Anyone know the Wheelbase on a....

1965 Chevy Shortbed Stepside? i was thinking about bringing the wheelbase down alittle kinda in a AWB truck kinda deal but before i do anything drastic i thought i would get some advice from the Masters....

and say i do decide a little Choppy Choppy is in order? How much will make a difference?

 

My truck measures about 115" wheelbase, not dead on with measurement. I have a 65 step and had a 63 fleet some years back. The fleetside gave my ideas of shortening the wheelbase and making a "Blazer" using the bed sides. I also looked closely at some of the K5 Blazers I've worked on, and realized how much bracing GM put into the body behind the doors to keep frame flex from ripping the body apart.
Rear suspension change? Look at the crossmember at the front of the truck arms, it should already be at the back of the cab.
Could be fun!

 

patrick has it. shorts are 115" and longs are 127"

so by awb do you mean like an awb gasser?

 

115'' is a short one

 

The proportions on a shortbed are just right, you ought to practice on a long bed first.

 

yea i thought 115'' was it but i wasent sure if mine was screwed at all....i wonder what it would look like at closer to 100''?

yes i mean AWB gasser with a 57' chevy pickup...i know blasphemy at its finest but im 19 what do you expect? i think that my 396 should move a little AWB truck quite nicely

 

Actually, the shorter the wheelbase, the worse it is for high-speed stability. That's why dragsters are so long. AWB were for weight transfer, but they moved the front and rear axles forward, not really shortened thr wheelbase(there were exceptions of course).

 

the first 4 are a blazer conversion.. not at all what you are thinking, but it shows the 100" wheelbase.
the white one is still the same length as a long fleet, but it has a 115" wheelbase.
the last one is what happens if you drink moonshine and plan and excute a build.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA damn i knew moonshine was fun but that is just CRAZY!!

...thats what i have been hearing is really bad high speed stability...would you guys shorten it or just move the front/rear a few inches forward then?

 

Take a look at the steering box location, the front crossmember location, and frame horn length. With the arc of the frame, steering parts, junk, shit, and stuff, thre ain't much room. Also look at the wheel opening on the front fender, pretty far forward.
Go searching for the Revell model kit of the 65 chevy pickup, cut it up before you whack the hopefully good old steel. My 65 is turning into good old rust.
I think these old truck look decent being dropped about 2-3". I rigged up the rear coils on my truck, corners like a scared cat, will drop a spring out with the correct suspension unload situation. I bought mine in 1986 while in the USAF, and have driven the old SOB 300,000 miles.

 

if you look on google under Badman 4 i think you will see a yellow pickup shortened with Lexan windows and the works i have done the same thing to about 3 models now and im thinking its time for the real deal