dually bed question

[Detroit Dan]

My bed is getting pretty beat, I just bought a set of used fenders, not perfect but repairable. My existing fenders are both busted up. I also just put a new (old) tailgate on and switched to the old style metal bar supports instead of the lousy cables. So I really don't want to change the whole bed, however my bed floor is getting pretty bad, and the last time I backed into a tree and smashed the right fender, I also buckled the bedside a little bit. Might be fixable I think.

So, to make a short story long, used dually beds in any kind of condition are extremely rare. So it makes sense to keep fixing mine. However, what has occurred to me is I can easily find a good 8 foot fleetside bed. How tough would it be to make it a dually? I mean, can I just trim the wheelwells and put my new fenders on, or is there more to it than that? I'm not even sure yet how the fiberglass fenders bolt on, if there's something specific about it.

BTW, this is on the 97 in my sig.

 

[DEERE3594]

You could do that, you could use your current bed as a template to cut the rut area out. There are about a dozen studs that hold the "flare" on. I can post a pic of a bed with the "flare" removed if you like

 

[Detroit Dan]

that would be great, I'd like to be able to see what I'm going to need to do to figure out where the bolts go.

 

[DEERE3594]

ok things are crazy ill get it on tomarrow

 

[LtEng5]

have seen some older trucks with the newer style trucks beds on them.....some dont look too bad as long as the colors are close. contact a body builder or upfiiter where utility bodies are sold/installed; they should have a buncha dually beds hanging around cheap.

just a thought/option....

 

[btfarm]

You could check out a Monroe eqip. upfitter. Here's a link to authorised dealers/upfitters. http://www.monroetruck.com/PlowSubs.asp

 

[Detroit Dan]

Well, finally found a replacement bed on craigslist, but an hour and a half away. Guy claimed it was a 95 in perfect condition. Drove down to see it. It was apparently perfect when he bought it years ago, but he brought it home on a flatbed trailer, resting on the bottoms of the bedsides and fenders. So the passenger side fender got cracked, and the bedside folded up a little. What a moron, if he had only flipped it over or put something under it it would be perfect. I brought some old tires with me to rest it on just so that wouldn't happen.
Almost walked away from it, but it was otherwise mint, the underneath is still all factory paint, looks like it was never even installed on a truck. So, he wanted $450, I beat him down to $300. For $300 he kept the tailgate and the plastic bedliner. I have a good old style tailgate on my truck now, just changed it over so I'd have metal bars instead of those stupid cables that always break. And I'm not a fan of plastic bedliners anyway.

Now I just need to find the time to repair the bottoms of that fender, and I'm pretty sure the bedside bottoms will bend back up pretty good. Then a lot of paint work, maybe a roll-on bedliner and my truck will look SO much better.
I was about ready to give up the search, throw away my old beatup bed and put on a flatbed.