I just have some crazy ideas running through my head. Leaves me with some odd and likely pointless questions for the 80s van guys. So I'll ask and see what happens.

First anyone know if the roof lines are similar between 80's vans and 80s trucks? I've been thinking of making my own canopy and noticed how similar the roofs are, including the ribs in the roof of my crew cab. As such a van roof, or maybe even roof and top of the body might make a great canopy for my truck.

That's probably the only useful question ... but.

From my time in FTE I'm guessing this has been asked before but what the heck. How similar are the frames between 80s van and 80s trucks? For example could someone maybe take a van body and put it on a truck frame?

Maybe a guy that had a F350 CCLB that wanted A LOT of interior space could stretch a van body and put it on the truck frame to make a long wheelbase HD 4WD lifted van. I'd think it a safe assumption that they way a truck frame raises up under the bed a van frame doesn't, but if that could be solved by spacing up the front body mounts the that's solvable.

Or... Shorten a van body and use it as a cab for a truck. Maybe cut the van body off behind the sliding door and weld the back window section of a truck cab on to make a mega cab truck with a sliding door. Hmmm wait the slider wouldn't work, it would have to be a uni-body pickup to put the track in the bedside.

Edit, yeah this last one has been done, well kinda, all the ones I've seen have this fiberglass back thing, or are a van with the back of the roof cut off.

 

The van frame is wider than the truck, see the guy putting a TTB in his van.

 

I was just reading and admiring, but I don't see the frame being wider. If you're referring to the 3/8" plates he added my understanding is that was to make up for what was removed with the cutting torch.

 

There have been many discussions over the years as to just swapping the bodies, the answer has always been a wider frame, same thing when trying to mount a truck receiver hitch on their van.