The skirts are staying of course. That is the idea. Every flat bed I have ever seen has not fit the shape of the truck. By just cutting off the bed sides and leaving the floor and skirts. It still matches the lines of the truck. I think it will look bad a$$ once I start the finishing work.

The part that tears me is do I shorten the bed, bob it to the shackles?? Or leave it long??

One bad thing about it right now is that I have to take some leafes out the rear end. It is bouncy, like bad bouncy. You can feel the rear end bounce around over bumps. I'll wait and see when I get my decking down, might bring some of the weight I lost back in.

One thing I got accomplished today was I got the front shocks changed out. That helped out alot and I got my pass. seat mounted down.

Tommorow the bumper is coming off, got the bolts seaking in wd40. And since I want to drive it. I need to rig up some temp tail lights, as mine are just dangling by the wires.

 

i would almost leave it a long bed

 

Since I have been driving my truck lately, I noticed a very interesting problem. Since my tail lights are now in the roll pan, I all most got rear ended twice. Once by a TrailBlazer and the other by a Range Rover. So I decided I need to make a 3rd brake light up high. I got some card board and made a 4 x 1 1/2 inch box for it. Roof of the cab to the drip rail above the rear window. I got to fiberglass it all up and find some red plastic. But since it is brakelight only, what do I use to light it? Just grab a light socket out of my old tails, or get some leds or ? The wiring is simple, run it off my existing brake light wires, up and around the inside of the cab, drill a hole and presto. The head liner should cover it up nicely.

So that is the plan since alot of work is going into my bed, I'd hate to get rear ended. I want it to be noticed but not overly bright, and space is a issue, I only got about a inch to work with. So regular light socket, I have a couple small ones from a old set of gauges, or go get some leds or ??

I could put the light in a different spot, like below the window in the sheetmetal, like those long led stripes, but then I run into the problem of hiding the wires on the inside of the cab. Any other idea's ???

I'll post the mock up pics tommorow and as all ways feed back is all ways wanted

 

what about one of those ones thats supposed to go in the tail gate jamb? the big led strips. mount it in the back under the window. or hell, mount it to the back edge of the bed.

 

by the way, he cut his rear frame off. then wanted to tow something without a bumper lmao

 

Way to tell everyone. Yes, I had a horrible moment. The bumper was a pain in the a$$ to remove, so I just cut off where it mounts. When I was done I had a horrible realization. The trailer hitch is in the bumper!!!! So how do I tow anything now????????

The worst thing is that later that day I was supposed to go get a parts car that has a 5 speed for my truck. So I lost the 5 speed because I got to figure out where and how to mount a trailer hitch

 

One of the POs of my p/u welded a hitch between the frame pieces. I'll take some better pictures if you are interested.

 

Thanks for the offer. My truck is not for hauling anything anymore. The amount of work I have been doing to it, means no more work for that truck. I have pics to post, but I won't till it is more presentable. The metal and fiberglass work is taking alot of my time right now.

By the way the truck got cut. My bed got chopped about a foot. Right to the end of the frame. My bed is now 78 1/2 inches long. The fiberglass work starts this week. I am in the process of cleaning up the bed and getting everything ready. Progress pics to come.

 

Hey, N/P... I was just showing you what you could do *if* you wanted to have a hitch on the back w/o the bumper... The post prior I inferred you were looking for a solution to have a hitch w/o the bumper.

 

or he could mount it right above the rear window like right under the drip rail that runs right around the back of the cab

 

Here is just a little update. The bed floor got wire wheeled, seems welded closed, bed lined, and the wood got cut into shape. I started doing the glass work. Filled the body line w 3oz mat, put another layer to make the curve onto the bed floor. Grinded down and started w/ the filler. Sanded and added more skim coats to get it smoothed out. I am starting to get the rear pan made. Then I can glass the floor and make it all one piece. I have alot more work and a ton of finishing work ahead of me.

The bed can then come off so I can do the underside. I have been slacking the last couple weeks.
I got a little more work done. Just no new pics. I'll get some pics when I get the rear all glassed in.

 

some progress

 

I am still up in the air about a few things. I think I want to cut out the back of the cab and make a straight panel. I think that will look better than the stock rib things. I am also playing w/ the idea of incorporating a spoiler into the back edge of the flat bed, w/ a diffuser into the bottom edge of the roll pan. That might look cool. If I did the spoiler thing, it will be like on the 3rd gen camaro's. Kinda like a bump right before the edge. I could run my led strip inside that for my tails. I picked up some of the rear 4x4 fender flares to help me get the wheel tub made.

It is slow going, alot of glass just to grind most of it away, then more glass, grind that down, start mudding, sanding. But my truck definately will be original.

 

it will be original... turning out great

 

the beds looking good man go for it and cut out the back of the cab i just got done doing that on my truck i gained an extra five inchs of space in the center of the cab its so much nicer will be able to put speaker boxs behind my seats now cant wait to see the bed further along though

 

I got the a$$ end all glassed in. That was a pain, I got alot of thicking to do as it is still kinda woobly. I am going to put a steel rod in the bottom edge to really shore it all up.

Tail lights are being a bit@h right now. I need to figure out the wiring some more. Then cut my holes, and get them all frenched in. The idea is to use some trailer lights but I can't figure out some things. The ones I got only have 2 wires and I get the brake lights to only come on when the lights are off. Does that make sense, I only get 1 or the other, turn lights on, they light up, step on brakes, they don't get any brighter. Turn lights off, step on brakes and I get lights. For some reason someone wired my driving lights to a switch on the dash, and the stalk only turns on headlights. So I got some wiring to figure out.

I'll get some more pics up in the next day or so. So you guys can see how the a$$ end is starting to look.

 

`WooHoo. I got a Christmas bonus!!!! I am so very excited. That means more parts for my truck. Front suspension parts, rear blocks, a battery and alt, some trailler lights and wiring. I might actually be rolling this weekend. Poor girl has been sitting in the garage for to long. Now I just have to find the time to go to the store and then find time to install everything. But, yah for me.

 

congrats on the bonus!

trailer lights are basically what is used on big rigs. they sell marker lights that are 2 wire, and run, stop, turn that are 3 wire. it sounds like you might have the wrong ones.

 

Ok, I'll go and look for the 3 wire ones. Thank you