65 cab and bed on a 78 chassis 2wd? Wheel base ? (EASY SOLUTION)

[caunchman]

    So I am finally getting around to stripping down my 78 C-10 chassis and get it ready for planting my 65 cab on it.  I have all the correct body mount brakets for this, but i'm thinking I may run into a wheelbase issue.  It is  a short bed chassis, first off.  So I am aware that the wheel base on the 73-87 chevy trucks is 117.5".  The issue I am trying to resolve is to turn it into a 115" wheel base would it be easiest just to move the leaf spring brackets 2.5" forward to close the wheel base up?  The frame would allow this after measuring it out.  I'm thinking if I keep it with a 117.5" wheelbase my rear tires won't center right.

Thanks,
Chris

[maddog]

I would cheat the box back 1 inch on frame and look at it to see if you could really see that it is not centred, this extra inch behind cab shouldn't be that noticeable.

[Captkaos]

set everything up and see where it all sits and go from there.  I would change the location as a last resort.

[caunchman]

Wouldn't moving the cab back 1" change the center over the front wheels? I know this swap has done before but I'm just curious of what they do about the wheel base difference.

 

[Captkaos]

it could possibley do that.  But the tires were never really centered on these trucks perfectly.

[HAULIN IT]

Caunchman, Maddog suggested moving the BOX (bed) back 1" not the cab. I've seen these done, also '67-'72's. To me they look wrong unless you move the rear spring/axle assy. A stepside seems to be "less obvious" than a fleetside. Your year is a little better than the newer ones because of the angled back shape of the wheelwell..."finding center with one's eye" is a little less obvious than a vehicle with a near round arch for a wheelwell with the axle in the wrong place. Just my Two Cents, Lorne

[maddog]

If you really want to right you should center cab then center box, see what you have between cab and box you will want to keep this at least 1.5 inches, make sure you square off box to cab, looks will be mean more than what your tape measure says here, now sutract the 1.5 from total distance between cab and box, remove box and cut this amount out of frame on each side, this is a lot easer to do than it sounds.
If you have never done this get some help, you will still have to shorten drive shaft but if you were to move rear end forward you would also have to do, this takes me about 2 hrs to, moving rear end forward drilling and cutting those factory rivets bolting everthing else together thats an all day job on your knees and back, if your worried about splice dont be, done right this will be the strongest part of frame.

[caunchman]

I measured the cab, and how it sits on the chassis, this weekend and found, as I thought, the wheelbase would be 2-2.5" to long if I use the stock 65 bed I have.  BUT SOLUTION....I think....after measuring my chassis I am prepping for the cab I noticed the leaf springs looked REALLY long.  I measured them out and found that they are 56" leaf springs....well I found Chevy also has 52" springs for these trucks...so even though I didn't want to I am going to order up the 52" springs keep my front leaf spring hangers where they are, and move my back hangers 4" closer to the front, which will inturn move my axle center line 2" closer, closes it to 115.5" WB which wil be close enough for the stock 65 bed.......

[Captkaos]

You have to move the front leaf spring hanger to change the wheelbase.  Otherwise you are just changing from HD to STD springs (this is the differences in the different lenghts in addition to more leafs and higher capacity)  The only way with what you are proposing will change the wheelbase is if you install the springs backwards.

[caunchman]

Yup....going to have to move the hangers I guess........

[caunchman]

What about if I used a 24"x31 1/4" 2 1/2" leaf spring (F-150 78) or a 24"x28" 2 1/2" (Dodge P/U)? I think they all use  the same eye bolt. That would move where the axle sits roughly 2" forward.....I really don't want to move the front hangers.......the rear would be as bad....I wonder if the spring shop could modify mine?