1968 GMC SWB vs. LWB - how to tell

[JQ-72]

Just scored a rock solid 68 GMC. It has a donor step side bed on it. I was under the truck and about got sick when I saw the frame welded up on both sides. It’s not the usual cut and weld I’ve seen on these trucks - right behind the rear cab mounts and no mounts had been relocated. Wondering if this frame was shortened. SPID is missing and VIN doesn’t tell wheel base. Any other ways to tell if this was long bed or short bed? GVW is 5k.

[RustyPile]

Red flags all over the place, but the one that grabs my attention is the non-factory rivets attaching the VIN tag..

[71meangreenc10]

See if the grease markings are still on the cowl. Some times if you can read it, it can show the model number. That can be decoded to show WB, Bed type. As stated above, the rivets have been removed.

Smitty

[JQ-72]

Yeah, I noticed the rivets too. Only thing I saw in firewall was “500”. Thought that might be the color. Also 3674 is written in grease pencil on underside of hood. I’ll check the frame and see is the partial VIN matches.

[jocko]

Have you run into any problems trying to register it with DMV (with the rivets)?
Agree 500 is likely the paint code, 500=solid black
If your partial frame VIN matches, it won't solve the wheelbase mystery definitively (but you'd have to ask yourself, if it DOESN'T match, why would someone have gone to the trouble of swapping in an already shortened lwb frame... unless it was just lying around and they felt it was easier than chopping the original - so, hard to say what really happened, but I'd probably lean toward a partial frame VIN match being an indication that the original frame was shortened. If, that is, you're confident that the frame you shared pictures of is cut/rewelded. It looks that way to me, but a little hard to tell in the pic)
5K GVWR consistent with swb and lwb 1/2 tons, so that doesn't exactly help either.
So, sorry, I don't think I've been much help. With the pop-rivets, it's gonna be hard to find ground truth since everything, including the what-ifs mentioned above, kinda becomes circumstantial evidence at this point - there's no way to know for certain if the VIN tag is original to the cab (or frame).

[special-K]

To bad there is no model number anywhere. It could be a frame repair, but either way that just tells another story. It was originally a Fenderside

[Moore87]

The crossmember where the driveshaft goes through looks like it’s in the longbed position

Since the truck has leaves they didn’t bother moving it

[CarlsLQ9SS]

Isn’t the crossmember on a true short bed under the cab instead of just outside the back of it? The crossmember I’m talking about is the one the trailing arms attach to on a Chevy truck?

[raggedjim]

Hopefully you got a decent deal on it. Personally, I like it and as long as there aren't issues with the frame or registration, I think it will make a great truck.

Good luck, Rg

[JQ-72]

Originally Posted by Moore87

The crossmember where the driveshaft goes through looks like it’s in the longbed position

Since the truck has leaves they didn’t bother moving it

You may be on to something. Didn’t think about the crossmember location. I checked the left frame rail and there were no markings at all. I used a wire brush from the motor mount all the way up to the core support and nothing. I gave 3k for it, but the cab and doors are 95% rust free. Nice front cap too. I know I won’t have trouble at the DMV - I always have to show them where the VIN number is, and they usually just tell me to call it out to them!

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by jocko

Have you run into any problems trying to register it with DMV (with the rivets)?
Agree 500 is likely the paint code, 500=solid black
If your partial frame VIN matches, it won't solve the wheelbase mystery definitively (but you'd have to ask yourself, if it DOESN'T match, why would someone have gone to the trouble of swapping in an already shortened lwb frame... unless it was just lying around and they felt it was easier than chopping the original - so, hard to say what really happened, but I'd probably lean toward a partial frame VIN match being an indication that the original frame was shortened. If, that is, you're confident that the frame you shared pictures of is cut/rewelded. It looks that way to me, but a little hard to tell in the pic)
5K GVWR consistent with swb and lwb 1/2 tons, so that doesn't exactly help either.
So, sorry, I don't think I've been much help. With the pop-rivets, it's gonna be hard to find ground truth since everything, including the what-ifs mentioned above, kinda becomes circumstantial evidence at this point - there's no way to know for certain if the VIN tag is original to the cab (or frame).

Or . . ..... A rear suspension swap from leaf set-up to T/A?

[tutone]

Find a swb frame and fix it and enjoy.
Find a lwb frame/bed fix it and enjoy
Find a lwb frame, shorten it right and enjoy
Your options are many, you are in cheap on a rock solid cab.
Post pics of your progress. Good solid bodies are a heckuva lot harder to find than frames.

[72c20customcamper]

Might have been a repair specially if the other rail has no welds on it . People did strange things over the years it might have been hit or most likely rotted and they swapped in a rail . I would plate the area and enjoy the truck .

About the vin plate if your DMV is good with it then leave it as is . I know a lot of states are sticklers about rivets and such here they don’t even look at the truck .

[cwcarpenter98]

Are the rivets still in tact for that bed mount above the cut? If they haven't been removed, likely the weld was a repair of some sort. If there's a bolt through one or both sides, who knows?

[mkmc69]

Does it matter that much, if you got a good deal on it? It looks like a cool starting point for a build.

[JQ-72]

Originally Posted by cwcarpenter98

Are the rivets still in tact for that bed mount above the cut? If they haven't been removed, likely the weld was a repair of some sort. If there's a bolt through one or both sides, who knows?

Looks like PO cut the frame right under the centerline of one of the bed mounts - cut the mount and welded it back together. None of the bed mounts have bolts, but the original rivets.

[cwcarpenter98]

Yeah, I bet that frame has been shortened, but not in the best way. Seems like he was trying to make it look like a factory short bed frame by not removing any rivets.
I've never seen the bed mounts cut and booger welded back together like that

With as nice as that cab is, I'd look into picking up another frame. Either get an original short bed frame or cut down a long bed frame the proper way. That truck deserves a frame that's not cobbled together