thinking bout cuttin down the lwb to swb..

[oldblue1968chevy]

okay fellas...

id really like to have a swb.....i can get ahold of either a lwb coil, or lwb leaf (leaf would be my 72) coil could either be my 68 or a 67 i know of...

whats the best tool to cut the frame with, i will be just using a swb bed, not gonna be cutting the lwb i dont think lol

so wats the best tool to cut the lwb frame, and is it 20" all together, 8 behind rear wheels, and 12" in front, and can i do this without removing the cab? and do i cut the frame straight down? ive seen somebody do almost a z shape cut....id weld it back up with my gf dad..then have a 'professional welder' weld it up for good, heck mite do a cnotch while im there lol

thansk!

[Ram-Man]

I used a cordless reciprocating saw and 4" grinder. Its easier than you would think. Just take your time measuring and remeasuring. After I welded it I used the ECE reinforcement plates inside the frame. Just dont do it like I did finish the frame then decide to chop it in half Here are a couple pics or here is the old linky from it if you want more pics.. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ght=frame+chop

[oldblue1968chevy]

cool ram man, did you have to take your cab off? if i gotta take the cab off screw that i'll leave it lwb...i dont wanna spend 900 on good swb bed lol, theres a REALLY rusty one accross the street on 1/2 a frame...mite use that till i can save nuff for a good bed or try to repair rusty one lol..

could a person that could make good nuff welds to lengthen a double axle trailer make good nuff welds to weld a frame? lol im kinda hopin he'd let me do this at his place cuz hes got the better knowledge lol....

thansk

[oldblue1968chevy]

okay so,

1 cut frame
2move bed mounts to accomodate swb bed
3 swb brake lines (new used?)
4 swb driveshaft wats the best way for this, cut my d shaft, used d shaft from wat?
5 shorten gas lines (easy cuz i done be moving gas tank )

thanks!

[nuke1]

take a look at my build also, i cut my truck down, 12 inches below the cab and moved the cab supports back and 8 inches at the end of the frame.

[LockDoc]

-
I don't know if you are familiar with the FAQ Forum or not. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and you will see the "Forum Jump" box. Click on the little down arrow on the right side of the box and scroll down to "FAQ Truck Tech". On that page go down to "Thread / Thread Starter: FAQ Index Thread". When you get into that scroll down to the "Brakes and Suspension Related FAQ's" In that section you will see "How to shorten a LWB frame”.

I could have just posted a direct link but there is a lot of good info in the FAQ section and now the new people that read this thread will know how to get to it. Thanks to Krue for indexing the FAQ's

I shortened a frame using the instructions in the FAQ and it worked out great. I think there are also threads on installing air bags and static drops.

You might want to check out the "Projects and builds" forum for some good info too.

LockDoc

[oldblue1968chevy]

i read that faq thread thanks!..

but still dont know if you gotta take the cab off or not...and how do you go about a adriveshaft..thanks!

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

i read that faq thread thanks!..

but still dont know if you gotta take the cab off or not...and how do you go about a adriveshaft..thanks!

I had my cab off because I was re-doing the frame too. I don't think it would be very easy with the cab on but I suppose it could be done.... I cut my own drive shaft but I won't recommend it to anyone else or tell how I do it because of the liability issues. Find a good machine shop in your area, they will cut it, or depending on your engine/trans setup you may be able to find one that will fit in a salvage yard.

LockDoc

[oldblue1968chevy]

ive got 350 engine with 3ott tranny lol, could i just go to a junkyard getta d shaft from a 3ott swb 67-72 truck? thanks

[tdave00]

Kevin did it with the Cab still on on "Low Buck".

[Ram-Man]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

i read that faq thread thanks!..

but still dont know if you gotta take the cab off or not...and how do you go about a adriveshaft..thanks!

On the Low Buck build he did it with the cab on. I also saw an article in one of the truck mags they did it with the cab on. Easier without the cab on but can be done either way. You should be able to find a used driveshaft to fit.

[gintaras]

keep shortening 'em, then my LWB will continue to increase in value

[Ram-Man]

Originally Posted by gintaras

keep shortening 'em, then my LWB will continue to increase in value

Dont throw out the pieces you cut out. We'll all be looking for longs in a few years. We may have to put them back in.

[oldblue1968chevy]

cool, so id need a dshaft for 3ott, would it matter if it was auto tranny or not? do i GOTTA get shorter break lines? im start collecting parts...if i can get a cheap nuff swb bed, ima do it..well providing i find a good cheap/free good welder

[mycool72]

Cutting the frame is time consuming and frustrating for most. I cut my frame down but came across a swb frame for 100.00 and ended up doing an entire frame swap. You will need to redo your brakes and fuel lines. Your ebrake cables should also be different on the swb(if you want them). D/s will be different as well as mentioned by everyone. If you cannot weld, do not attempt to shorten your frame! And hat's off to anyone that does it with the cab on! I tried it and it is waaaaaayyyyy easier to jack up the cab off of the frame. By all means it is not an easy task and if I were a rookie I would be very very careful undergoing this kind of surgery! Let me know if I can be any assistance...later!