Nooob with Cab & Chassis questions

[Schlagger]

Oops forgot the pic

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[HotRodPC]

That does NOT appear to be a stretched frame at all. GM made up to 3 different wheel bases for C&C Trucks. That happens to be the long one. The part that was added is for the lift gate structure support.

All the pics I've seen so far, you got a real good truck and in good shape. I see good sheetmetal not all beat up, no rust scale on the frame, good tires, etc.

 

[HotRodPC]

It appears there were 2 wheel base options in squares for C&C in Squares.
135.5 inch and 159.5 inch. So for purpose of comparison, A standard cab long bed wheel base is 131.5. It wouldn't take you long to get a tape measure and go front center hub to rear center hub and see that it's going to be 159.5 then you know it's not a stretched frame. That's 28 inches longer than an 8 foot long bed so with over 2 feet more frame, an 11 foot bed would be no problem at all.

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[Craig 85]

Looks like I'm spring shopping too.

I just had the rear springs in my K30 rebuilt locally for about $270. That included new bushings and U-bolts. I had the same broken leaves, but 1 per side.

 

[Schlagger]

That does NOT appear to be a stretched frame at all. GM made up to 3 different wheel bases for C&C Trucks. That happens to be the long one. The part that was added is for the lift gate structure support.

All the pics I've seen so far, you got a real good truck and in good shape. I see good sheetmetal not all beat up, no rust scale on the frame, good tires, etc.

Yup, it's a pretty solid New Mexico truck. Has plenty of small things it needs, but I plan to put as much as time and money into it as necessary to make it a good work truck. I'll measure the wheelbase tonight.

 

[shiftpro]

I wonder if a 14' steel flatbed will weigh too much...

Welcome Shlaggs,

It's is very easy to overbuild with steel. I would consider aluminum if possible. Yes it cost three times that of steel but the shipping is half price.
Much less prep and grinding than steel so fabrication speeds up, unless you're going fancy and tig welding then the joints need to be tighter
than say using mig spool gun (which is fast, kinda like using a hot glue gun). And then to consider aluminum won't need sandblasting, prime
and paint.... and maintenance.
Of course, you want a wood on the deck too. Checker plate for example is costly, heavy and SLIPPERY.

 

[Derrick]

Welcome, For the flatbed it all depends on budget and steel is cheaper if you can go to a steel yard and pick it up. With proper prep and finish should last. The one thing is if you use too much steel and go for a fancy flat bed with lots of steel it will slow down the truck and lower mpg etc. Now using aluminum is cheaper on the shifting but welding it can be a PIA with tig for that project so spool gun would be a must. For the deck, I would use diamond tread and put a rubberized coating on it for traction in wet and protection from dumping stuff on the bed. (pictures are not mine just example) this is the flatbed I would emulate for a lighter weight flatbed. then I would get a box like the one below to get more storage and bolt it right to the bed.

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[shiftpro]

Welcome, For the flatbed it all depends on budget and steel is cheaper if you can go to a steel yard and pick it up. With proper prep and finish should last. The one thing is if you use too much steel and go for a fancy flat bed with lots of steel it will slow down the truck and lower mpg etc. Now using aluminum is cheaper on the shifting but welding it can be a PIA with tig for that project so spool gun would be a must. For the deck, I would use diamond tread and put a rubberized coating on it for traction in wet and protection from dumping stuff on the bed. (pictures are not mine just example) this is the flatbed I would emulate for a lighter weight flatbed. then I would get a box like the one below to get more storage and bolt it right to the bed.

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All good advice here and I like the idea of a rubberized coating on the deck surface, but a few other points about using wood..
1. It's quieter than steel.
2. You can temporarily screw things down... blocks, hook eyes for example.

Just... don't use glass like a show trucks I once saw!

 

[Schlagger]

I'd rather have steel, but I have 14 feet to work with here...that really adds up both in price and in weight. Aluminum isn't happening for me.

 

[Schlagger]

Wheelbase is 180". Frame has been stretched.

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[HotRodPC]

Yep, that's a stretch. Looks like it has held up well so far.

 

[Derrick]

All good advice here and I like the idea of a rubberized coating on the deck surface, but a few other points about using wood..
1. It's quieter than steel.
2. You can temporarily screw things down... blocks, hook eyes for example.

Just... don't use glass like a show trucks I once saw!

Good point never use glass it is just dumb.
I would never use wood due to in my area the bed would rot off too soon compared to steel. But the wood is easy to repair and cheaps so both are good options.

 

[HotRodPC]

You use the right wood and right treatment it's alot more durable than you would think. Semi Trailers and flatbeds been using wood for years and years.

 

[Derrick]

You use the right wood and right treatment it's a lot more durable than you would think. Semi Trailers and flatbeds have been using wood for years and years.

Yeah, I suppose. Now that I am with my new company they put steel on top of the flatbeds but they haul large quarry rocks. as long as you are not hauling 50k worth of large rocks you are fine.

 

[Schlagger]

Treated wood with a good penetrating oil like Penofin should hold up well enough. Out here the only issue is sun damage and it will be under cover most of the time. It hasn't rained since October. It is definitely handy to be able to screw into it when needed-I have done that many times on my trailer. Also very easy to replace/repair when necessary. I'd like to be able to haul vehicles up there so I want to keep the weight of the flatbed as light as possible. I'm going to build a solid steel framework and then use wood...once I get it to run, that is...