Custom Stepside off chevy modified for my 79 Toyota shortbed.
03-06-2010, 03:41 PM
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Custom Stepside off chevy modified for my 79 Toyota shortbed.
Custom Stepside off chevy modified for my 79 Toyota shortbed.
I'm new here and this is my first post so hope I did it right. Anyway I'm Jason from Evansville, IN. I just got my 1979 Toyota Shortbed off my dad after he had it for 23 years. He was thinkin about junkin it and I talked him out of it. I picked it up for $400.00. Worth every penny to me. It's got some major rust issues. So I gotta reinforce the frame in a few spots. Also the bed was shot so I picked up an 87 Chevy full size stepside bed. I had to narrow it by 10" in the center. Then I threw it up on the truck to get a better idea of how its going to look. I think I'm going to remove the front steps and move the wheel wells forward a few inches. Then I'm thinkin about bob'n the bed a few inches. Let me know what you guys think. Heres the pics.
I'm new here and this is my first post so hope I did it right. Anyway I'm Jason from Evansville, IN. I just got my 1979 Toyota Shortbed off my dad after he had it for 23 years. He was thinkin about junkin it and I talked him out of it. I picked it up for $400.00. Worth every penny to me. It's got some major rust issues. So I gotta reinforce the frame in a few spots. Also the bed was shot so I picked up an 87 Chevy full size stepside bed. I had to narrow it by 10" in the center. Then I threw it up on the truck to get a better idea of how its going to look. I think I'm going to remove the front steps and move the wheel wells forward a few inches. Then I'm thinkin about bob'n the bed a few inches. Let me know what you guys think. Heres the pics.
03-06-2010, 03:58 PM
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Why not section the fenders to better fit the truck? Looks good though and it's good to see people keeping the first gen trucks alive. I have an 81 that i'm rebuilding with lots of mods.
03-06-2010, 04:10 PM
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My dad and I were just talking about that a couple hours ago. They still gotta be moved forward so that they'll fit and look right. If it looks like the wheel wells are way too big then I'll probably take a few inches out of them. I'll decide tomorrow.
03-06-2010, 04:25 PM
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Keep going. You need to shrink her down to size. Dont listen to the critics. Its good to see someone using what they have and making it work. It is a unique idea and my hats off to you for doing it. Keep up the work and give us updates on what you do.
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03-06-2010, 08:07 PM
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I appreciate all the comments. I thought about a flatbed. Especially after seeing one on here that a guy built from scratch. But I always liked the look of the stepside bed and I thought it'd be cool to put one on a toyota, as I've never seen it done before. Not to mention I like to make everything I drive look a little different. Tomorrow I'll be moving the wheel tubs forward, removing the side steps, and bobbing the bed a few inches. Once I get it all done it'll get a rolled on paint job with the help of some Rustoleum. Tell you what its an easy inexpensive paint job that holds up. I painted my 96 Honda Accord wide body with it. Here a link to my other project. http://www.flickr.com/photos/widebodyaccord/
03-06-2010, 08:11 PM
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no, i didnt mean it like whyd you do that. i think its awesome that you put time into that. once you get it all set itll look way better. Also, you could find custom stepsides that fit a little better. sorry if i came off a little harsh..
03-06-2010, 08:14 PM
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As far as why I picked this stepside. I always liked the look of this year. Not to mention I posted an ad on craigslist looking for a stepside. The guy that had this emailed me the same night and I picked it up the next day for a wopping $75.00. I've looked and looked and looked for a factory non rusted bed for this truck. Theres just none to be found. Plus I like this better anyway.
03-06-2010, 08:40 PM
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Here is one I bought off ebay, I have seen 1 other bed like this but am told they were a California Special. I plan on trying to build one using a 60-66 Chevy bed. Im not sure how to post as picture. www.ebay.com Item number: 250563754051
03-07-2010, 05:54 AM
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03-07-2010, 04:38 PM
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Yeah i cut the fenders in the middle and moved them forward, then cut the box right in front of the finders infront of the bed-flare and moved it forward, too.
It's really not that much for such a simple bed.
Just cut it straight and you're looking at some simple body-work.
I think it would look good with some bigger/wider tires to fill out the bed.
It's really not that much for such a simple bed.
Just cut it straight and you're looking at some simple body-work.
I think it would look good with some bigger/wider tires to fill out the bed.
03-07-2010, 04:55 PM
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I didn't get to far on the truck today. I didn't work on the bed at all. I spent all day reinforcing the frame. Still got a long ways to go.
Last edited by 1979Hand-me-down; 03-13-2010 at 03:26 PM.
