Facts To Know About Short Bed To Long Bed Conversions
Turning a short bed truck into a long bed truck, otherwise known as short bed conversion, is definitely a thing, or wish for that matter, that you don’t see or hear about every day.
The question though is, how major is it? Can you just slap a longer bed on top of the existing frame and call it a day? What are the other points you should keep in mind about this kind of modification? Read on for the answers.
It’s going to be expensive!
I’ll be blunt right off the bat here – be prepared to spend several thousand dollars on a short bed conversion.
Does it make sense to spend all that money for a shop to do this sort of thing? You be the judge, though the older the pickup truck, the more you’re going to lose – meaning, the truck itself may cost less than the conversion itself!
Can I do it myself?
Most certainly not. If you do have connections with people who do short bed conversion, sure, you can cut down the price significantly, especially so if you will also do a lot of the work and get the parts from junk or scrap yards.
The thing is, that the process isn’t as uncomplicated as you may think at first. The frame of the vehicle must be cut, lengthened and professionally welded, so it won’t collapse on itself when you’re driving.
Next, all the fuel and brake lines, driveshafts and other crucial components must be lengthened.
This doesn’t look that simple, right? Trade it instead
There are many reasons why trading the truck you already have for the longer version may make less sense for you, but seriously, this will probably cost less overall.
What you must know is that lengthening the pickup’s bed yourself will undoubtedly hurt its resale value. Replacing the vehicle though, instead of cutting it up, is definitely a better idea.
What if, after trying out the long bed, you’ll want to go back? Again, trading the ride is just a more logical thing to do here. Watch the following video to see a short bed conversion IRL.