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LWB to SWB Swap

sokoloka

sokoloka

1/2 ton status
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Oct 21, 2012
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San Diego
Have a 1973 K10 LWB, great truck but always have wanted a SWB.

Found a 1977 K10 SWB parts truck for $1k. Ad states that it's complete but with a blown trans. How crazy am I for considering a frame / bed swap?

IF I do go forward with this - would $800 be good offer for the truck? Think it's possible to recoup some of the costs even scrapping out the LWB frame, etc?
 
What about just putting a trans in the short bed? And then just putting your toys on it?
 
Didn't notice you were in Cali, my condolences.

Glad I don't have to deal with that silly stuff.
 
I would do the least work possible.
Put your cab on the short bed frame and replace any parts needing it.
In CA you only need one of the 2 either the frame or the cab vin.
You wouldn't have to even do anything if your 73 is already registered.
 
I have done 4 lwb-swb conversions, I cut the frame on all of them and added a short bed. 2 I sold, 1 is my dads log/wood hauling truck (unsure why he wanted a swb for this) and 1 I still have. None have broke.:waytogo:

My advice, keep the lwb and buy the swb. Fix whatever needs fixed on the swb and have both. I love swb pickups but it always seems like I need a little more room. My father in law recently gave me a lwb that Ill be fixing up and keeping long.
 
I saw a strange 80's GM truck the other day someone evidently cobbed together--looked like they used a long bed or cab & chassis and put a short bed on it,and it had a tool box that I've seen used on some city DPW trucks before ,that filled in the 2 foot space betwen the cab and bed,that was sort of like a utility body cut down,had doors with latches and it could hold tools,etc..:screwy:

I like the looks of a short bed truck,but they aren't very usefull for carrying loads or towing really..

One I missed out on I almost bought was a 1974 GMC Jimmy a guy I know had,he did body work and built drag cars at his shop--he took the K5 body off and put a cab and a cut down short bed on it,he also put a 454 in it from a 74 Caprice,it had a SM465 too--I mixed the red and black paint he put on it,the thing was nice,no rot,and looked like new --he drove it daily for a good year or so,I always drooled when I saw it parked somewhere..

...one day he drove in the store parking lot with it,and I saw a "for sale" sign on it--told me I could have it for 2500 bucks!..but the next day when I went to his shop to buy it,he had sold it for 3 grand to someone else...
I was pretty pissed!..but I didn't "need" the thing either,I just wanted it BAD,I was willing to sell off all my other 3 trucks just to have that one..
 
diesel4me said:
I saw a strange 80's GM truck the other day someone evidently cobbed together--looked like they used a long bed or cab & chassis and put a short bed on it,and it had a tool box that I've seen used on some city DPW trucks before ,that filled in the 2 foot space betwen the cab and bed,that was sort of like a utility body cut down,had doors with latches and it could hold tools,etc..:screwy:

I like the looks of a short bed truck,but they aren't very usefull for carrying loads or towing really..

One I missed out on I almost bought was a 1974 GMC Jimmy a guy I know had,he did body work and built drag cars at his shop--he took the K5 body off and put a cab and a cut down short bed on it,he also put a 454 in it from a 74 Caprice,it had a SM465 too--I mixed the red and black paint he put on it,the thing was nice,no rot,and looked like new --he drove it daily for a good year or so,I always drooled when I saw it parked somewhere..

...one day he drove in the store parking lot with it,and I saw a "for sale" sign on it--told me I could have it for 2500 bucks!..but the next day when I went to his shop to buy it,he had sold it for 3 grand to someone else...
I was pretty pissed!..but I didn't "need" the thing either,I just wanted it BAD,I was willing to sell off all my other 3 trucks just to have that one..
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Had a buddy in high school who had a ram charger with a truck can and box like that. It looked saweet :thumb:
 
Stomis said:
I would also say just shorten the frame on your LWB for a short bed...
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Another vote for this ^^^ plus you can't call yourself a true gear head until you cut one in half and weld it back together :D
 
jt512 said:
Another vote for this ^^^ plus you can't call yourself a true gear head until you cut one in half and weld it back together :D
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Im seriously considering this with a GMT400 cause its ridiculous to find a 2wd shortbed standard cab let alone one for a decent price...
 
I was going to chop the frame to make mine a shortbox. Took the bed off and did some measuring. I forget the measurements, but it would be pretty easy to take the portion from the middle and weld it back together.

Unless there's some severe damage to your frame I'd just cut it down.
 
The easiest would be to just swap the cab from the '73 onto the '77.

Martin
 
Have to shorten the driveshaft too--exhaust system...e-brake cables..brake lines..it goes on and on..swapping cabs would be easier probably in the end..
 
He's talking about buying a whole other truck...so he would have a bed, tanks, d shaft etc..........i would shorten the frame, swap beds and whatever else is needed from the donor rig and still end up with a 73 but now a swb
 
If he swaps the cab he will have less work to do and he will still have a '73.

Martin
 
I appreciate everyone's input. Thinking about it more, I'm going to pull the bed on my current truck as a start. I need to swap the sending unit in the tank anyway, and this will give me the opportunity to clean up the frame, remove any unnecessary brackets, and eyeball how serious frame surgery would be to drop her to an SWB.

Anyone have exact measurements or a diagram?
 
newoldscottsdale77 said:
do the mounting holes for the bed line up from a LWB to SWB just by shortening the frame?
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The four in the middle do. The two at the very front and the two at the very back will have to be redrilled, but if you measure it out you can get the four in the middle to line up.

On the gas tank holes though, Ive always had one or two that lined up and had to drill the rest.
 
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