The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Need Advice/Help With Bed

Ok so some of you may know, i was rear ended on friday and need a new bed. it was all the other persons fault, and i need to find some parts to show the body shop (not actually purchase them, just show him online or something) so they can do an estimate. right now, its a short fleetside with the custom moldings(1963 if anyone needs to know).

to start off, i cant find reproduction bedsides anywhere so if anyone could find reproduction short fleet bedsides for a '63 it would be GREATLY appreciated!

i believe they reproduce everything else for the bed. PLEASE correct me if im wrong i REALLY need to know, the body shop has no experience with a chevy truck this old. I also need to know whether i can bolt these parts right on without any modification so i can tell the body shop.

Ok i had one other thought cross my mind: switch to stepside. I know they make all the parts for the stepside (again please correct me if im wrong) and they look much better in my opinion. However i need to know whether a stepside bed will bolt right on a frame that had a fleetside bed or if it requires any modification. one problem i thought about though is that its a custom and it has the molding so i didnt know if they had the stepside with the custom cab and if that would look retarded having the molding stop at the cab.

And my last idea, my aunt is my insurance agent and she has told me that the other insurance company may decide to call it "totalled" and give me the money for what its worth if it is less than the repair costs will be. if they do decide to this, i thought about just doing the work myself and eliminating all body shop costs except have them straighten the frame and paint it when im all done, and it will teach me a lot. However, my mom is ****** enough with me having a 64 in my backyard for a few years which ended up being too much work so im basically asking if there is a lot of skill required with installing the bed, or if its something that i can do in a few weekends with my dad and his buddy who restores cars may be able to help out. Basically, i just need to know if its something i can do myself. I really need to know if the stepside will bolt right on a frame where a fleetside was there or if that makes a difference or whatever.

the preferred option for me would be to stick with the fleetside and have the body shop install it but i really need to know if they make ALL parts to install a new bed on it. my email is [email protected] and my AIM adress is VRcontraband64 if anyone has that. again, any help with this will be GREATLY appreciated. i really dont know as much as you guys do yet and thats why im asking. thank you in advance for anyone who helps.

Check Classis Trucks magazine, they have a few companies that have bed parts.

thanks for the input, but i dotn need help finding parts, i need advice. PLEASE someone help i would truly appreciate it. i know someone on the forum has replaced a bed before.

I am not 100% sure but I am betting the stepside will bolt right on. GM wouldn't change the frame for each bed design. I would bet you could bolt a real late model bed right on the frame if you can't find a old one.
As for the work, its normal for there to be six hold down bolts, a ground wire, and posible fuel filler neck. Once unbolted, use three or four guys or a engine hoist to pick it up. You are looking at less then 300 pounds. If you had the new bed, you could do it in a afternoon. Joe

8 bolts, unplug taillight harness, lift bed off using a couple buddies. Reverse to install, frames are the same on step or fleet trucks. no one repro's fleet bedsides, patches are available tho. a used bed is about the only option if yours is trashed. brian

Here are some parts for a 63 fleetside bed from Mar-K . There aren't any bed sides, but there are probably some trucks in junkards with your body style to choose from.

There is a Bed Forum that Mar-K sponsors and monitors. Those guys can answer your questions about fitting the stepside bed on the fleetside frame. (I can't see where it'd be a problem. GM wouldn't have put out two different half ton frames just to accomodate the different beds.)

Once you get the frame straightened out, it should be a piece of cake to assemble the bed yourself.

check out these guys. complete fiberglass parts if you want that. they have a complete short stepside bed for about $3000

http://www.usbodysource.com/Pages_Trucks/60-Chevy.htm

ok i think the stepside might be the way i want to go, but the only problem is, my truck is a custom, so its the 2 tone with the back window. i just dont know if it would look retarded having the white stripe go to the back of the cab and stop there. maybe it will be cool. i know that will make it unique haha.

cmon i know someones done a bed swap.

geez, use yer eyes!! what does "retarded" look like? - they made any combination of options a person ordered, how it looks is up to you!!

as you've been told, a stepside bed [ALL parts available] will bolt right on, they didn't make a different frame for every model - if you have trouble visualizing what the truck will look like with a step bed, lots of pics of stepsides around, check the gallery

if insurance wants to write it off and will pay a good [fair] dollar, take the money and run, a truck that's had it's frame really bent ain't worth the hassle

Bill

first off, thanks red. well its not bent too bad i dont think. the guy at the body shop really didnt know what he was talking about and he was the one that told me he thought it was bent. hes also the one that told me they didnt make a rear cross sill when he pointed to it, which is where i had to step in and correct him hahaha. im just curious though, did they have Custom model c10's with a stepside bed? thats what ill have most likely, but just curious. oh and just to clarify, are there ALL parts to bolt a stepside right on? thanks everyone i appreciate you helping.

yes yes yes. all parts to make a new stepside bed ARE available for purchase aftermarket (at a high cost). a stepside and a fleetside ARE interchangeable. once you have all parts in front of you you can assemble the bed and install it in an afternoon/day. go for it. you are making this out to be much bigger than it really is. as i linked up there you can purchase a COMPLETE bed. if you dont want fiberglass you can purchase all parts to make the original style stepside bed from mar-k, Classic parts of america(formerly chevyduty) and LMC truck. once the bed is on if you dont like the custom cab look take the trim off. good luck and let us know how it comes out.

as you're told, everything is available - set a complete step bed next to a complete fleet bed, and the "bolting right on" will require the same handfull of bolts for either

and if you're doing it yourself, price it out with a totally new step bed, then go find a workable fleet bed used and repair what you have - for that matter, the step bed is identical from 55-66, so if you don't find a used fleet bed, find a used step bed easier

Bill

i think im gona get a new step unless i find one in really good condition somewhere around MD. im going to get another estimate later only on the frame straightening because if i have a body shop install the bed, all theyre gona be doing is turning ratchets for 4 hours and pricing it through the roof haha. anyway, thanks again i appreciate the help. btw, troy destroy, is that flat black on ur truck? whatever it is, ur truck looks hot as balls dude.

63custom: thanks. yes it is flat black but only a photoshop rendering. its currently a **** poor paint job of dark grey color. if i can get a decent weekend w/o rain or wind i'll flat black it. tips from others point to using rustoleum "satin black' i'll post pics when i get it done.

There is a 60 short box fleetside on ebay right now, but it's in Omaha

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...38653807&indexURL=1#ebayphotohosting

im not buying a new truck, mine still drives! its just the bed that needs replacing, and theres a small dent in the cab. nothing too severe.

troy - yea a guy from my work got some of that satin black rustoleum and used it on his motorcycle. we work at a hardware store so we can use liek as much as we want for a very discounted price hahaha.