Bolting 81-87 bed to '78 frame?

[Corts60]

Can I bolt a mid eighties bed to my '78 frame? I have a line up on a nice bed for $300. Just to need to know if all the bolt mounts are in the same location. Thanks.

[flashed]

Should be the same .

[buddy_1]

Look at my avatar, 85 body on a 78 frame.

[J Knight]

The bed will line up to the frame but if the new bed is from a single tank truck(81-87) the fuel door will be on the left side. Don't forget to get the fuel filler neck, your 78 should still have the old style external fuel cap and fuel filler neck that wont work on the later beds.

[KQQL IT]

I think the light harness plug is different too

[rich weyand]

The fuel filler is different all the way down to and including the tank. The upper part fits the fuel door, and the whole fuel path is 1/4" larger in diameter, including the tank has a 1/4" greater diameter nipple.

On my '78 when I got it, the bed was an '86 with dual fuel doors. Only one tank, the passenger side, on the '78 chassis, was connected. It was the original tank, and they had kluged up the filler neck from the '78, which was almost horizontal because of the difference in angle. Then they used radiator hose for the filler hose, and kluged two sizes together to make it work.

Well, the hose was not fuel rated, so it was cracked and falling apart, and the horizontal neck made it almost impossible to fill. I ended up replacing everything from the frame out for dual tanks: brackets, straps, tanks, senders, fuel filler hoses, fuel filler necks, caps -- the works. Nice thing is that it's all new, so no worries for a while.

The correct filler necks I got salvage over the net from car-part.com. They were easy to find. The rest I bought new from the usual suspects.

[tucsonjwt]

I found out that the 3/4 ton and 1/2 ton beds are not interchangeable - different bolt spacing (partly) - I think toward the rear of the bed. I concur with the differences in fuel filler doors, neck style and location, etc. But it will work with some effort. Out here whole beds are $250 if you find a nice one in a junkyard (minus the tailgate.) I have seen some with pristine floors (top and bottom) and in nice shape except for a few dings otherwise. The front panel normally is pushed out some.