8' bed weight?

[jamesdfo]

Does anyone have a weight for an 8' fleetside box with endgate?


**And before the "ford police" pipe up and correct me, yah, I know that fleetside may not be correct FORD terminology for a non stepside bed, but I'm not that concerned about it, so save the calories it will take to correct me for some other task. DO I sound testy?? Probably, and perhaps it has to do with a fellow I spoke with on the phone today for 45+ minutes who is a member here, lives 1500 miles away, heck of a nice guy, hasn't posted in a month, as he is afraid to reveal details of his build for fear of being chastised by the ford police:(
I know most of us here would prefer that everyone keep their slicks ALL FORD, but the reality is, that is not always going to be how THEY build THEIR rides....sometimes it comes down to brand loyalty, other times it's financial or simply availability/opportunity....so we either just let it go, and most times gain a member who may just become a friend, or you can get all righteous with people, and scare them away...........which guy do you want to be??

**Rant Off**

[ICEMAN6166]

eeek!
seriously
the older i get the less i seem to care about that issue.

not my vehicle ,i spent nothing on it, so it does not affect me in the least.
been here so long, seen so many different things, whether i like them or not its not going to change anything.
if its yours and you are truly happy with it then you are not really concerned with what others think.



bed weight is about 300 lbs.
gate is about 50.

[jamesdfo]

Brian: Thanks for the reply, and my own "guess" seems to be pretty much in line with your numbers:) I can remember having to help others (or get help from others) back in my bodyshop days on a good number of occasions to remove boxes, and 8 footers were usually a 4 man job:)

James

[skidoorulz]

My son and I can lift the 6 foot box off and on without strain. 8 foot can't be 20 or 30 pounds heavier than a 6 foot so I would say 2 men can do it. As far as Ford motors being in Fords and Chevies being in Chevies I strongly agree keep them 100 % brand specific. I would not do any car any other way. But that is my way. As far as I am concerned if you want to frick up your build go ahead.
jamesdfo I did not mean you when I said you. I sure hope you knew that

[tomrooster]

I agree with skid. Tom

[jamesdfo]

Yah, we did SWB boxes with two guys too, back in the day, but I'm not 25 any more (or 50!!:().....so these days, many arms makes light work:)

And yah, I personally will almost certainly utilize ford powertrain in my build, (But I do have a friend who has a 392 Hemi in the shed, and its $40K cheaper than a 427 SOHC!! hmmmmmm:):)

But I'm way past done bustin balls of those who choose to do otherwise.

'nuff said on that topic.....I guess in the future, I should refrain from posting late @ night, after having far too few hours sleep the previous couple nights:):)

Cheers!
James

[skidoorulz]

A 392 Hemi you say? Everyone knows the only way to make anything run is to put a Hemi in it I'm really a Mopar guy at heart.

[SRSControls]

**And before the "ford police" pipe up and correct me, yah, I know that fleetside may not be correct FORD terminology for a non stepside bed, but I'm not that concerned about it, so save the calories it will take to correct me for some other task. DO I sound testy?? Probably, and perhaps it has to do with a fellow I spoke with on the phone today for 45+ minutes who is a member here, lives 1500 miles away, heck of a nice guy, hasn't posted in a month, as he is afraid to reveal details of his build for fear of being chastised by the ford police:(
I know most of us here would prefer that everyone keep their slicks ALL FORD, but the reality is, that is not always going to be how THEY build THEIR rides....sometimes it comes down to brand loyalty, other times it's financial or simply availability/opportunity....so we either just let it go, and most times gain a member who may just become a friend, or you can get all righteous with people, and scare them away...........which guy do you want to be??

**Rant Off**

James and fellow members,

Let me start by saying that I have been a car guy for 38 of my 43 years on this earth. I have been a member of many clubs, associations, and forums over those years and have met a great deal of people. Some of them were opinionated, some clueless, but the vast majority were people that I respected and shared a common bond with because we all have a passion for automobiles.

James, When you called to speak with me on Sunday about the bed, I could tell you sensed my hesitation to reveal the drive-train I plan on using in my build. But once I explained the WHATS and the WHYS, you said it sounded like a pretty cool build. I respect you for that and can't thank you enough for the pointers you gave me and for the very pleasant conversation we had (it was 58 minutes by the way, ). I can't say I would ever have occasion to venture to the very north, but if there is ever anything I can do to help you find parts or facilitate something coming your way, please don't hesitate to ask. Maybe one day we can meet up at Slick Stock. I can say that I am very happy to have met someone I am proud to call a friend.

Unfortunately in this digital world we live in it isn't as easy to make and keep friends as it once was. I don't mean "friends" as in Facebook or Twitter followers, I mean real "FRIENDS", people you can count on, someone who will come over and knock back a few beers whilst blocking out some body work on your project with you because they know you wouldn't hesitate to do the same for them on a moments notice. I think we all get so wrapped up in our own little bubble worlds that we sometimes forget that we alienate people without realizing it.

I have had a hard time finding a group where I felt I could share my excitement about my project for fear of being "flamed" for the direction I am taking my build. In my signature, you will notice the quote "If you didn't pay to buy the parts, sweat and shed your own blood to build it, pay to register it, and pay to insure it, your opinion of it is of no matter to me." I think it's unfortunate that ANYONE should have to take such a position but in all honesty, it's mine and I worked my ass off (2 jobs) for the money to build it so I honestly don't care what people think. Would I like for someone to admire the progress of my build, check out some of the over 250 pictures I have taken of the build progress thus far, or maybe give me some suggestions on how to build a better set of engine mounts or which suspension setup to use in the rear? Sure! But seething because i was flamed on a message board for using the "wrong" drive-train in the vehicle I BUILT and PAID FOR is not the way I want to spend my time. I would rather use that time building my vehicle with my sons and letting them experience the joy I experienced working on vehicles with my grandfather. Hopefully I can inspire them to be handy and creative as well and think outside the box. Maybe one day they will pass along what I taught them to their children.

I do have my reasons for what I selected, and if someone sees my truck in a show in a year or two and scoffs at my choices, so be it. There will be just as many if not more people who will appreciate that it was all built by ME and DRIVEN to the show, not bought this way and trailered there, and the way I look at it, I saved one of these beautiful bodies from the Chinese steel mills! Not to mention that I am doing my damnedest to use exclusively AMERICAN PARTS!

I have started quite a few projects in my time and due to various factors (divorce, financial, medical emergency, etc.) have had to sell my project before completion every time. That isn't happening this time. I WILL finish this car if it takes me to my last breath before I can drive her!

I also noticed that you saw I haven't posted in over a month. I have been dying to post a build thread but once again, I don't think I would enjoy sharing my hard work only to have it shot down because someone has a differing opinion of what I built. I do watch the forum on a nearly daily basis, read every new post I can find, and chime in on occasion. I will mention a few people who have also been very helpful and inspirational in my build:

kstone63 (Kevin) is a true automotive genius and has one of the nicest Slicks I have ever seen. (That hood is bad ass!) I plan on buying one of these hood kits for my project.

Steve at Industrial Chassis who sold me my Dakota front end kit and brake pedal and bracket. This is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet and an artist! What he does with metal and his knowledge of suspension geometry just astounds me. His kits are worth every last nickel and I will recommend his products 8 days a week.

And finally, (hopefully I'm not breaking board protocol) Bill (NumberDummy from another board) This guy is a walking talking Ford database!

I know there are other members here that may be as understanding and as genuine as James has been, and maybe in time as you all get to know me, I might share more. I hope I get the opportunity. 99.99% of what I have seen on this board is leaps and bounds better than any other Slick forum I have been to.

As a side note: MODS: maybe we could start a section for those of us who do use the "Wrong" parts, like a "Slick Madness" or "Slick Hybrid" section?

In closing, thank you for taking the time to read my little novella, and let's knock off this rust and get to drivin'!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress.

[Leeroy]

Whilst I don't have the answer to the 8' bed question, I feel your pain with the other stuff. I have a 65 fastback mustang and people ask me all the time if I'm part of the mustang club.
I could really think of nothing worse, as soon as you're there they are instantly picking on things, that a/c compressed is wrong, your car didn't have those tyres or wheels, that's the wrong battery, that fan is wrong and it goes on and on. That's before they get to the dash and firewall that's had the guts ripped out of it to move the steering wheel over to the other side...

I think what peeves me most when this is all happening, they seem to think they are helping me out by pointing all this stuff out as if I didn't already know!! Geez someone put modern tyres and shocks on BY ACCIDENT! Why would you do that?!

[Toyz]

A belated welcome, SRS; only question is: what took you so long to become a car guy?
Paul

[skidoorulz]

Post it up SRS. I am a purist as I said. I go to car shows and see all kinds of cars with wrong brand motors. Such as 32 Fords with small block Chev's in them. I don't like it but I sure don't tell the owner that. It is his car. And as said. You got me at HEMI. Heck even the big boys in NHRA put HEMI's in their cars.

[SRSControls]

Well, I have to admit, it isn't a Hemi, that is by far even more out of my price range. It's actually a 6 liter LS motor, a rather nasty one with a T56 that was destined for another project that went south (long boring story). The motor was purchased for the other project and I have quite a bit of scratch into it already and don't have the patience to go through that process again. Unfortunately, I have learned the hard way that there aren't any reliable or honest machine shops left here in Las Vegas so I'm stuck with what I have for now. Besides, I love the LS platform, have tons of experience with them and performing the swaps, and I love my Slick.

I appreciate the encouragement, maybe I will get the balls to post a build thread in the near future. Thanks again guys.

[Roger Carter]

Well, I have to admit, it isn't a Hemi, that is by far even more out of my price range. It's actually a 6 liter LS motor, a rather nasty one with a T56 that was destined for another project that went south (long boring story). The motor was purchased for the other project and I have quite a bit of scratch into it already and don't have the patience to go through that process again. Unfortunately, I have learned the hard way that there aren't any reliable or honest machine shops left here in Las Vegas so I'm stuck with what I have for now. Besides, I love the LS platform, have tons of experience with them and performing the swaps, and I love my Slick.

I appreciate the encouragement, maybe I will get the balls to post a build thread in the near future. Thanks again guys.

At least enough pictures to tease us!

[Toyz]

Gotta admit, I have put several LS 6.0's in front of slicks, even at Slickstock! Ford's been my favorite for over 50 years, but when the Gen III Lightning teaser proved to be still-born, I quickly moved to the dark side! The last few years have found Ford playing catch-up, but the LS's will remain! I wouldn't put one in any of my slicks, (although I do have one in a non-Chebbie), but I'm certainly not in a position to criticize those who do!
Paul

[SRSControls]

You have all been very gracious and made me feel welcome. I do very much appreciate that. To answer your question Toyz, I think I was born a car guy, I was just bitten by the "bug" when my grandfather got me my first set of tools at the age of 5.

On to business:

I will post a few pics here but ultimately, I will start an actual build thread in the proper section in the next few weeks. Thanks again everyone!

This was the day I brought her home







Front end torn down with my mini-me and partner in crime striking a pose



92 spot welds to get dash out!!



Front rails stripped ready for new front suspension



I.C Dakota kit welded in



And painted



New suspension



Column with relocation plate welded in and dash mocked up



That's probably enough to tease for now, I think I might be pushing my luck by Hijacking James' thread and posting these here. Look for the full build thread in the next few weeks!

(Sorry, had the wrong code for the pics)

[jamesdfo]

Scott: Something wrong with your coding above, I will attempt to fix.....no garantees:)

OH sure!....now that I edited all the code, the above has been fixed:):)

You have all been very gracious and made me feel welcome. I do very much appreciate that. To answer your question Toyz, I think I was born a car guy, I was just bitten by the "bug" when my grandfather got me my first set of tools at the age of 5.

On to business:

I will post a few pics here but ultimately, I will start an actual build thread in the proper section in the next few weeks. Thanks again everyone!

This was the day I brought her home







Front end torn down with my mini-me and partner in crime striking a pose



92 spot welds to get dash out!!



Front rails stripped ready for new front suspension



I.C Dakota kit welded in



And painted



New suspension



Column with relocation plate welded in and dash mocked up



That's probably enough to tease for now, I think I might be pushing my luck by Hijacking James' thread and posting these here. Look for the full build thread in the next few weeks!

[SRSControls]

Yeah, apparently my old eyes were allowing me to click the wrong button. I went inside for dinner and came back out after and said "AW HELL!"

Thanks.

[Truckrat]

SRS, I am liking your build regardless of whether you use an LS
or Ford drivetrain. As has been said, the older I get the less I care about
stuff like that. You are using a good reliable combo in it that you already
had and to go out and round up another brand specific drivetrain is just
an extra unnecessary expense. I know I don't have a budget for that.
Looking forward to seeing your build come together. TR

[Jarrod]

I look forward to seeing your build. I for one don't care what you put in your truck. Im having a 4.6 litter Mustang GT motor put in mine. I do like ford motors personally, but if I had a ford truck and a Chevy motor laying around and the knowledge to marry the two together, then why the hell not? It sure beats driving around an Toyota tundra.. LOL..

[unibody madness]

You are not alone with the knowledge that sometimes folks think there is only one way to do things. There is another member here who rarely posts anymore because the attitude he gets over HIS choices. I stand by my stance that you should send all their money back if they do not like it.
I look forward to seeing some old steel rejuvinated!
Post it up