I have an opportunity to buy a 57' F100 3/4 ton. The guy cut the frame and put a short bed on it. I'm pretty leary of his butt welds on the frame but he said he has a 1/2 ton frame for it too. Do you know if the cab mounts are the same on the 3/4 ton as the 1/2 ton? What about the bed mounts, etc. There are so many variables here that I'm not even sure what questions to ask. Basically can I take the 3/4 ton body and put it on the 1/2 ton chassis?

 

The half-ton and three-quarter ton frames are the same. Springs are beefier on the three-quarter ton. Also, they have different rear-ends, probably transmissions too.There are 110" and 118" wheelbases (long vs. short bed), perhaps he shortened a long wheelbase truck to accept a short bed.

How long was it driven after he shortened it? Is the extra frame a long or short wheelbase frame? I' d have it evaluated by someone who is an experience builder that can tell you if the frame modifications were done correctly, or can be made safe. It's a lot of work to swap frames, maybe less to repair/ reinforce the one your cab is currently on. Good luck.

 

He did mention that the current shortbed truck has 8 lug rims and a different rear end. It was a long box shortened to accomodate a short bed. Infact, I think he said he took 8" out of the frame. So that would make perfect sense. I don't think he really drove it much after he shortened it, it's still a "project" truck.

He said he made a straight cut on the frame and but welded it together. Then he took from the 8" he took out and reinforced the weld areas. I guess I'd just have to look at it to see if it was done right or not. Thanks for your help.

 

If who ever did the welding knew what they were doing, it would be stronger at the joint than along the rest of the frame! If done right, I would not be afraid of it!