Highboy bed swap - bent frame?
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Joined: Mar 2006
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From: Seattle-area
Highboy bed swap - bent frame?
I have an early '77 highboy that had a junk 2wd bed on it. I found and am in the middle of mounting another 2wd bed and have discovered that the new bed requires 11/16" spacing under the rearmost mounting bolt/support in order for the truck lines to match with the cab. This is not the small bracket between the last two bolts, but the last bolt support.
The former 2wd bed on my highboy did not have the small bracket re-sized between the last two supports, due to some shiesty work by the previous owner.
I am looking for input from others that have swapped 2wd beds onto highboy frames. Is it expect to have to shim the rear of the bed to have it align with the cab and front of the truck?
It is probably worth noting a few things about the truck.
The former 2wd bed on my highboy did not have the small bracket re-sized between the last two supports, due to some shiesty work by the previous owner.
I am looking for input from others that have swapped 2wd beds onto highboy frames. Is it expect to have to shim the rear of the bed to have it align with the cab and front of the truck?
It is probably worth noting a few things about the truck.
- I entered into a local sled pull event and was categorized with the big boys (>8,000 lbs) due to the 24v cummins I am running, so I was pulling a lot of weight.
- I installed 3/16" plates over the rear axle u-bolts to limit the suspension travel. The plates faced inward and underneath the frame. These bent during the two pulls. Imagine this as a leverage point on the frame during the pull.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,410
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From: Michigan
I am putting a 73 2wd bed on my 76 highboy and welded in a 3/4 thick block of steel to match the highboy bed rear mounts. Just drilled holes for bed bolts to go thru. One cross member on bottom of bed was also different location than the highboy bed.
Last edited by hickory1991; Jul 8, 2013 at 01:01 PM. Reason: spelling
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From: Seattle-area
Hickory1991, thanks for the validation. I am using the bed from a 79 2wd. I ended up shimming every mount point, with the rear shimmed the most. The front is shimmed 3/16 and everything aligns perfectly.
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