20Stepside/P8250014-s.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/e78999/69%20Stepside/P8250017-s.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/e78999/69%20Stepside/P8250015.jpg

Thanks Frizzle Fry, I'll go that route. Did you make those straps? Can you describe them?

Good info. I also have a Suburban tank I want to put in. Mine's from a 91 and it already has the filler to the left hand (driver's) side.

I have to replace the sending unit to get rid of the tbi pump, but that's not too tough. I also plan to use the Burb fuel door and filler.

Thanks Frizzle Fry, I'll go that route. Did you make those straps? Can you describe them?

I got them from Home Depot and just drilled holes where I wanted them. I think they may have been in the water heater section (it's been a while). Then I used the hard rubber/soft plastic stuff used for kick/base board around rooms, and cut to size as an insulator. That's from Home Depot as well. You just cut off the length you need at the store.

I actually used the sending unit from the original truck tank. I welded in the flange from the truck tank and bent the float arm and pick-up line as required. Worked like a champ:c2: Sorry, no pics of that.

SWEET- you just made my life much easier. It appears that the straps that I got from the Suburban at the same time are about 3" short. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Now I know exactly what I'll do! It looks very tidy and professional. I hope to have my tank back next week and install it and I'll be able to move it around the yard under it's own power.

hey brad, or anyone reading this, do u know the exact measurements for the conversion. where to cut and how much to cut? I have a 69 lwb truck that im converting to a swb. i want to know more about it. My friend knows a guy who has done it before so im not actually going to be doing any of the work . I know he knows how to do it, but i want to know what exactly needs to be done beforehand- just curious i guess. what's the best way to cut the frame and what about the bed mount that is closest to the cab??-does that come off ?? i know about shortening the drive line and brake cables and all that. Any info would be appreciated. i found a possible (i haven't seen it yet) clean fleetside shortbox for a 1,000. i know its hard w/o any pics but is that resonable. shortbeds are hard to come by these days!! that's my truck in my profile pic!!!

Hi Kevin and welcome to the board!
Here's a link to the page that should give a whole lotta info on the proper way to shorten a frame. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=123624
Some will argue that it should be done at an angle to prevent cracking, but hopefully they'll start another thread on that, lol.
I hope the article helps you out. Btw, cut 6" off the end of the frame not 8". You can always cut twice, but you can't...well yes you can, but you get the idea.

I had my 69 shortened a few years back by Charlie . Here's a shot. Still need to get it painted.

heck that looks almost exactly like my truck :metal:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b349/3Robert3/mytruck.jpg

Thanks brad that info was very usefull!!!!!!!

Well sorry to keep you all waiting. It felt like I hadn't accomplished much lately, but between work and weather, timing is everything!

Anyway, I've been focused on getting the gas tank installed and I'm very close to it being completed. I had to move the filler tube 90* to the left so that I could run the line near the bedside. I also had to cut an arch in one of the crossmembers since this tank has an arch where the sending unit sits. Because this tank is so big, I had to cut out 1" off the inside of the rear crossmember so the tank would fit.

I had a muffler shop bend up some 1-1/2" tubing for the fuel filler which cost me $15 in labor and mat'l-not bad especially since the previous shop quoted me $60! WTF??? I'm using the filler neck from the 73 Suburban that the tank is out of and I'm also using the neck-down portion of it as well. It's a pretty slick setup and I'm just praying that it works since the entire filler neck to the tank is at such a shallow angle. It might be slow, but as long as it works, I'll be happy. I'll probably test it out next week so wish me luck.

Another pic.
Btw, I'll be installing some sort of protective steel plate in front of the gas tank along with a hidden hitch and the chrome sport bumper. I should be pretty safe.

I also got the driveshaft installed. I got this from another board member for free several years ago along with the bed floor and the bed inner fenders. I just took out the old U-joints, cleaned it up and had new ones installed and balanced. The total was $60. I'm not sure it's the ideal length because the yolk sticks out about 1-1/2" from the transmission, but since there's another 3" or so inside the trans, I should be okay.