I have a chance to pick up a 56 Ford F100, one owner Az truck. The only drag is that its a long bed. Not having any frame modification experience, I was wondering how hard it is to shorten the frame. Is it even worth hacking it up or would it be easier to buy a short bed truck to start with? Thanks for any advice.
Compared to building a frame from scratch, that is an easy job. Plan on shortening or replacing the driveshaft and brakelines.
If it's a nice cab etc., I'd much rather shorten the frame than do body work. You might not even have to take the cab and engine off of the ch***is. I shortened a 76 Suburban frame 11" while it was still on the tires. The whole body was gone but it would depend on where you can find a straight section of frame rail that can be shortened the required amount. (usually right behind the cab).
HOTRODSURFER - Nothing is really wrong with a long bed. It just looked off to me. But the truck was in a garage with one flat tire so I couldnt really stand back to look at it. Question for you - How much higher are the sides of the bed on the long beds? tommy - The entire truck is pretty solid so it seems that it can be done leaving the cab, front end, etc on the truck. Richard D - thanks for the info
Fellow Silhouettes member's '58 International pick up sits on a late model Merc frame. If he can do that I'm sure you can do something like it!
Ok so maybe the flat tire threw me off Old wolf . Now for the million dollar question... Yes folks what is a one owner, small back window, 3 speed overdrive, custom cab, all original paperwork provided long bed Az truck go for? I have no clue. Honestly Im just curious.
I done a f250 56, I took 8 inches out rite behind the cab and 12 inches off the back and set a short f1 bed on it. I also had to cut the drive shaft,it had a carrier bearing but it worked,I also changed the rearend to five lug and the front axle and spindles were the same as f1. so all I had to change was the hubs and backing plates on the front,I also had to get running boards but the process was a lot more simple than I thought it was going to be and should be more simple on yours sense its already a f1
Shortening a long bed 53-56 F-100 is actually rather easy. My truck started life as a long bed. I DID NOT cut the frame in the middle. Instead I moved the axle forward (some 8" I think) and cut the left overs off the back. It obviously puts the rear a little forward into the frame kick up but if you C-notch it or don't lower it, doesn't effect anything. A couple other things to be aware of are the facts that the long beds are also wider then the short beds. So, if you plan to use a new or used shortbed you will have to also consider a narrower rear end to fit in the fenders. The rear spring hangers are easy to move forward, all you do is grind the rivets off and move it forward and then drill new holes and bolt the spring hangers back onto the frame. The front bed mounts stay the same and you will have to adjust the bed mount blocks slightly to be sure the cross sills are still positioned correctly and level. I hope this helps, if not shoot me a PM and I can get a little more in-depth. -Brian
I shortened my first '56 down from a long box. As was said, the box is longer, wider and deeper. To my eye, one that has been shortened using the long box, looks too stubby. The rear track width of long and short boxes are the same, long boxes just use wheel tubs for clearance. This is a pretty straight forward process, if you do like lowbudget and I did, where you shorten the frame and add a shortbox box and runnig boards. Also, before you do any cutting, I would cast my lamps around for a shortbox frame. Maybe find a trashed '53-56 s/b to part out, or someone upgrading to an aftermarket frame.
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