73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Body, Glass & Paint => Topic started by: Skunksmash on September 20, 2011, 06:47:09 am
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I was looking at a few newly painted truck pics, and I noticed this. It looks like even the best bodywork cant hide the fact that the bed sticks out a little too far on the sides of the truck. Went outside and looked at my truck, and it is the same way. Only thing I can think of to fix it would be to take the bed off, slice it in half, and weld it back together. :D Leaving out like 1/4" or perhaps 3/8". You know, just use that blade thickness when you cut it. There seems to be a fair bit of room on the sides of the tailgate so I don't think that would be an issue.
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get a unibody
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Get a step side?
They tried to maximize beds to haul stuff. You could section the bed, sort of like shaving bumpers to tuck them in to the body. Lot of work for a little bit of visual change.
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Don't spend quite so much time time starring at your truck. Ha! ;D
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mine is wider like you said, but not too bad. another thing that really makes it stick out is the big soft curve at the back of the cab. the back of the cab has that easy curve to it, and the bed is a sharp bend and it looks worse than it is.
easiest thing id think to cover that up would be to rework the back of the cab to line up right. welding, though not filler. lol
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get a unibody
A uni-square would be too cool!
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a blazer? or a stretched blazer?
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Like a stretched blazer. Shortbed truck style, be somethin different fosho!
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I'm afraid I don't follow ya on the whole unibody thing
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that way you dont have to worry about the bed being bigger since its the same size as the cab
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i was looking at mine today since you mentioned it... the back of the cab (between the door and bed) bows way inward. if you get at the back of the truck and site along the whole belt line, the back of the cab curves WAAAAY inward towards the back.
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Get a step side?
I never knew that on fleet sides the bed sticks out a little, I only have step sides, though my next one will be a 2wd fleet I think.
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My 85 is like this. On my 74 I made sure everything lined up and tightened up all of the gaps evenly before I tightened all of the bolts. I had to use a porta power, bottle jack and a come a long to get it square.
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Remember when Chevy made these trucks they didn't worry much about the little things like that. They was only worried about how much they could haul and how hard it could work. Unlike today where trucks are more like a car with a bed.
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Unlike today where trucks are more like a car with a bed.
Kinda sad aint it? Even a stripped down work truck these days is usually better equipped than the Silverado of days gone by...
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That's why I bought my 85 and my best friend owns an 89 3+3 diesel. To us they are real trucks. Only thing I would change is I like the round headlights better then the 4 square ones and the girlfriend wants me to change it over as well.
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Unlike today where trucks are more like a car with a bed.
Kinda sad aint it? Even a stripped down work truck these days is usually better equipped than the Silverado of days gone by...
Oneof my buddies bought a new Chevy work truck. It came with a rubber floor mat and hand crank windows. I didn't know they still made anything like that.
By the way, the cab on 79 C-20 fleet curves way in in the back too. If you look closely one side looks worse that the other!
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The new ones are way better. Lets see one of the 70's models go for 350K miles. Never gonna happen lol
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its all about maintenance change the oil/fluid these things can go that and then some
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I had an 87 f250 that had 300,000 miles when I sold it. My 85 Chevy is working on 225,000 miles on a 305. I've been waiting for it to die so I can put a 350 in it.
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My dads 82 has 290,000 miles on it and its still going strong with all the orginal drivetrain!
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My 73 had what I figure to be the original 250 straight six in it and a th350, truck ran like a champ, nowhere near fast, but it always got where it was going.
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The new ones are way better. Lets see one of the 70's models go for 350K miles. Never gonna happen lol
By the same token, try keeping one on the new ones running for 30 years with duct tape, a crescent wrench, and old coat hangers. ;) ;D
As far as the bed, think of a Suburban pick-up.
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By the way, the cab on 79 C-20 fleet curves way in in the back too. If you look closely one side looks worse that the other!
I'm glad it's not just mine then. I did have a few concerns having nothing to compere it to!
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my trucks bed doesnt stick out on the sides only thing out farther than the cab is the fenders since its a dually
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I did some measuring comparing all 4 of my trucks. Everything is within 1/4" of each other in width. My extended cab appears worse of all but that also has the bed closest to the back of the cab.
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So it might actually look better if the bed was about 1/4" narrower? Or perhaps even an eighth of an inch narrower? Might take away from that look. That stick out look.
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So it might actually look better if the bed was about 1/4" narrower? Or perhaps even an eighth of an inch narrower? Might take away from that look. That stick out look.
Anything would help. I would imaging if you elongated the bolt on panel some and draw it in with a tie down strap you could probably get it real close to the width of the cab. I am going to try it on my new bed for my 85 C20 before I paint it.
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is it just the curve on the end of the cab that makes it look like its off. i mean these cabs are universal so it could of had a flat bed or something else besides a truck bed so they would curve it to give it a finished look and not just another angle