53' pilothouse bed question

[Jon1953B4]

Hey guys,

I have a 53, what im calling long bed stepside. I pulled the bed yesterday which is very rough and I'm considering hunting for a replacement.

What I would like to know is what would it take to switch to a shortbed and what years are compatible? Is it just a matter of hacking some frame rail or does the axle move forward etc?

To follow this if anyone has a bed for sale or lead for one (especially on the east coast, I live in MD) please let me know.

Thanks,

Jon

[Merle Coggins]

Is it a long bed because it's a 3/4 ton (B-4-C), or is it the optional 116" half ton (B-4-B-116)?

Merle

[Jon1953B4]

How do you tell the difference between a 3/4 ton (B-4-C), or is it the optional 116" half ton (B-4-B-116)?

Thanks Merle

Jon

[JBNeal]

looking at your pics in your album, my guess is that ya got a B-4-C-116: the floor shift is for a 4spd, the wheels look like 15s, the rear of the truck looks like it's raised up like a higher tonnage rated truck (my B-4-B-116 sits fairly level, the wheels are 16s, and the 3spd is on the tree). Removing 8 inches from the frame & driveshaft sounds like a lot of work just to swap a bed out, considering that extra 8 inches can give ya a smoother ride (my B-1-D-126 floats down the road compared to my B-1-B-108).

[Jon1953B4]

49Dodge1ton,

that's a valid point to consider. Would the VIN be able to tell me definitively what model the truck is?

Thanks,

Jon

[Merle Coggins]

A 116" wheel base would usually indicate a 3/4 ton truck, but in '53 they offered an optional 116" wheel base for the 1/2 ton trucks. Otherwise they are 108" wheel base. Look at the tag on the A pillar on the driver's side to see what the model is. Or use your serial number (it's not really a VIN) and Townwagon's decoder web site to figure out what it is. http://www.t137.com/registry/help/decode.php

Merle

[Jon1953B4]

Will do, thanks Merle.

[Jim Roach]

Jon,

I have a "53" box that is in pretty good shape (except for the floor) depending on your wheel base. I'm up here in Pa. so, all things considered, I'm not that far from you. Check the length of you box and we'll see if they are the same.

Thanks, Jim Roach

[Jon1953B4]

Now that I have some direction on what I have does anyone have any input on what would it take to switch to a shortbed and what years are compatible? Is it just a matter of hacking some frame rail or does the axle move forward etc?

[Dennis_MN]

Wheel base is the key. Long box has a 116" wheel base, short box has a 108" wheel base. Looks like you would have to cut 8" inches out ahead of the rear springs and shorten the drive shaft. Or get a short frame.

[Jon1953B4]

Thanks Dennis. Driveshaft is not a big deal because I have to replace it anyway. Would the running boards be a different size?

[Jon1953B4]

Thanks to Merle I now know from my serial # the exact info of my dodge.

Serial Number 83396212

Year 1953

Make Dodge

Model B-4-C

Engine 217.76 Flathead Six

Wheelbase 116

Rating 3/4 Ton

Engineering Code T308

Plant Detroit, Michigan

Build Number 8212

[MMcKinney]

So you want to cut your truck!

You want to cut out the 8 inches out between the crossmember and the gas tank. What needs to happen is that you remove the gas tank hanger that you have now and, after the cut is made your gas tank will bolt to the two holes already in the factory crossmember. The gas tank hanger seems to be the area that engineers streched the frame from the 108 to the 116 inch size. If you look at the prints of the two frames (and you should) you can see where the frames differ.

I had to do the same thing with my truck. My truck was such a mess when I got it. It came to me with a long bed truck frame and someone had mounted a short bed box on it. They extended the front of the box with 4 inches of steel plate on each side and then bolted on the front box side (the part just behind the cab). Then they drilled new holes and allowed the wheels to be out of center in the fenders by 4 inches to the rear. The wheels were slightly (4 inches) to the rear of the fender. I never really noticed it untill I started cleaning all the stuff out of the box and that the fenders did not fit over the wheels correctly. The fenders were kind of beat-up so it helped pull my eye away from seeing that this was not a short box truck like I wanted. Needless to say it was a lot more work to fix the thing, but not impossiable.

You can kind of see in the first photo that the wheels are moved toword the back, and if you look very carfully just under the spare tire(just ahead of the stake box) you can see the steel plates that were attached to front of the box to make it longer. Someone just filled in the wood floor with plywood and you could hardly notice a thing. Plus it was full of pine needles, sticks, gargage and snow so I had no idea that the floor faked as well. The last restoration of the truck was a 15 or so years ago and the new paint became old along with the modification of the box. the only thang at tells you that ther is a problem is that the wheels are not fir correctly in the fender holes.

The second photo shows the frame cut in half (one of my favoret photos) with the Dodge differential still on the springs. The 3rd photo is the frame welded, and the steel plates removed with the short box sitting on the frame not bolted to the frame. As you can see the fit is pretty good, but many more problems have come about since those days. Also, the gas tank fits between the the two crossmembers as it should on a 108 inch truck. The holes on the frame just needed a slight widening, but with a smaller bolt it would have fit with out modification.

Since those days I have installeda Ford 9 differential and got the corrct running borads. The running boards were the most difficult to find and the one I found were not that great. So if you do this be prepaired to find running boards first, they are the hardest part to find.

The last photo shows where I am today. You should notice the larger gap between the cab and the box than I would like and also that the wheels again are slightly tword the front of the fender. If you look at the rear wheels in the 3rd and 4th photos. The wheels look centered with the smaller tires and in the 4th photo the wheels are a bit a head of where they should be in my opinion. I can not slide the box ahead, because the correct running boards will not allow the fenders to move ahead. Since I just got this togeather not very long ago, I may be able to adjust some things between the bolt holes and box sides, but it will not be much more that a 1/4 inch or so I believe.

Sorry to ramble so much, ....but if you really want to cut your frame be ready for more changes and some work. Also other truck people are not much help because your truck so modified from the factory specs. Good luck!

You can contact me if you have more questions. I really can not stress enough how much you need to look at the frame prints. I may be incorrect on where to cut, but that is where I found it to be. My truck won't be perfect, but you might not be able to tell where things have been changed if you just walk by.

MMcKinney

Caldwell, ID

[Jon1953B4]

MMcKinney,

This response is exactly why I posted this question on this forum. Along with very good data, you guys have "been there done that" real insight. Thanks so much for all the feedback. You have definitely given me more to think about. Need to bust out the repair manual "frame" section for some research. Something about that shortbed look is just my style so I'm not scared off yet.

Did you ever consider in your running board debacle cutting and re-welding your originals to the size you need?

For me it also really matters that I have come across a very limited supply of beds(2 and both short). Mine is really rusted and beat up.