1966 Frame Questions

[twoskies]

Ok
got a 1966 c10 short stepside, couldnt tell how bad it was till i got the bed off, thought the rearend was just out of alignment
got the bed off and measured from right behind cab to corner of frame on rear diagonally, one side measures 771/4 , other side drivers side 79
can see now where the frame took a hit right in front of rear drivers wheel
might check with frame shops to see if it can be fixed
or checking with you guys and gals to see what other frames are easy to swap
60-66 or go newer 71 or 72 to take advange of disc brakes and 5 lug
or will a square body frame work
probably go air bags on whatever frame i end up with

if anyone in Indiana has a frame, might try to check out if possible

Thank You for any help

[duramax55]

your cab might be out of square? I would find a hole( used for measuring ) on the frame rather than the back of cab

[cwcarpenter98]

If your frame can't be straightened, the easy swap will be from a 63-66 truck. A 67-72 frame has a similar shape and the same bed mounts, but the front frame horns are wrong and the cab mounts are different. Squarebody frames are totally different and require some hefty fabrication to make a 60s cab fit on it and look half way decent.

[twoskies]

Thanks for the replies
i did measure from a rivet behind the cab that im measuring from to the end of frame rails
Sorry, i did say from back of cab

[LVPhotos]

https://www.e-zchassisswaps.com/

[twoskies]

might have a chance to get a 60-62 c10 frame, will this work on a 1966, Thanks

[bigmoe]

Would work but you probably don't want the 60-62 because it's torsion bar and x frame crossmember.

[cwcarpenter98]

You can make it work. Member LostMy65 put a 60-62 frame under his 65 and is very knowledgeable about that specific swap

[twoskies]

ok , found a very nice 64 longbed frame pretty reasonable, 3 miles from my house
then guy close hits me up on FB , has a shortbed frame for almost 3 times what guy has longbed frame for , still close 25 miles
decisions, cut longbed nice frame down or go right into shortbed frame
or buy both, lol

[cwcarpenter98]

If you want it to still be considered a "true short bed" truck, go with the more expensive one. If you don't care about the originality of the frame and need to save a few bucks, cut down the long bed. But also, include the parts and time to cut down the long bed frame into your decision factors.

Either option would result in what you need.

[Arne]

I will acknowledge that a real short bed is more desirable that a shortened long bed, but done right a shortened frame is not a bad thing. My truck was shortened by the PO before I bought it. The key is to not scrimp, make sure it is done well. If you aren't a skilled welder, you will want to find one to do the final welding. But all that should be pretty straight forward on a bare frame, much simpler than with the cab still on it.

[twoskies]

ok
bought the shortbed frame (really nice and straight)over the weekend, guy threw in a decent passenger inner fender
talked to the longbed frame guy today and aside from a few parts that come with the longbed frame i really didnt need it
guy was ok with me not buying it, saves him some work, lol
i did still offer to buy it because i told him i would

Working out OK

[The Rocknrod]

Good to hear it's working out.