Hauling Bed Conversion Complete

[professor39]

Hey there guys I thought I would show you the work that I just completed. Enjoy.

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[JApol]

looks sharp. Did you do that to clear a 5th wheel or just to lower the sides to make it easier to lift something over the side of the bed?

 

[professor39]

Mostly for hauling 5th wheels and Gooseneck trailers. I try my best to never lift anything over the sides but from the back only.

 

[ENafziger]

That's slick! I like the Linex too... adds just the right finishing touch. --Eric

 

[CDonaldson]

Looks VERY GOOD, you did an excellent job. I had considered doing something on those lines but would really need some detailed instructions/pictures as that kind of work is out of my scope. Did you take pics of your process? They would be nice to see too.



The bedliner is an awesome touch too. I also do everything from the rear and frown on those who head for my bedsides with stuff.



CD

 

[Spooled-up]

Was that truck originally a dually, or did you add the dual wheels? Or, did you swap out the long bed dually fenders for the Mega Cab dually fenders?



I like it.

 

[rbattelle]

Wow, you are a true craftsman. How did you manage to completely eliminate the welded seam on the bed side where the bed rail has been lowered?

Ryan

 

[HOBrian]

I want to know how hard it was to cut the tailgate and make it look perfect.

 

[hearingyourlies]

Cutting the tailgate shouldn't have to be a "perfect" proposition if you're putting Line-X over it ... IMO

 

[2Rowdy]

Mostly for hauling 5th wheels and Gooseneck trailers. I try my best to never lift anything over the sides but from the back only.

That looks great. BTW I try to never lift anything period.

 

[professor39]

This truck started as a standard Dually. I purchased a set of Mega Cab Dually fenders to put on but I had to custom glass the driver side to remove the fuel door cutout that comes in it. By doing there is 16 or 17 holes per side that have to be filled. Also I had to remove the body line that goes over the rear wheel.



The tail gate actually has a lot of work in it. I had to move the striker assemblies on the edges down about 2 1/2". The handle has also had to be reworked because there are internal parts that stick up above the handle that would stick up too high.



The outer weld seam not being visible come down to welding technique and lots of body work.



The hardest part of this project was in the details and and small nuances that you don't notice at first. I wanted it to look it came from Dodge this way. IE I removed the middle stake pocket bulge inside the bed and then added the fold over inner lip that is a continuation of the factory inner lip. Like I said is the details.



I will be posting more pics as this project moves alone. There is going to be a covered 100gal tank in the front part of the bed and then in the cutdown section there is going to be a set of custom tool boxes built into the bed above each wheel wells.



Thanks for the comments.

 

[HOBrian]

Professor, Do you have a body shop or is this just a hobby??

 

[professor39]

Professor, Do you have a body shop or is this just a hobby??

Just a hobby

 

[rbattelle]

Man, I wish I had those skills. Or even the tools to do it! How long did it take (so far)?

Ryan

 

[JHardwick]

This is a cool deal. I just had my truck painted and both of my bed corners were beat up from hitting underneath my goose. In fact, the passenger side bed rail it pushed out, and probably down from being pinched under the goose ... ..... not enough that a stranger would really notice, but it is.

 

[Red_Rattler]

Takes some guts to cut into a 50k truck! Your a true craftsman... . Like you said I love how it looks factory, great job!

 

[MillerR]

Professor: I am in the middle of doing a similar thing. I have cut my bed down much more than you did though, ~9 inches total. I've also notched the tailgate, like the 5th wheel gates. I'll try to attach a photo... I'd like to know how/what you did to "re-cover" the bed rails. Did you just use the old caps, or fabricate new ones... ? btw: looks nice. I hope I can finish mine with the same professional look. -Trey



ps: I've added the picture of my bed to my profile... why does'nt it show up?

 

[KBalzuweit]

Looks really good!! I was wondering what Mega dually fenders would look like on a long bed. I am considering doing a longbed conversion, but I like the look of the mega fenders and had thought about doing mega fenders on a longbed. Now I know it will look good, so thanks for sharing!!



BTW... You should start a business doing this, you work looks great!!!

 

[Allnew2Me]

Very nice craftsmanship. It is obvious that you take pride in your work. If you could get that modification down to a controlled process you could quit your day job! It looks more factory than a stock truck. How many hours are in a job like that?

 

[professor39]

Professor: I am in the middle of doing a similar thing. I have cut my bed down much more than you did though, ~9 inches total. I've also notched the tailgate, like the 5th wheel gates. I'll try to attach a photo... I'd like to know how/what you did to "re-cover" the bed rails. Did you just use the old caps, or fabricate new ones... ? btw: looks nice. I hope I can finish mine with the same professional look. -Trey



ps: I've added the picture of my bed to my profile... why does'nt it show up?

Trey



What I used for the top cap was a piece of 1/8" steel strap and broke over the edge 1 inch.