Longbed Swap

[meatheaded nucklebuster]

Ok so here goes it. Im planning out my project and I need some constructive criticism. Im building a road-tripping/ trail / dd sometimes ranger hopefully over this summer. Its gonna be sas w/ full width d44 and d60 rear on leafs. Basically what im wondering is if anyone has put a long bed (7') on an ex cab. I know this is not good for offroad because i see a lot of bobbed/removed beds. However, I will be building a camper shell/ topper thingy with 2 fold down bunks and some other cool camping modifications. (drawings to come). What I want is insight as to weather or not it will need a frame extension or if i could fab it onto existing frame and move springs back or what. any ideas will be appreciated pictures are even better. Has any of you slept in your box if so please say your height, what size box, and how you fit (tailgate down, head touching or whatever)

 

[meatheaded nucklebuster]

Here is a photoshap version with an estimated long bed. I had to kinda guess length. Its pretty long but still reasonable.

Also here is a previous design idea minus the ex cab(which I want) thats was TRS 1 before i went computer crazy on it

and a few sketches made during boring lectures

 

[meatheaded nucklebuster]

anybody?

 

[lepp1892]

The only time i've ever heard of anyone doing an extended cab long bed was dropping a ranger body on an f-250 frame...

 

[AllanD]

It's been done, and been done by a forum member, but I have no idea where he is...

AD

 

[tpking]

the hard parts gonna be getting the wheel well to line up. i dont know if its just long on back or on front to. if its just longer in back i dont see what would be hard at all about putting it on and just extending the frame some ..

 

[AllanD]

The problem with doing it that way is extending the frame at TWO different points.

the long box frame splits the extra length between in front of the axle and behind it.

I'd recomment only one splice and make it at a spot you want to
reinforce the hell out of anyway...

Personally I'd "reverse fishmouth" the supercab frame and the rear half of a donor longbox frame and center the splice over the front leaf spring mount and add reinforcement plates (3/8" thick flatbar) spanning the joint by atleast 9" either side of the joint in the top flange.

"reverse fishmouth" is "fishmouthing" the piece you are throwing away
so you are left with two long overlapping tabs that will each form half
of the joint between the two halves....

making the joint at that specific location allow you to align the overlap
points with the rivet holes for the front spring mount and clamp the two
pieces together with 5/8" fine thread bolts and thick backup washers.

the result will be something far stronger than the original frame was
at that point.

I'm very seriously toying with doing the same thing myself, I have a "loose" supercab frame and I'm about to receive a longbox frame that will be "leftover" from a 4x4 conversion on a '91 2wd longbox.
that conversion is using the brutally efficient method.
we are getting a junkyard 4x4 frame and swapping it
under a friend's 2wd truck, the truck is currently a 3.0/5sp
truck, but conversion to a 4.0 is trivial (to me anyway)
on a gen2.

But the point is I'll be left with a leftover longbox frame and it'd be such
a shame to waste it.

Frankly to me the two most complicated parts of it will be having a
longer driveshaft made, extending the exhaust pipe and working out
the relocation of the mounts for the gastank.

and after all that work and welding in all the gussets I'd want I'd go one step further and "ultra turd polish" the frame, to do that I'd take the whole assembly out to have it hot dip galvanized in molten zinc so it looks like a friggin guardrail post.

and most emphatically: WILL NOT RUST.... EVER!

AD

 

[meatheaded nucklebuster]

Ha ha I like the hot dip idea thanks for the input guys I really appreciate it. AD that sounds like the best way to go about it. I would normally go measure stuff and draw it out myself but im at college and have no time for junkyard crawling. I will try to draw up some designs when I can get measurements of mounts and framerails ect. If you do end up doing this I would love to see some pics. Thanks again
-Evan

 

[AllanD]

After some consideration I realized that What I described above would leave it 6" short, because you'd need 6" forward of the front spring mount... or I could shorten the bed up front...

But I DO want to do it.

I could care less what it weighs, and I actually want the additional 6" of overhang
(more room for an even larger gastank back there)

I'd really like to build the whole thing with the front half of a gen4 frame
Face it this thing is going to be utterly U-S-E-L-E-S-S offroad.
Between the long rear overhand and getting high centered...


AD

 

[wrecking-crew]

why not just recut the wheel well and put a new peice over the part your not using and instead of cutting the frame just put an extention for the rear bumper. less strain on the frame and a bit easier and safer(framework wise). just my 2 cents

 

[meatheaded nucklebuster]

I was thinking of stretching the bed when I was weighing options and threw that idea out because I am dont care enough to do good body work and I dont want it to look like crap. Also Im swapping for 4 in lift chev leafs front and rear with custom hangers so Im not worried about moving those plus I wanted to add some frame bracing anyways. I want about 8" lift or so and im thinking about putting the sliders up in the place of the rocker panels but not till I get to put in my cage so probly that will probly wait a year or so but Im hoping this will help off road but I know I will suck on any kind of ledge so im planning hard core skidplating

 

[Raywelder]

Why couldn't you just move the axle back on the frame.

Then you would just add on to the end of the frame, Where it doesnt have to be near as strong as trying to add frame in the middle.