Hey, guys, I'm looking for a little info from those who have put a short box in place of a long box on a first gen. I know the extra length of the frame is between the cab and rear end and that the wheelwells are centered in the boxes on both long and short. Im not ready to shorten my frame and driveshaft so I had an idea. IF the body mounts are in the right place and putting a short box on my frame centers the wheelwells over my tires, leaving a gap between the cab and box, I could build a jockey box to go between the two that matches the contour of the body for some extra storage. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I'm talking about simply removing my long box and bolting a short box in its place with all the factory mounts. Has anyone tried this? and yes, I searched

 

trial and error would be your best bet.are you gonna chop your other bed to fit in between cab and new short bed?

 

I only posted to see if anyone has done this before I start spinning wrenches. Ive got a bunch of sheetmetal that was leftover from a job last spring to build a lockable jockey box to fill the gap and create some extra storage. The truck is on jackstands in the sideyard and I wont be able to pull the box until I get the front end done, just asking if anyone has tried this, cause Ive found a good useable box for cheap, but its a short box.

 

over on pirate I believe a guy did this. he used the extra space between the cab and bocks to put spare tire and gas cans, looked weird.

 

I agree the gap looks wierd, but i was going to make the sides of the jockey box match the shape of the bed/cab somewhat so it doesnt look so out of place. more of a function over form thing. Do you know if it was a bolt-on deal or was there some "fitting" involved? Thanks for the info

 

This guy made up a homemade extra cab type setup on his 1st gen pickup:


Granted it was not a bed swap, but similar in idea to what you are asking about.

 

or you could extend the cab like mr.boyle did:

he has to extend the doors

I remember the one that was mentioned with the tire behind the cab in the space between the short bed..he did a nice job on it with the tool box opposite the tire.

 

There was a guy on pirate that used the space to run exhaust stacks too.

 

Some great ideas here, guys, I like the extra cab idea, but built to the proportions of a second gen extra cab would be pretty sweet. But for now I've just got a sideyard to work with so bolt-on is the way to go right now. The tool box would be built to somewhat match the bedsides/cab and have a bit of a headache rack as well. Being able to keep a toyota box instead of a flat deck is a plus for me too. BTW, 4Crawler, your site has been invaluable for rebuilding my knuckles. Haynes doesnt cut it, they didnt even include the knuckles in their manual. A big thank-you!

 

So I just took a few measurements and the only mount that will need to be moved is the forwardmost mounts on the frame, I was thinking of making another to weld on further back on the frame, and also add a mounting tab for the tool box. I know a little bit about structural welding, but would like an experts opinion. Would up-handing vertical t-joints on the side of the frame with 7018 be ok? I'd hate to have it crack on me.

 

As long as you clean the frame well, 7018 should be fine. That is what I used on my hydraulic assist steering ram mount and it has held up great:


Have to be a little careful to not burn through the frame, it is only about 1/8" thick.

 

Thanks, 4Crawler, I'll be using 3/32 rod and 1/8" plate so should be pretty easy to control. Looks like I'll have 8-9" of space for the toolbox, enough for a jackall and a bunch of tools. My soft case for my bow will fit too. Will post pics after I get my front end finished.