Extending the frame

[fsr7]

is that a straight but weld with no plating

Looks like it...

Plus I have to consider the parents, for some strange reason they dictate what I spend my money on, which is total ********, its my money . I could probably squeek this by them, they'll call me a ******* ect...but still I'm sure I could convince them. But I've brought up the idea of buying a new truck and selling mine, and they wont let me, its a downrigth no that I get.

It seems like this would be a huge undertaking with your parents breathing down your back. I have real strict parents as well, and when I was under their roof with my one truck that I drove daily, It probably would have been easier for me to get permission to hack up mine instead of getting a new one. However, the amount of work it will take to get the truck you have now to look like that again with 4 doors is... a lot! If you are working on it day in and day out, and have all the tools you need at your disposal, you could probably get the frame stretched and cab mounted in a week. Another week, the cab would hooked up and most of your other functional extensions fabbed up. Then you could start the bodywork, which you already know is quite a process. Best case scenario, it takes a month until its pretty and red and has 4 doors. This is if you're working on it constantly, and have whatever money it takes to get every stupid little part you didn't foresee needing. What are you driving to the parts store? Doesn't seem like your parents will be happy about lending you a car for a month or more. I'm not trying to come down on your idea at all - when I was where you are 6 years ago, I would have loved to undertake such a project - but I would have been in way over my head. Nowadays, I do major "recunstructive surgery" on 5-6 vehicles a year- stretching frames, shortening frames, making SUVs into pickups, drivetrain transplants, etc. etc... Its never a good idea to do something like that to the only vehicle that will get you to school, or work, or the next place that you need to be.

 

[82F100SWB]

Don't worry, there are no strength issues with that chassis, it's seen GCWR's in the 20K + range, it's been airborne more times than I care to count, and it's been wheeled hard.
It's re-enforced on the inside only, it's fish plated, and we cut the section we removed so it fit inside of the frame, shortened the overall height and width of it so it fit inside and didn't stick out past and interfere with anything(I could have overlapped it, but, the weld alone raises enough eyebrows,) and installed it with the C facing the outside of the truck, so the frame is actually boxed, sort of like so [] only the ] piece fits inside of the existing frame rail.
If the truck wasn't up to my eyeballs in snow, I'd get a couple pictures.

 

[Andylad13]

the Z cut would be the strongest especially with the plating. but if your going to do any frame altering like lengthening or shortening, the truck should be taken apart fully down to the rolling chassis, and then some. thats what i would do. and then level out the frame on jack stands, take measurements, and start cutting.

personally i would spend a day making sure everything is square and level. next day start cutting and fitting, next day welding.

your looking at 3 days of continious work, and if you havn't done it before...it's probably not going to come out exact, and unfortunatley, it needs to be.

 

[tonkadoctor]

But then I have two trucks, I have to pay insurance for both of them. I dont have the money to fix up another truck, let alone pay for the insurance for both of them, plus maintance, and fuel.

Insurance on multiple vehicles is often cheaper than just paying insurance on one. Talk to your agent before making the assumption that insurance on 2 is more than on one.

When I added my house to the policy the 2 cars and homeowners rate was cheaper than just 2 cars, Heck I even asked him if he could sell me more insurance for other stuff to drop my rate even further.

IMHO If that was your grandpas truck you need to keep it and build up another for a daily driver, you'll kick yourself years down the road.

 

[zigzkidz]

here is something similar except its a dodge and there extending it for the bed

http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/dodge/0803dp_dodge_mega_cab_long_bed/photo_22.html

 

[FordGuy100]

Alright guys, I've had a good long thought about this this weekend, and basically I wont be doing it. I'll live with my truck the way it is for a while. If the time comes around, I'll get something else.

......That and I got shot down big time by my parents. I told them what I was thinking about doing, and they flat out lectured me for a good half hour about something, I dont know I just glazed over and agreed with them . Anyways then I was like, well I will sell it to buy a CC, that got shot down big time as well. So it looks like I wont be doing anything with my truck for a while.

Good/bad news is that my mom is fairly sure that my grandparents are going to ask me if I want to buy there truck (they wont to upgrade to a CR cummins). Its a 1997 Dodge 2500 12 valve 5 speed 4x4 extended cab long bed. I have no idea what they want for it, but its a pretty nice unmolested truck. Who knows though, I'll probably just end up not doing anything and keeping my truck.

 

[MUDKICKR]

heres an idea, why dont you get a set of bucket seats and mount them to where you would be confortable? if you lower the seat like 2 inches or so it would make more head room, and with bucket seats taking up less room it might even give you so more leg room
just a thought

 

[bubbagonebad]

Check this truck out

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/pts/627219989.html

 

[94f450sd]

for those of you lookin for a crew cab check this out: http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?p=258516#post258516 .not an IDI but itll blow the doors off any IDI and make it look like it was a honda and still get decent fuel mileage.

 

[Dieselguy123]

I have just the opposite problem, I have to move my seat forward a little or I cant push the clutch all the way to the floor. I am 5 10" and must have short legs.