The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop 55 up bed on 50 truck

I have a 49-50 GMC truck. It has a 55 2d-up, bed. If you see the photos on the link, you'll see it rides to high and the wheel is not centered. Can I just buy the fenders and put them on the bed (of course with new drilling). Is it normal to be that high? Is this the reason why the 48-55 1st beds have an apron that goes it to the running boards? I checked under the bed and the attachment of the bed seems right to the frame. Are they the same bed for both models? Thanks for any help. Bed Photos

The simple answer is the frames are different for a 47-53 than for a 54. The frame has a higher rise over the rear axle than a 54/55.1 frame. The 54/55.1 trucks used the same bed as the 55.2 that you have on your 50.

I can be done check this out, http://www.mar-k.com/54_bed_on_a_53_frame.html. I just bought a new bed from Mar-K I debated using a 64 bed for TWO years then realized the amount of work required to make it work was worth more than $1200.00 I just bought the new bed last month. You have to raise the floor or flatten your frame out (get rid of the hump). In addition, I am 98% sure the fender holes will not line up, plus I think there are bead rolls on the bed sides that will be visible on the outside when the smaller 1950 fenders are installed. I say fill that piggy bank and buy the right bed. I can't see cutting the frame, and by the time you modify your bed it's going to require new paint and fenders anyways. Like I said I thought about this for two years and there is no inexpensive way around it.

As you saw on the picture, the swap has been done. Don't ask me how. I don't have the truck in my possession yet. I will try to take some pictures of the underside to see what did this guy did. I'll post if I can tomorrow.

Appreciate the help.

Well what I'm saying is it clearly hasn't been done properly. The bed has to be dropped down several inches to get your running boards to meet evenly. Take a look under the truck, I'm betting that bed is almost resting on your frame hump. Maybe it can be done properly it will just take some thinking.

Jeff: I went by yesterday to check the truck. The guy actually lifted the bed with an additional crossmembers. The bed clears the rear whell frame hump, but as you see in the pictures, the fender is way high. I'll upload a link tomorros of the photos I took. The website you posted was right on the money about the three methods and lifting the bed was one. As I'm in Guatemala, shipping a bed might be a little problem. I appreciate any help on the matter to try to fix, if possible the problem.

thanks

I hear that! The only reason I bought my bed was because they are offering free shipping, which saved me hundreds of dollars. You can make the bed work it just requires ALOT of thinking and evaluating the problem. The truck looks solid besides the bed situation though.

A '54 through '87 bed is deeper than the '47 though '53 bed. This was possible because the kick up on the later frame isn't as high as on the earlier frame. This is the reason your bed sits too high.

Assuming your bed is pre-'54, which seems likely, you either need to modify the floor of your bed, or find a '47 to '53 bed. I'd look for the right bed.

The apron you refer to is on all the trucks, though yours may not be correct given the bed it is attached to.

OldSub: So making all the panels go down the 2 inches and keeping the floor in its current height will "ressemble" the original position of the bed, being the depth shorter, as you explain. Im I getting this right? Anyway, what gives me the chills is the wheel of centered. Any ideas on it?

My first thought on the centering of the wheels is that they were never centered from the factory. So it should not be worrisome from a safety standpoint.

I'd get the bed in the right place, decide if I were going to change fenders or not, and then move the fenders to center over the wheels.

I'm not sure what it would take to move the bed sides down while not moving the floor, but yes that approach should solve that part of the problem. It may be as easy as removing the wood and then moving the angle pieces along the side up whatever the desired amount would be, and then putting it all back together.

But if you do that your tailgate will open below the bed floor and that would bother me.

I've thought about the tailgate also, buy I guess it will be easier and cheaper to buy a tailgate for that year (I assume it will be shorter due to the less deep well of the bed)and install it so it is flush with the floor. Following logics, I guess that is what the old bed shuold've been built. Do you think it would be a good idea to buy the running boards and apron to find the correct side panel height, and fix everything around it? Maybe it will mean also to cut the tailgate if it doesn't fit.

I think I'd just buy an early bed if it were me. I say this in part because it was my first thought when reading of your problem, and in part because yesterday I did buy an early bed rather than deal with the issues adapting a late bed to an early frame.

I know the depth is different between the two boxes, I'm not sure the width is the same. If the width is different swapping tailgates is a problem.

I'm about to go out to my shop and will measure the width of the tailgates, but it may be some hours before I return to the computer with the results.

Thanks OldSub. I actually was going to ask if anybody had original measurements in order to either modify or built on from scratch (I work on a steel structure fabrication shop, and while it is not the same, we might come with something nice). I'm trying to keep the buying part as a last resort because a)A new bed is quite expensive. b)buy a used one might be cheaper but shipping will kill me, this applies to a) also. c)I will have to travel the most hidden places around here, El Salvador or even Honduras, to see if I can find a truck from that year, you know Toyotas are king in these lattitudes.

Okay I just walked back out because I'd forgotten to measure the tailgates while I was out earlier.

The '54 tailgate is 51 inches across the top rolled part. It appears to fit into the end of the bed about 1/2-inch on each side. This is what yours should look like, unless we are all wrong about what it is.

The early tailgate I have probably came off a '49 but I say that only because the guy I got it from is working on a '49 and I think it is a reject off that truck. I also think '47 to '53 tailgates are either all the same or close enough for this purpose.

It is only 50 inches wide across that some roll, but it appears it has a lip that would make it at least 51, maybe 52 inches wide across the rear face.

My conclusion is that while you can not just swap the two, with a fab shop available it would not be impossible to make the early fit a later box. It does not appear to be a simple bolt on swap, but rather something not a big deal to someone with some cutting tools and a welder and some additional steel available.

I'll check it out tomorrow and write back, I'll try to take some pictures with the measuring tape of several dimensions.

Thannks