Cutting a long bed down to short bed

[Chevy Eleven]

Has anyone done this? I have searched a bit and seen a few members have done it, but no tips or "I wish I would of's". I am looking to do this in the near future...I hope and just doing a little digging and prepping.

THANKS

[jocko]

I assume you mean a long step to a short step (if I'm looking at your avatar correctly)? If so, I have never seen it done - only fleetsides. The process should be ABOUT the same, at least the frame cutting - and you'd have to take all your removal section from in front of the fenders I believe. A great series on the show TRUCKS! did this on a fleetside - here's a link to the show if you wanted to buy it: http://www.powerblockswag.com/Trucks...hevyc10dvd.htm

Or you might brows the powerblock tv site a bit more and find just the single episode about slicing the bed and buy that rather than the whole truck build dvd.

[rbar]

If it was me, I would shorten the frame like they did on trucks and then buy the two bed sides from MAR-K. They make nice stuff and you could pick up a pair of steps and be done. If not, cutting the step side bed down would still be easier than a fleetside. I think you would have to remove the same amount on both ends that you do on a fleetside
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[jocko]

Originally Posted by rbar

If it was me, I would shorten the frame like they did on trucks and then buy the two bed sides from MAR-K. They make nice stuff and you could pick up a pair of steps and be done. If not, cutting the step side bed down would still be easier than a fleetside. I think you would have to remove the same amount on both ends that you do on a fleetside
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THAT is an excellent idea. Never thought of that. One question - I don't know the "where" point where it should be cut. But by looking at a long step - it always appeard to me that the distance between the back of the step fender and the rear of the bed always looked the same on a long or short step - i.e. always looked to me that the "long" of the long step was all inserted in front of the fender. But again - you know what they say about A$$uming... Interested to see how this goes!

[60_project]

That is not correct, you need to cut both the front and the back of a long step to make a short step. way more comes from the front, but at least an inch or two comes off the back as well. I can go out to my shop tomorrow and see if I can find where I wrote exactly what needed to come off front and back.

[markeb01]

Here's an excellent article on the frame portion:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=123624

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by markeb01

Here's an excellent article on the frame portion:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=123624

That's a great article.
I feel that method is far superior to cutting the frame at an angle as I've seen some do.
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[60_project]

I think a stepside is actually much easier than a fleet side, but I have only done a step.

1. Disassemble the entire bed
2. Take your bedside and remove the stake pockets by drilling out all of the spot welds
3. On the front of the bedside where the front panel bolts to, cut at the corner of the 90 degree bend, then re-attach to the stake pocket. It is easier then trying to rebend your bedside, I saw that on some thread and it worked awesome for me
4. Cut bedside front and rear rosette weld the stake pockets back on
5. Repeat for otherside

Or open LMC Catalog order new bedsides, and use your braces, fenders front panel and tailgate, but what fun is that.

[rbar]

60 project, good advice, it's definitely easier to take it off the ends of the stepsides. However, I would highly recommend MAR-K made in America over LMC that is probably getting them in Taiwan.
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[60_project]

Rbar Agreed Mar-K is much better quality. But it is still more fun to shorten your own.

[Chevy Eleven]

Thanks a ton for the info. I have actually bought a complete 64 short bed truck and really all I want is the short frame itself. I want to use as much of the original 63 as I can...just b\c of the patina. I have a perfectly good short step bed, but it is green and I want to keep my good ol black truck with the look she has not. 60_project, if u could see if your at the shop that would rock. Once I get started on this project I will start a tread if you guys are interested. Thanks again

[rbar]

It seems like it is 12 in the front and 6, maybe 8 in the back, but I don't remember without trying to look for the info. I would assume it should be the same lengths as the fleetside. On my short stepside, inside it measures 14" from the front bed panel to the center of the first lower bolt hole of the fender and 6.625" from the lip where the tailgate closes to the center of the first lower bolt at the back of the fender. If you closed the tailgate it would still measure the same because I didn't go all the way to the end where it steps away.

[50Delux]

12 in the front and 8 in the rear. Already did mine and it went smoother than I thought.

[rbar]

50deluxe, are you taking the center pockets out? Mine are out on the front set now.
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[60_project]

for a stepside it is 15 front 5 rear, I just checked my old notes.

The difference between the step and fleet side is that the fleet side actually has a larger wheel opening on the long bed than on the short, so by doing 12/8 you are splitting the difference of the larger opening and keeping the wheel opening centered on the bedside. On a stepside the same rear fender is used regardless of bed length, so 15/5 gets you to the exact fender placement of a stock shortie.

note both need 20 cut out to go from the 100 inch long to 80 inch short, so that is the same regardless.

[jocko]

So, is the wheelwell opening on a stepside the same regardless of long or short bed? (Ok, that's kind a of "just kidding" question, I do realize it's the same fender - but I do remember the shock of more than a few members (myself included) when we discovered that the wheel well opening on the fleetside is different between long and short beds...

[60_project]

Originally Posted by jocko

So, is the wheelwell opening on a stepside the same regardless of long or short bed? (Ok, that's kind a of "just kidding" question, I do realize it's the same fender - but I do remember the shock of more than a few members (myself included) when we discovered that the wheel well opening on the fleetside is different between long and short beds...

Yep that discovery learned just about everyone on here.. after reading it I went and measured my stepsides