I have a quick questions. A friend picked up an original 8 lug short bed truck. My understanding is that the frame in the rear is straight as opposed to flared out in the rear on the 1/2 ton trucks. Anywho. I was thinking about buying the frame from him and converting it to a 1/2 ton original truck over a few years. Is it worth it using this frame and converting it to a 1/2 ton? Maybe another question later, thanks!
...you could do that, I'd recommend using later model Chevy , Ford, or Dodge 1/2 ton leaf springs, you can bolt em onto your frame rails, then install the rearend on top of the springs...(see photo below, this is a Ford frame but you get the idea)) One thing tho, the 3/4 ton frames don't kick up over the rearend like a 1/2 ton. but you could C-notch it if you wanted it lower.
All 8 lug 3600 trucks have 8' beds. To fit a 3100 you'd have to shorten the frame. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I believe GMC made some short bed 3600 series trucks- never seen one though. If it is an 8 foot bed the straight rails make it easy to shorten, the front end is virtually the same- they even use the same springs 3600 and 3100 series. Axle and spindles are the changes.
I've never seen a factory GM Advanced Design short bed truck with 8 lugs from the factory. Also almost every half and three quarter ton GMC I have seen is a long bed. Aspecialz it's entirely possible that someone converted the truck to 3/4 ton axles back years ago and it wouldn't be at all difficult to swap half ton stuff back under the frame if that is what you wanted to do. Yes the 3/4 ton frame rails run pretty straight and parallel from the back of the cab to the back while half ton rails spread from 37 inches where the cab mounts bolt on to 46 inches at the back give or take a 1/4 inch due to my funky carpenters hook it on a nail tape measure. If you plan to go entirely stock with stock driveline it might not be the easy to go but if you plan to run a basically stick I beam in front with leaves and an open drive rear in the back on leaf springs it won't be a big issue. The big difference might be the kick up over the axle in the frame and where you put the mounting holes for the rear bed mounts as the spacing will be different from a standard half ton and you will have to get past that but the simple way would be to use the rear piece from a 3/4 ton.
Thank you all for the replies, It is true that it is a long bed version, not a swapped out 1/2 ton as I had been led to believe. Either way I still hope to snag an original 1/2 ton frame and build a classic shop truck style ride.
That's a 54 bed, at least what the rust didn't eat up is 54. You could always take 9-1/4 inches out of the frame and turn it into a short bed frame. There might not be much left of the bed when you get done sandblasting it though.
Oh no, the beds not mine. A friend of mine bought this truck to restore and is putting it on an s10 frame, All I wanted was the rolling chassis which he claimed to be a short bed with 8 lug axles, i figured it would make a neat shop truck build. I have a nicely rebuilt 235, drop be in the front and disc brakes, put in a t5 and drop in an s10 rear end on leafs and call it a day. Well, lets say 6000 days, haha. I believe I'm just going to hold off, a lot of people are putting these trucks on the s10 frames and im sure I'll find my original short bed frame sooner or later.
For what you want to do that one might be easier to work with except for having to shorten it. If it was free I'd take it and start modifying it. But you are right in that one will probably show up if you wait it out.
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