jon@dakota-truck.net wrote:
> Sorry to hear that Tom!! :-( On the plus side, the engine looks
> nice. :-) Do the GenI and GenII use the same frame? If you can find
> a rollover somewhere, that might be perfect. (Granted, an 8' bed
> frame will be basically as old as yours so condition might not be much
> better, but who knows...) You'd probably have better luck finding a
> nice frame if you could use a GenII club cab, but it looks like they
> are 131" vs the long bed's 124". I suppose you could use a club cab
> frame (if you didn't mind the longer wheelbase) and build a 7" wide
> toolbox running the width of the truck to fit in the gap between the
> bed and the cab. (And/or run a set of exhaust stacks up through that
> area?) :-) Another idea might be a custom roll bar which would tie
> into the frame right there, the legs for the hoop could come right up
> between the bed and cab, then the rear legs could bolt into the bed.
> You might need to adjust the cab mounts and would probably need a
> longer driveshaft (or grab the club cab's 2 piece) but it might be
> doable?
>
> I notice that the GenIII long bed is also 124". Any chance the
> GenII body can be shoehorned onto the GenIII frame?
>
> I don't see long bed Daks very often, but I will keep an eye out
> for you.
>
>
Interesting thoughts Jon. I had thought about using a club cab frame, and finding a
creative way to fill teh gap. Trouble is I'm not sure just where that extra space goes. The
overall length of the trucks may actually be pretty close. It might just be that the rear axle
is located in a different place. I'll have to check the FMS to see what the specs are.
I have searched around on car-parts.com and even though I input the 124 inch frame option - the
salvage yards I called that listed them in stock, all said they were club cab trucks. Finding
an intact 124 inch (reg cab 8 foot box) frame is going to be a challenge.
On that same note I'm going to ask those on the list to keep an eye out for a suitable donor
truck for me. Basically 124 inch wheel base, 4x4. Engine/tranny options don't matter. Location
is also not an issue at this point. I'll drive where ever I need to.
I've located a few places that do custom frames, and I'm going to start looking into what that
might involve.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Man is the only kind of varmint [who] sets his own trap, baits it, then steps in it" -John Steinbeck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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