how to cut a long 58-59 chevy truck bed to short bed.

i been looking for a 58-59 chevy short fleetside bed. there's not many out there so i want to get a long bed and cut it. has anyone done it? any ideas and pics please.

 

It's been awhile, but I think it was about 8" in the front, and 12" in the rear

 

do u know where to cut in the front and back?

 

I'd cut it from top to bottom. if you cut it front to back it will look goofy.

 

If you put a short bed on a long bed frame Barnum & Bailey might be interested.

 

my truck is a short bed frame. and its a stepside but i want to change it to a fleetside.i cant find a short fleetside bed.

 

Stepsides are cooler.


Rich

 

when i was a kid my dad had a 59 chevy truck short bed fleetside. and i loved that truck. he had to sell it. i want to build something similar.

 

this page

http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits.html

has a bunch of "engineering do***ents" that will show the length of the bed, wheelbase, etc which might help you figure it out.

I'd be more helpful if my kid's truck was here to look at, or if I hadn't sold that short bed truck I had

 

Long beds are cooler.

 

Trucks, on PowerBlockTV, did such a section job on a '66 C-10. The start of that part of the project was in episode 10 of 2007, One-Half A C-10. You'll have to study the episode descriptions to figure out whether there are others you'd need. You can buy the CD for $5.95 or wait for it to come around in rotation (good luck).

Cheers -- Gary

Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile. -- 
Sir Wilfred Grenfell

 

thx. kinda gives me an idea of the dims.

 

i like short bed. i live in the city. not much space for long beds.

 

short bed fleet side are the way to go!

 

http://www.truckinweb.com/features/1013tr_1957_chevy_truck/photo_08.html

proof!

 

yup thats a nice truck.

 

i seen how they cut the long stepside bed to short on pictures. has anybody done it on the fleetside?

 

Short bed, long bed, who cares as long as there's something nice laying on it.





I mean, like, some nice paint laid on it, ya know?

 

Not on this planet.

 

Your truck is already a short bed frame then you have your answer. It doesnt matter what anybody else says because most of the time they are cutting the frame and making the whole truck shorter, most of the time cutting both the bed and the frame. I know of two different trucks same year and they are slightly different. Use the wheel base you have and go from there and give yourself a similar gap between the bed and frame and remember the fleetside slightly wraps the cab on the sides.

 

Stepside info, but maybe you can use some of it.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=460946

 

yeah i will have that in mind. most of the time i see stepsides. i don't see little details on the fleetside. thx.

 

Good luck man and make sure to post up some pics! I love those short fleetsides too!!

 

thx for the info.

 

Different board but these guys shortened a long fleet. Maybe you could contact them via email or something to get the measurements.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=311238&highlight=shorten&page=9

 

that is awesome! that's what i'm looking for. thx allot man.

 

You will have to cut the difference in the wheelbases from the front of the bed.
That would be 9-1/4 inches.
Then you will have to cut the rest of the extra length out of the back end to make it the correct length bed when you are done.

Poke around this site a bit. It has all of the measurements with diagrams that you probably need. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/59index.htm

This page has the measurements. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/59tld09.htm

As far as the actual shortening, it's just like chopping a top but in the other direction. Measure, mark, cut then weld. Spend a lot of extra time measuring and marking before cutting.

 

I think this was thrown around in a thread before with this same model. The trucks TV cut was a good idea of what your in for. You will have to cut before and after wheel wells. X2 on GM heritage site, its a great source for dimensions on any of these trucks. If you need anything I will try to provide specs off my bed.
Goodluck And the short fleet does look best!

 

A friend gave me a '57 Chevy pickup in 1972. He was a carpenter, used the truck for work. Truck threw a rod, through the side if the block. (235 six, three on the tree)
We drove up in the mountains to the "Job Site", and there it was: Navy gray, cherry; all the windows, chrome, everything nice. It was a former U.S. Navy vehicle, Stepside, with the longest bed I have ever seen! (10 or 12 feet, think it was 12!)

I declined, probably should have taken it...but it was 8 miles into the mountains, mostly logging roads. A mean tow...or a few days up and back to re-engine it.
But I've never seen anything like it. (didn't bother looking to see how the factory stretched the frame, either...wish I had)

 

I approve!