Guess this will be a test.My last post (which was also my first) has not even been viewed so I thought maybe I did something wrong & it only shows up on my computer.Anyway my second question is...Where is the difference in length in a 55-59 short wheelbase & a 55-59 long frame.The rails under my 55 Short bed have been broken & welded.I can get a good long wheelbase frame .I plan to subframe it with a Camaro or Nova anyway .Can I just cut the extra out of the frame & relocate the cab mounts.I dont want to swap to a late model frame. Help .
Well, guess what, people really do read these and reply to them, you aren't invisile afterall. OK, to your question, if I am right, the difference in a short bed and a long bed is all in the frame behind the cab. The cab sits in the same place on both frames. I have seen a few trucks that were once long beds and converted to a short bed. It can be done but you need to be careful about keeping everything square so it will track straight going down the road. Maybe some one else will have more details, I believe you have to remove a piece of frame in front of the rear end and a piece behind the rear end. Not a job for the average person. Good luck with your project.
Velcro is right,their is about 6" more of frame at the area just behind the cab,learned this the hard way! I bought a 56 stepside from a guy, Truck was just a bare frame when I got it with just the cab sitting on it,and boxs of parts, after cleaning everything up installing front sheet metal,I had my friends come over and help me install the stepside bed,big shocker when I found out, and a great laugh for all my buddys,they all insisted that my new name was going to be JUNIOR DIESEL, and have me run a set of big rig pipes behind that big open space behind the cab and the bed.TOTAL BUMMER!!!! I still have the frame and also a short bed frame if you want to come to Arizona. Good luck!Allen
put both bare frames side by side this will give you a good look at what you need to do. if your not a good welder i would go find an other frame. Brandon
Thanks for the inputs.I have been trying to do the comparing with the cab & bed still on the longbed truck making measuring a little more difficult.It looks like I will need to cut the rails 9 inches back from where I normally would to do the subframe swap.Also I will have to move the cab mounts back 9 inches & cut 11 inches off the back end of both frame rails & of course drill new holes for the rear bumper .It would be nice to have another short frame to use but the long frame I can get free & it is in excellent condition .I would still like to hear from anyone who has done this before.
Tom, I would just reuse your original frame. You are stripping it down an chopping off the front 1/2 anyway. When you do the front clip you can box the frame and beef it up, something you should be doing anyway.
58 LWB frame/stepside---shorten frame I have a LWB 58 I want to shorten and make a Cameo---can anyone give me details of where I need to shorten the frame---earlier threads seemed to indicate in fron of rearend and also behind rear end. Any details will be appreciated.
Shortening a Frame The best source for the details is the factory assembly manual. You can buy one for 30.00 or less on Ebay all the time. It would need to change behind the cad mounts and ahead of the rear axle.
extra length is both in front and behind rear axle. Look at the box length in front and behind the fender.
I am in the process of restoring a 59' Gmc "short box" stepside and it was orignally a long box and what I decided to do is to cut the extra length off the very back of the frame. I added a four link to it anyways so I thought it would be a lot easier than cutting it in the middle and trying to line it back up. I'm going to have to make a new crossmember for the back and make a place for bumper brackets but I thought that this was better than having a "weak" spot in my frame. All that I've got done to it right now is the suspension, so I cannot say if this was the right thing to do but, it is an option and i think it would be a lot less work than trying to "splice" your frame.
Frame length 427 RAT: Measure your box from the front to the center of the rear axle. Now measure from the back of the cab to the center of the rear axle, subtract 1-1/2 inches for clearance, then subtract the box measurment from the fram measurment. What are you going to fill the extra spcace with?[custom fuel tank would work] not trying to be funny just trying to give heads-up before the torch fires up.
I am very new to this restoring thing and this is my first attempt at this, so just bear with me if these questions seem dumb. First of all, are you saying that there will be space between my cab and box? If so how much? What I did was, measure the wheelbase of a short box GMC of the same year. I then moved my suspension forward that much so now the frame is the same length as a short box (after I chop X amount of frame from behind my suspension). Center of the hub to center of the hub is now the same distance as a shortbox. My frame gets thicker as it moves toward the cab and the cut-off point is just before it starts getting thick. So would this not be correct?? Have I overlooked an important detail or something?? I can't measure the new box beacuse I don't have it. Also, I threw away the old long box already cause it was pooched. thanks for any advice.
You may be alright now, I did not know that you moved your rear suspension foward. when doing projects like this, if all is going good, expect the oh $#!*. to show up.[confushus say, It is smarter to ask a dumb question than to show you were to dumb to ask].
