Just some curious. Anyone else notice, either after being told or just while looking, that the bed outer width at the front is narrower than the cab rear by a half inch or so, like the bed was tucked in behind the cab. Like say you sighted along the bed and the line at the cab jumped out a half inch or so. Also, if so, was it the same both sides if you so noticed?

I was asked, because in putting bed sides on, my buddy noticed it for the first time and these are not his first bed sides. It bothered him enough that he examined another truck he has on the yard, it's the same. After he asked me, I saw it too, but in over 35 years ownership I never had before noticed it. Now, it's stuck in my head. I have new cab bushings to put in one day, I'll need to level the cab by bringing the right side up 3/16" when I do (maybe new bushings will fix that ... but if not ... I have some large notched washers that will), might be able to shift the cab an 1/8" left too then, or the bed 1/8" right ... or maybe I'll just learn to not see it anymore. Yeah, I measured, it's about 1/4" difference now. Moving that 1/8" will take it off one side and add it to the other. Odd how the '79 in his yard and my '77 had the might near exact same tuck on the same sides though, almost like by design?

Actually, if I just get the cab up that 3/16" on the right to level with bed front wall top with the new cab bushings ... that alone will "rock" it over to the left a little bit up where the tuck is seen along the sides. It'll still tuck in but will be the same both sides.

I do understand the reason for the narrower bed, it tucks in behind the cab and gets that leading edge of the bed side protected from wind noise, rain beatings, sand blastings, salt peltings, & pebble strikes too, and it is a means to reduce the visible cab to bed gap. I just can't believe it was so easily overlooked, but normally a person can't see both sides at once.

 

My 73 has the same issue drove myself nuts when I first put the bed back on because I never noticed it before I took it apart

 

Yeah, I can see how it might. I can look back at pictures and see it if I look closer, surprised me that I never noticed it. I bought the Prothane 6-105-BL cab bushing kit awhile back, got an unused complete set off Ebay, was $39. I'm sure they'll fix the cab's very slight lean to the right, make it even. My buddy who put the bed sides on had worried I'd be upset, enough that he went to compare to another. I have some serious cracking in the OEM rubbers, look like they are ready to fall out of place. The bed is bolted solid to the frame, so it has to be just settled bushings under the cab.