Long bed vs. short bed, '57 Chevy truck

I can live with a longbed but not a big window.

Looks like a human display case from behind. Just missing a "Do Not Feed" sign.

 

Long bed...
In my opinion a pickups shouldn't be pretty or small. They should look rough and tough because that was what they were meant for. I can really appreciate a nice short custom but I didn't settle for my long bed. I searched for a few years before I decided on my long bed\step-side. Honestly no one can really appreciate what I have where I live. Everyone thinks it is ugly, smelly and loud... An old truck with no interior and faded paint? none of them would be caught dead in it . What I am getting at is go for what you like not what everyone else likes. At the end of the day you'll be working on it, spending money and enjoying it.
Mine is 8 foot...

 

Gail - I'm in CT near the NY line. I'm familiar with the "why are you driving an old truck with faded paint?" mentality.

If you have to ask the question, you don't get it...

 

You like the looks of the longbed better, you're planning on keeping, not flipping, answer should be obvious.

 

Barsteel it is true! There are so many people who just don't get it.
Try to tell people you don't want to paint it when you're done and you get the sideways eyes.

 

If I were shopping for one, I would pick the one in the best condition for the money. Short or long would be down a bit on my list of criteria. If you have the skills, it's not a huge job to shorten one and I would personally rather snip a long one than fix a bunch of rust and such.

 

Short...

 

short

 

Make it a short bed if ya want,If its a stepside bed I deffinately like the short the best.
Unlike this thread I just moved the spring hangers forward on the one I just did, but anyway here ya go.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=319393

 

I built this long bed back in 1982. Would I have preferred a short bed? Yep but I picked this one up cheap and went through it. Didn't bother me at all being long bed. It was my DD for about 5 years.

 

Short

 

I would!

 

Amen! Practical, that's why!

 

Okay, I apologize, and I'm HAPPY to say that I was COMLETELY wrong...

Found my new '56 shortbed on Craiglist last night and sealed the deal this morning!!!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7846111#post7846111

 

Everyone wants a short bed till they get to the hardware store.....

 

The irony here is that most people I talk to want the big back window. I have 3 of them and gave away the small back window cab I had about 10 years ago.

Personally I like the big window, but it can get damn hot in there when the sun is at your back. The one I'm building now will have tint added for multiple reasons...

 

Short bed step side the way to go. I have a 55 short step side. Cool looking ride. I have more then one truck to get lumber.

 

Short box, BIG window!
what happens if you run across a cameo box 'real cheap?! youve got yourself a cameo!

 

True statement...I've been there.

 

Well, shortly after reading this post, I stumbled onto a '57 3100 shortbed online. Even has the indent in the driver's fender for the spare. Took me about 3 minutes to make the decision. Should be in my garage in the next week or two.

Still has the original drive train, but we'll get around to fixing that in the future .

Chris

 

sounds good! post pics when you are ready...we like picking apart other people's good buys

 

Basrteel, congrats on the find- I'd love to find a fender with the spare indent!!!


Anyone know the fastest/cleanest way to get a complete dash out? Mine is cobbled in the radio area and the local salvage has a nice one.

 

Is it black?

 

I don't think there's an easy way to do it, if you want the complete dash piece. If you want to cut out part if it, then just find the easiest place to weld it back together, and bring a battery powered sawzall

 

every long bed ever made needs to be melted down. looks like shit on any truck any year.

 

I wouldn't be too hasty, there are tech articles out there on how to shorten a long bed. Considering the cost of buying all those panels from scratch, I'd consider the possibility of shortening a long bed if I was faced with not being able to find a short bed.

 

Yes it is. It was the one on Ebay a few days ago.

I doubt that anyone here will think that I got a steal based on what was said earlier about what these trucks go for, but at the end of the day, it was EXACTLY what I wanted, and it was in far better shape than anything I saw for sale even semi-locally.

Could I have waited longer (probably much) to find a pristine original V8 truck, yeah, but at the end of the day I made the call to pull the trigger on this one. We'll see how I feel when the truck arrives...

Chris

 

Looks like a very nice truck I think it's well worth what you gave for it.

 

Looks decent, hope you like it when you get it home.

It's been a long time since I drove one with three on the tree...

 

Exactly!! Im for long beds all the way!! I cant haul crap in my stepside ford.