Shortening 61 Chevy X frame

I just bought a longbed truck and want to make a shortbed fleetside. I already have a factory short fleetside box but was wondering about shortening the frame. Anyone have experience shortening the X Frame style frame with the torsion bar front? Or would it be easier to buy the newer 63-72 frame and shorten it, or even put the body on a 73-87 frame and get the power steer & disc brakes? The goal is to get a lowered truck that can be daily driven with comfort and ease, but not create a monster with no resale value. What do you guys think?

 

Personally I would go with the third option/

 

This year frames won't work because everything is located wrong for 60-66. There are no free rides in rodding.

60-62 is torsion and those frames have cab mounts set wider compared to 63-66, as well as all the bed crossmember mounts are wider, incl the rear painted deal under the T-gate. That has 2 mounts needing moving to fit the 63-66 frame.

Me? I'd be looking for a 60-62 swb frame to keep it simple, but I also know how to do the mods to use the 63-66, so I might go that way if the other frame can't be found. At that point, because I have the tools, I might look at the orig lwb frame to see how easy/hard it would be to shorten. I doubt it will be anything difficult, just labor.

67-72 frame is even more work than a 63-66 frame swap, as I have done that also.

 

There should be a way to scoot the rear diff forward 12 inches from the 127 wheel base to the 115 wheel base in the existing frame.
The short bed frame trailing arms may be shorter to accomplish it (not sure) If so you would just need to figure out a place for the coils to sit.
You would just need to move some bed mounts around to compensate the diffrence and cut the extra frame length off in the back.

I scooted the leaf spring hangers forward on a 55 Im workin on, it sits a little forward in the frame hump but still has plenty of room and is not noticeable unless you are looking for it.
If nothing else,It may be possible to convert yours to leafs (not sure) I had a 60s GMC that was leaf springs

 

I have never seen a frame like that on a truck before,a friend had a 60 GMC one ton panel but it looked like a normal GM truck frame. That one looks like a truck frame combined with a car X frame and looks to be a very strong frame.

 

Yes they are super strong, and fully boxed.

 

Low budgets pic looks exactly like my frame, I havent found a short wb frame or I'd go that way. My frame is parallel under the bed but changes at the back of the cab and narrows as you move forward. What is different on the swb is the X shorter and the side rails or just the trailing arms are shorter and different angle? I still need to update front crossmember to get pb & ps and lower into the weeds so do you think it is better to get a 73-87 frame with those already or to get 63-66 or shorten what I have. I hadnt considered moving the rear end forward but will look at that and take some measurements, I dont want to make something that looks weird. Thanks to all who responded and if there is anyone else with experience in this please chime in. I like to have a mul***ude of counselors before I do something stupid. LOL

 

ok how about another question. Is the c20 frame and the c30 frame the same for the 60-62 or the 63-66 frames? I know they have different wheel bolt patterns and I ***ume heavier duty springs but does anyone know if I could use a 3/4 ton frame and just put the 1/2 suspension stuff on it and not be adding weight, or for that matter will it all just bolt on to change from 1/2 to 3/4 ton? And are the GMC's the same frame as the chevy. I know the GMC's normally had leaf spring rear and chevy had coils rear but I'm under the impression that it was optional to get leafs on a chevy or coils on a gmc. Thanks in advance

 

c10 long & c20 are the same--c30 has a stronger frame (wider c section)

 

I have a 1961 C-10 shortbed frame with late model rearend, new coils, weight jacks, adjustable track bar, disc brakes, power steering, new ball joints, all new brakes I would like to sell. Tons of other parts too. PM me if interested.

 

On the 64-66 shortbed frames, the factory just moved the crossmember that locates the front of the trailing arms forward. The trailing arms are the same length for all bed lengths (and all years, I think.)
Seems like the easiest way would be to contact Cornernfool.
Ralph