Opinions: Newer bed on older truck...

[foamypirate]

73-80 tailgates had 2 designs, 73-76 and 77-80. 77-80 will fit with no mods but you do need the larger 73-80 trunions installed on the 81-87 bed for a perfect fit.

Beat me to it.

 

[SlickGTP]

Cool... Thanks for the interchange/fitment info guys.

We'll see what happens Saturday when I go to look at one I found, but if it's anything like what I saw in the pictures, it'll be hard for me not to do the swap. Taking tools with me if we decide to do a swap right then and there.

 

[Boondock]

Hmm, nevermind, guys. I think it's only the front fenders where there's a different in the shaping of the metal.

 

[HotRodPC]

Hmm, nevermind, guys. I think it's only the front fenders where there's a different in the shaping of the metal.

Yep the front clip in the 81-91 models is a bit more sleek where the lines are a bit more profound in the 73-80's.

 

[towjoe]

There is one important thing to remember if you swap the beds. Is yours a single tank or dual tank? is the bed your buying single or dual tank? if both are single the fill will be on the wrong side. factory single tanks were passenger fill on 80 back and drivers fill 81 up. May have to relocate tank

 

[HotRodPC]

That reminds me, I still need to put the 2nd door in my 86 C20. The 95% perfect bed I got was a single tank truck and I have duals. So I cut the door mechanism out of the old bed and intend to cut the newly acquired bed and weld the door in. That is an option too.

Propane is out, not cost effective these days, but I often thought of running CNG multifuel. Put a CNG tank on side with the filler in the OE location, and keep one side gasoline. It's about a $5000 conversion. CNG startions are popping up all over here and CNG is running just under half the cost of gasoline and most are claiming same mpg with CNG as gasoline but do admit, seems to lose some power. Who cares about a 5-8% loss in power when what you're trying to accomplish is cheap operating costs. I don't drive mine enough to justify the $5K up front cost. I'd want both incase I was out and about and couldn't get CNG, or when I was towing a trailer of carrying heavy weight and need the power, I'd switch to gasoline for that trip.

 

[SlickGTP]

There is one important thing to remember if you swap the beds. Is yours a single tank or dual tank? is the bed your buying single or dual tank? if both are single the fill will be on the wrong side. factory single tanks were passenger fill on 80 back and drivers fill 81 up. May have to relocate tank

Not too worried about it... My original bed is a single fill, but I installed an aux tank and have the filler neck rigged to under the wheel well at the moment. I'll figure out something.


@HR: yeah, I thought about that too. Also thought about relocating to the wheel well in the bed, but that gets tricky if you have a full bed and have to refuel, but there's always the other side too.

 

[towjoe]

I think it would be about as easy to switch out the fuel tanks and use the newer tank that goes with the bed and has correct fill. they should all interchange

 

[HotRodPC]

I think it would be about as easy to switch out the fuel tanks and use the newer tank that goes with the bed and has correct fill. they should all interchange

You don't even have to switch out the tanks if you mean buy another one, they are are the same. Just have to physically remove the tank from one side and bolt it up on the other. Shouldn't be any cutting or drilling needed. Just unbolt and rebolt. Would have to transfer the fuel line of course.

 

[bucket]

I think it would be about as easy to switch out the fuel tanks and use the newer tank that goes with the bed and has correct fill. they should all interchange

I put an older bed on mine, I just swapped all the original stuff to the other side. Brackets, sending unit and all.

 

[SlickGTP]

Yup yup... Only thing different on the tanks are the filler tubes depending on bed vintage and side...

But, I have dual tanks now, so I'll have to figure some way of hooking the one up that doesn't have a fuel door. Not a biggie...

 

[J Knight]

Yup yup... Only thing different on the tanks are the filler tubes depending on bed vintage and side...

But, I have dual tanks now, so I'll have to figure some way of hooking the one up that doesn't have a fuel door. Not a biggie...

Get a fuel door area cut out of a junk yard bed and weld it to your new bed.

 

[SlickGTP]

It's on the list of possible solutions.

 

[HotRodPC]

Get a fuel door area cut out of a junk yard bed and weld it to your new bed.

That's exactly what I'd do and what I intend to do with mine on the 84 C20.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

That's exactly what I'd do and what I intend to do with mine on the 84 C20.

I was going to weld in a Cadillac door with a pop solenoid...