53 f100 bed shortening???

Hey guys,

Did these trucks come with long and short beds?
Was shortening ever a common practice? The pics below are just mocks ups, but if you look at the 3/4 view, it has a real nice look, but the side view looks a little weird. I think the bed looks long. I was thinking of hacking a couple inches off the back, (I photochopped one image to see how it'd look") but wasn't sure if this was at all common, or maybe I just have a long bed version. If there was a shorter bed, how long was it? Does anyone have any shots? If this is a stupid idea, please tell me so I can stop thinking about it. Maybe it'll look better once I get the ass to sit right and throw some decent shoes on it.

Thanks
-B

 

That is a shortbox. Mines was a long box and I cut it into a short bed. I took out about 18". I think it looks balanced as it is, and will look weird with a shorter bed behind the wheel and not in front. JMHO, though.

 

I am not near my truck at the moment but it seems to me that the bed was 79". Once you get it down, with the bed lined up it will be a thing of beauty.

 

I have a 55 and I agree I hate the side shot of mine as well but one thing that does help and im not shure if there just not in in the pics is the rear cab mounts that conect the cab to the frame the originals get really wore out and you get that cab dip in the back so the cab and bed dont sit flush well long story short I played and played with mine and found a set at vintage ford that were ajustable and they Worked great plus they where pretty cheap as well. I know its not about the bed but still helps the side shot I think. O yea I dig the grill a lot what did you use for a center section?

 

Sideshow, I think you have the larger radius fenders from perhaps an F-200 or F-300... I'm guessing that makes it appear longer. On the other hand, I could be completely wrong.

Ben

 

yep even the short box looks to long for me. iam working on a chopped 56 f-100
and i took five inches out and cut the frame down too. now it looks like a hot truck. not a farm truck.also had to cut down running boards.

 

Hey fatrodder, got a pic?

Chicken coop, the grill is from a 51-ish F1??? It was in a plie of parts, and thought it looked cool. I was actually thinking of something a little more toothey... I photochopped an old vette grille into the pic, along with a few other mods. In reality it's probably too small, but thought it looked cool with the filled gravel pan. It's running a nailhead so I was thinking of some sort of buick grille.

Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll look into those fenders too. They were on the truck when we got it. I'm still undecided about cutting up. The body mounts aren't even close to being in the truck yet... as a matter of fact, I think the front fender is balanced on a bondo can, so yeah, aligning it all will do wonders.

Thanks
-B

 

sorry, didn't upload the pic...

 

Played around in Photoshop and shortened the bed in front of the fender and leveled the bed. Might give you an idea.

 

With the bed shortened in front it looks better. my 2 cents.

 

I agree... So that shortens the wheelbase too, right? How much sre we talking??? I think stock is 110". Hotrod, did you fill in the wheel wells at all?

 

agreed as well room out of front looks good I tride so many ideas with this body style and the only thing I cam to for making it look the best is chop it like the gold I think it used to be purple not shure 55 from the swanx of vallejo (this to me is perfect for the custom look) or just make it a stock with extrem low ride hight wich is what I am going with. O and cutty from the sinners had a realy well done 56 with a great dash. josh

 

I like the look of the shortened bed and shorter wheelbase

 

you guys are smoking crack, why on earth would you shorten a short bed truck? I'm real confused as to why shortening a shortbed would look good. sometimes i wonder where some of the shit I see comes from, I guess it comes from right here.

 

No just took out a section from in front of the fender.

As to the comment about why you would shorten one, we aren't really shortening one, we are looking at what it would look like. It seems it would make sense to do it on the computer to see if someone would want to do it. I like shorter and I certainly have never touched crack or anything else, and that is where that (expletive) comes from.

 

No just took out a section from in front of the fender.

urkillinmesmallsAs to the comment about why you would shorten one, we aren't really shortening one, we are looking at what it would look like. It seems it would make sense to do it on the computer to see if someone would want to do it. I like shorter and I certainly have never touched crack or anything else, and that is where that (expletive) comes from

 

No just took out a section from in front of the fender.

urkillinmesmalls As to the comment about why you would shorten one, we aren't really shortening one, we are looking at what it would look like. It seems it would make sense to do it on the computer to see if someone would want to do it. I like shorter and I certainly have never touched crack or anything else, and that is where that (expletive) comes from

 

Sorry about the multiple posts, I can't find how to delete.

 

On my 51 F-1, just moved the spring hangers forward about a foot. Cut the same from the front of the bed and rear of running boards. I like the side view now, goes well with the 4 inch chop. "C"d the frame and cut off rear of frame............OLDBEET

 

Hey old beet, you got any pictures? I apologize for my ignorance, but what does taking 12" out of your wheelbase do to the ride? I was thinkin more like 6... if I was in fact going to shorten the wheelbase at all. That's why I had originally taken it off at the back end of the bed.

Hey Hotrod, I don't see how it'd be possible to accomplish your photochop without moving the axel forward... you can't move the fenders forward without the wheels. Am I missig something?

I don't know... I've been staring at it real hard now. Could go either way.

 

I just shortened where it looked obvious, and yes that would require shortening the chassis. Photoshopping just allows us to look at options and whether it would be worth the time and effort to do something.

 

Rides good, stock reversed eye spring , axle mounted on top. Dropped the rear 7-8 inches.....camera broke.............OLDBEET

 

I hear ya, I do a lot of photochopping myself... I just thought you said you didn't move the axel foreward, so I got confused when I looked at your version.

Thanks for all the help and opinions... I'm about to do the rear suspension (beginnig of march), so I guess I'll have to make the call when I go to put it in. I'll post up about what I decide.

Thanks
-B

 

The F-100 has a 79" bed and a 110" wheelbase. Anything larger is 3/4 ton and up (250, 350 etc.) Half tons look like this:



...at least mine does.

halfton himmelberg

 

Oh yeah... Terry. Don't get confused. It's an old picture and my red truck picture is just a moldy green.

Pete

 

Here's my '56...100" wheelbase witha shortened GMC box.....

 

Ford made a few '56 F-100's with long boxes...first year for a half-ton longbox...