47-55.1 cab and bed floor parellell?

[edgeleycanuck]

I have been assuming that the bed floor and the cab floor should each be level in relation to the frame and to each other (parellell ). However things don't look right....the back of the cab looks low (as though the frame was bent down in the middle of each side of the frame).
I have used levels including a rotating laser and if I level everything it looks wrong.
I just noticed today the rubber fill strip between the cab and the running board appears, by a lifetime of use, that the cab is not level with the running board. The running board has to be parellell to the box or the aprons would not fit /fill correctly. Any thoughts or measurements any of you may have are welcome. ..I'm stuck

[edgeleycanuck]

Sorry, I did not mention this is a 1951 model that I have on a Dakota chassis.

[joedoh]

they are intended to be parallel, the cab, the bed, and the running board. the 51 rear of cabb mount was a shackle that sagged over time.

[edgeleycanuck]

Thanks for the prompt reply Russ. Oh and how to spell parallel, lol. I'm certain you're correct too regarding level, I would take a picture of the truck and post but I can't get enough distance back (in the shop) to get a good photo. The filler strip I showed is in fact from its life as a one ton truck on its original frame with shackle mounts. Darn thing just doesn't look right however. I may just have to wait until I can roll it outside in the weeks to come and get a look from further back.

[joedoh]

dont worry about the spelling, I see I put an extra b in cab.

my macbook pro butterfly keyboard has been doubling letters on typing, especially u's, b's and a's.

[mr48chev]

Joedoe and I subscribe to the same concept. the lines of the cab door sill and door bottom plus the line of the bed rail and the running boards all need to be perfectly parallel. No droopy diaper full of poop look to the bed with it sagging in the back to do a fake lowering job as the rat rod brigade seems to think is the hot lick.

Or no fake rake with the front of the cab a lot closer to the running boards than the back with an obvious non parallel angle between the two.

[dsraven]

a cheap magnetic digital level works wonders for a few bucks. the bubble levels are good but they rely on your eyeball and the angle that you look at the bubble. digital ones are working with decimal points. a digital torpedo level is cheap, fits into small areas and can sit on top of a longer level if required. some have a laser as well.
on some vehicles, with a body line front to rear, I have used a couple of magnets and a string. clip one end of the string on the body line (with the magnet) at the front and the other end to the body line at the rear, space the string slightly off the body line with an eraser, block of wood etc (held on with some masking tape), then you can quickly see if things line up. works pretty well when doing frame swaps but only if you have a body reference line. if you have the room in the garage take a pic from a distance and check the pic, sometimes the old eyeball can play games, especially if the mind doesn't wanna believe what you see, lol.

[Tempest67]

I am far from a 'Techy', but my daughter installed a free Ap. on my phone called ' Spirit Level', and my cell phone is now a digital level.

I have only used it when lining up my cab, Running boards, and box, and I must admit, it was very useful to have.

Don't ask me how to load it onto a phone,........ that is what millennial kids are for....ha ha

[dsraven]

yeah, if you play your cards right you can make them think it was their idea to find the app and load it for you. even give a quick demo. haha.

[edgeleycanuck]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Looking forward to some spring weather in order to roll it outside for a better look. At some point I'm going to double check the bare frame and all the mounts I've fabricated for cab and bed with the laser level. If there were a prize for the guy who removes and replaces the bed, cab, and front clip the most, I would be the champ!

[MiraclePieCo]

I have a friend who is a professional builder of some of the finest street rods in the country. His motto is, "If it LOOKS right, it IS right." Nobody will be going over your vehicle with a level, but everyone will be going over it with their eyes.