Short bed dually box

[Matt9962]

I've got a 1999 short bed dually and the box is starting to rot out pretty bad. I was wondering if the the fleetside boxes are the same as the dually boxes but with the dually fenders bolted onto them. Would anyone have any info on this?

 

[someotherguy]

Yes but with modifications of course. You have to make some pretty large cuts in the bedsides and make them carefully so that everything lines up correctly. Since you have an existing bed, I suggest using butcher paper or similar to make templates for the cuts, and the holes to be drilled for the fender fasteners. When I helped a friend build a shortbed dually this made things a lot easier.

Factory cuts and holes on a regular longbed dually, this truck was the donor for the fender flares:

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He made the rough cuts for the wheelwell on the shortbed:

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And I'm transferring the pattern for the holes using template and center punch - used the upper body line as a reference mark. Pretty sure we used the center of the rear hub for our other reference, since that would be the only constant between short or longbed; the position of the axle.

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Since we used fender flares from a regular longbed dually, the fuel door on the shortbed interfered just a little bit, so we chopped it instead of re-working the fender flare. I do believe your shortbed dually fender flares are unique to the model to solve this issue - but I'm not 100% sure, never having worked on one.

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Came out pretty decent for some hacking on an old junk bed that would've otherwise gone to scrap.

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Richard

 

[sewlow]

I do believe your shortbed dually fender flares are unique to the model to solve this issue - but I'm not 100% sure, never having worked on one.


Richard

Yes. The driver side flare on a short box dually is shorter on the front side of the wheel well opening than the passenger side. Because 'Fuel filler door'.
Ultra rare. Highly desirable. Stupid expensive.

 

[Keeper]

Are you transferring your old fenders, or buying "new to you" fenders?

Yes, the bed itself is the same. I've got one from down south swinging from my rafters waiting for this exact surgery. There will be cutting/hole drilling. If re-using the old fenders, you may have to epoxy the studs on the fenders back in afterwards if they stay with the old bed. Also watch out when removing those support brackets at the bottom, as those holes on the fender down there are susceptible to breaking/cracking if twisted. Start at the bottom and work up... lower support brackets, filler/arch support, then fender nuts themselves are last. 13mm on most everything... there's a bunch.

And in case I miss the follow-up discussion, I'll just put this out there: If buying "new to you" fenders, keep in mind that the short bed dually requires that the driver's side fender is the short version (3" shorter than passenger side). When shopping, all dually fenders made by GM in 99/00 had a shorter driver's side fender to accommodate the fuel door on the short beds. Both short beds and long beds had them. So make sure you are looking at 99/00 fenders... it really matters when you are doing a short bed dually as opposed to a long bed.

 

[sewlow]

...all dually fenders made by GM in 99/00 had a shorter driver's side fender to accommodate the fuel door on the short beds. Both short beds and long beds had them.

This I did not know.
Obviously 99/00 'Classisc' 400's.
Even still, there couldn't of been a whole lot of those made.

 

[95burban]

Please tell me more about that dually @someotherguy!

 

[someotherguy]

Please tell me more about that dually @someotherguy!

Buddy of mine's project that about half of it was done at my shop. He did most of the work but I assisted here and there and provided a ton of parts. It started as a RCSB stepside V6/NV3500...he put in a 502 big block (and kept the NV3500! it lived longer than anybody thought it would, but it did eventually frag), he initially brought it to my shop to do some drop springs and get some other misc. parts.

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He later got the idea to do the short bed dually conversion and wanted to use all actual dually parts. I was in the middle of doing my 3500HD project so I had the '96 C3500 engine/trans/etc. donor right there already coming apart. He got the rear end, leaf pack (several leafs pulled), forged UCA's, front brake parts, etc. and used cut coils and drop spindles for the front and flip kit/notch in the back, along with drop shackles; we also cut the bump stop pads off the axle for clearance as he'd pulled a lot of leafs.

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The fender flares are off my old green '98 crew cab shop wrecker because the '96 flares were too beat up. The shortbed I had was scrap because someone had done a terrible taillight filler job on it and welded/bondo'd them in; he figured he'd practice chopping it up and do another later if needed. It came out OK. IIRC this was the first night it rolled out of the shop with everything mostly complete.

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Sounded pretty tough, too. Not the greatest video but I just followed him as he backed it out of the shop, listening to the cam chop.

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He did some flush-mount LED's as cab and tailgate markers, and some LED bar strips like the ones used on my wireless tow lights (where the inspiration came from) for the taillights. Here's the "little bro/big bro" pic with my 3500HD.

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If my site was still up I coulda just linked the build page. (F U Godaddy)

Richard

 

[95burban]

So the upper and lower control arms from a 3500 bolt in? I guess that allowed use of the 3500 spindles and rotors…

 

[someotherguy]

So the upper and lower control arms from a 3500 bolt in? I guess that allowed use of the 3500 spindles and rotors…

Lowers are the same C1500-C2500-C3500, just stamped steel, same ball joint, everything. Uppers go forged with a larger ball joint stud when you get to 8 lug C2500. They bolt right in on the frame pockets, then the spindle swaps right in, too.

Richard

 

[95burban]

I learned something new today! I’m going to be building half ton duallys in my head now, thanks @someotherguy