Time for one last update in 2021. I've had a few days off this week so I was able to make some progress on the frame modifications. This is where you may want to turn away if you are a purist!
I want this truck to be low. Like, really low and static, but I also don't want to break the bank by buying all the off the shelf bolt on drop members, etc. that go along with it. So I decided to run with an idea I had after seeing a truck built by Steve at Piedmont Traction. He backhalfed a truck and swapped out the rear suspension, but I thought I could do something similar and still retain the stock suspension. I figured if I cut the frame behind the cab I could then raise it up 4". This would give me a built in 4" drop and still allow me to run stock arms and rear suspension components. So, all I had to do was hack a perfectly good shortbed frame in half!
That wasn't so bad now was it? Now all that was left to do was stitch it back together with the help of my expert welding buddy. The cut was vertical, so all I had to do was slide the frame up 4", tac it together, and then add in some filler pieces to blend it all in. I also added a funky looking boxing plate to strengthen the frame in this area since the stock frame was only hanging on by 2" at this point. A filler piece was also required that let me use the stock bed floor mounts. With this setup, the bed floor bolts up just like stock. Later on, I will update this thread to detail how I account for this raised bed floor on the bedsides.
After all this cutting and grinding, I wanted something simple to work on. So I decided to cut out a vinyl filler decal to fit in the tailgate recess around the GMC letters. I love patina, but the original white filler paint was quite faded and didn't pop like a clean gate does. This filler decal brought the tailgate back to life, and it can always be removed if so desired.
