"The early '57 used the 90" bed, same as the '55/'56. The late version has the 96" bed,"
Actually, that is 89 inches and 98 inches respectively.
I always prefered the shortbeds untill I drove a long bed. The longbeds are easier to keep straight while driving , and can haul a bunch more than a short bed. My 1/2 ton longbed 59 gmc currently weighs about 4400 lbs unloaded. The California DMV claims it should weigh around 4100. I had a 59 gmc 1/2 shortbed. The DMV claimed that one to weigh 3350 lbs. Some of the extra weight could be from extra equipment, larger tires, different transmissions, and engines. The longbed has a pontiac v8 where the shortbed had an inline 6. Anyway if you make an apples to apples comparison of a shortbed and longbed with the same equipment... you can expect the longbed to be at least 300 lbs heavier.
