Getting bed lined up

[cgster]

Bought a 67 truck and I think it has a 72 bed on it. Anyway, there are only 3 bed bolts installed (2 front, 1 back), thats the way it was when I bought truck. There is about a 1/2 to 1 inch gap between the bed and cab where the bed is closer to the cab on the passenger side than it is on the drivers side.

I haven't had time to get outside to mess with it, but is there play in the bed bolt area to where I might be able to get the bed aligned correctly? I was concerned that maybe truck frame may be messed up, but wanted find out first if bed/bolt area had some play when installing. Thanks.

[MAC71Cheyenne]

Have the same issue with mine. Its on the list to correct. Shoot the bolts under the bed with some penetrating spray and let them sit for a bit. There is some play and it helps to have a second pair of hands. After they are loosened up you should be able to shift the bed around a bit to line everything up. Don't have to completely remove the bolts and nuts, just loose. Stick a couple new ones in for those missing and should be good to go.
I believe the bolt heads are shouldered so they should not just spin in the bottom of the bed.That second paIr of hands can come in handy to keep the bolt head seated as you loosen them up.

[Peanut74]

I am currently going through this process and mounting my bed. I've set it three times so far and each time I had to muscle it around to get the holes to match up. Not a big deal just a bit of a hassle.

Mac17 is correct the bolts are shouldered aka carriage bolts. It is nice to have a second person to help keep the bolt heads down to they don't spin. If they are rusted bad you can sandblast them first to clean the threads off as best you can then hit them with the penetrating oil.

[hugger6933]

Ok, this may sound stupid but here goes. What about the grille and front bumper is the grille closer on one side or the other does the hood fit decent what about hood to fender gaps fender to door gaps? The cab may be crooked on the frame and that will throw all the gaps off including the ones your talking about. You could to an X measurement on the frame holes to see if the frame is square back there to help solve the mystery. Take a measurement from the front left bed hole to right rear then do the opposite. They should be really close if not you are out of square back in the rear and you need a frame machine. Too bad your not close to me my machine is empty. Loosen the bed bolts try scooting the bed around til the gaps look better if your not able to move it enough then take out the tape. You make the tape tell you the truth about what is wrong. Jim

[cgster]

I also have a 72 c10 and I measured the distance between the 2 last bolt holes on the frame underneath truck. It's about an inch wider than what my 67 is showing. The front bed bolts by cab line up with frame, the bolts past the wheel wells are off about 1/4 inch and the ones closest to tailgate are off about 3/4 inch. I know the last cross member on the very rear of the 67 truck is bent in the middle like someone tried to pull something, so I'm guessing this is why it's not lining up, just not sure how to fix.

[Grumpy old man]

Your going to have to replace that rear cross member , The frame rails on both sides are going to be bent in and it's tough to get them straitened back out evenly even using a portapower it's no fun because the bend usually happens just behind the next forward cross member . To get them back where they belong will require pulling the bed and putting it on a frame machine or enlarging the rear bed mounting holes to make it fit . One side may be bent more than the other .

[MAC71Cheyenne]

As far as I can tell you have two options. remove it and try bending it back into place, A m.a.p. gas torch to heat the center up will make that easier. Doesn't have to be red hot and carefully " overbending" just a hair.
Replace it with a new cross member.
You may be able to heat n bend it back while still on the frame but its going to take some thought on doing so without bending something else. Maybe using a come along secured to a heavy frame member.

[cgster]

Any idea where I can buy that cross member? Couldn't find that exact one when searching.

[Grumpy old man]

Watch the parts board , That section of the frame where it's bent takes a bunch of heat to make it move and just getting that rear cross member back in and bolted up is tough . This picture shows a long bed with the same problem if you look just behind the 2nd cross member you can see where they bend , the bed has to come off to fix it because the rails don't move back into place easy .

[Grumpy old man]

I have this one on the parts board , Shipping may be high ? you may want to become a subscribing member and post a want to buy ad ?

https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=794866

[cgster]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

I have this one on the parts board , Shipping may be high ? you may want to become a subscribing member and post a want to buy ad ?

https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=794866

Grumpy, can the cross member be installed with bolts instead of the rivets they originally used?

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by cgster

Grumpy, can the cross member be installed with bolts instead of the rivets they originally used?

Yep , But like I said once the rear frame rails are tweaked in even just that 3/4" you mentioned it's a pain to get them spread to install the replacement cross member , if you look at the picture above there's just nowhere to use a porta power to spread them back apart evenly, One side will move more than the other by forcing them apart with a porta power or even a hydraulic jack and a section of 4x4 placed in between the 2 frame rails . It's fixable and been fixed by a lot of guys with the bed off, Laying on your back trying to remove and replace the cross member with the bed in the way ain't gonna happen .

[cgster]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Yep , But like I said once the rear frame rails are tweaked in even just that 3/4" you mentioned it's a pain to get them spread to install the replacement cross member , if you look at the picture above there's just nowhere to use a porta power to spread them back apart evenly, One side will move more than the other by forcing them apart with a porta power or even a hydraulic jack and a section of 4x4 placed in between the 2 frame rails . It's fixable and been fixed by a lot of guys with the bed off, Laying on your back trying to remove and replace the cross member with the bed in the way ain't gonna happen .

Grumpy, can you pm me price plus shipping to zip code 77625? Thanks