Slanted truck bed

[Mr87]

I dont know if you can really tell from the pic but the right side of the bed slants a bit. Any ideas what can cause this?

 

[smurph20]

Body mounts both the rubber and the frame. Could also be the frame itself it tweaked

 

[Mr87]

can the frame just get tweaked over time? It's never been in any type of wreck

 

[smurph20]

Yea if its ever been loaded heavy or used rough or parled funny repeatdly

 

[Driver4r]

Mabey im dumb, but to me it looks like the left side is slanted, not the right.

 

[Mr87]

The right side sags

 

[smurph20]

The angle on the pic is at a weird angle. Its almost an optical allusion. What kind of measurments do you have from level ground to the bottom of the bed and the bottom of the bumper? Does the bed floor tilt the same way?

 

[Mr87]

Id have to check in the morning but id have to say the right side of the truck bed is about two inches or more lower than the left side

 

[Stroked]

I've seen several old trucks with this problem. I always figured it was a tweaked frame or maybe a bad crossmember on the bed. I would check for sagging or broken springs on the drivers side too.


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[chengny]

Check your spring stacks for broken leaves - also shackles and bushings for worn rubber.

Assuming the rear tires are the same size, the axle should be level. The leaf spring stack is clamped to the axle on the bottom.

The end of the spring stacks supports the frame by bushings (front) and the frame hangs from shackles (back).

So if the truck is on level ground (and the tires are the same OD), the axle should be level. The springs connect the axle to the frame and the bed rides (metal to metal) on the frame rails.

So if the bed looks skewed, the only variable from left to right, is a difference in the height of the leaf spring stack/shackle group. This assumes a non-twisted frame.

A cracked leaf within the stack is many times difficult to spot. To identify a weak spring group (which would cause a reduced axle to frame height), measure from the top of the axle straight up to the bottom of the frame. Compare the distance from left to right.

Look at this bed-off image of a K30, it will help explain:

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[bucket]

The pic makes it look like the frame is tweaked. I say that because the tailgate and bumper seem to be tilted when comparing to the front of the bed or the rear window. A suspension issue will usually cause the entire truck to lean, not just a third of it.

It could have been in a wreck too, causing a tweaked frame. Even if the body is all original. A girl in a Grand Am once clipped the rear bumper on my S10 and it knocked my truck a few feet over in the parking lot. Other than a step pad, there was zero cosmetic damage (not so for the Grand Am, lol) but it did twist the frame similar to what's seen in the pic above. It was an easy fix for me though.

 

[chengny]

I had to take him at his word:

can the frame just get tweaked over time? It's never been in any type of wreck

 

[cjkirby55]

I'm with bucket. It looks like the further back you go, the worse it gets. I had a broken leaf on mine and the whole truck leaned right.

 

[89Suburban]

Don't forget in the library we have the Squarebody measurements you can use to help you investigate this.