so here's an idea i've been toying with for a long time & think it might be doable. what do y'all think?

*the idea*
so GM never made a RCSB pickup in anything heavier than a 1500. this has been a big complaint for the handfull of power freaks who would p*** their britches if they could have a Duramax in a small truck platform without the ridiculous cost & headache of an actual diesel swap. but i think i might've found a way to get what we want

*the how*
so to get a a Duramax, you had to get a 2500 or 3500, and both platforms had a smallest configuration of RCLB, right? and that meant you'd have to cut the frame down & modify fuel tanks, lines, brake lines, get a new driveshaft, etc.

wrong! one thing i discovered a couple years ago is that GM made two-door chassis/cab trucks with a short wheelbase. it's about 6" or so longer than a standard RCSB, but if you can live with that, then all you should have to do would be to find an 8ft bed & chop a bit out of it, and then install a rear bumper. this alleviates the mess of trying to cut a section out of the entire chassis of a normal pickup just to fit a bed. instead you just cut a bed to fit.




so what do y'all who know more than me see wrong with this plan? the only problem i see is that it sounds too easy to be true & the hardest part would be finding a truck.

actually i found one today, but they're really proud of it! $16k
Cars for Sale: 2005 Chevrolet Silverado and other C/K2500 4x4 Regular Cab in Erie, KS 66733: Truck Details - 305485287 - AutoTrader.com
it's way harder for me because i absolutely refuse to buy an automatic transmission in anything.

either way, i'd have a RCSB daily driver that, with a little work, could easily be pushing twice the HP & 3x the TQ of what i drive now all while still getting 5mpg or so better & mockingly laugh as it effortlessly pulls my car to events

questions, comments, concerns?

 

so the chassis cab is between a standard short bed and long bed wheel base?

 

yeah. now remember - the 1500LDs had 3 different bed lengths (step side/short box, regular box, and long box)
the short chassis is a little longer than the regular bed (6.5'). i don't have the actual numeric length, but i know when i pulled up next to one a couple years ago & lined the front axles up, his rear axle was just behind mine.

 

do you really think it's shorter then a rclb, it looks like this bed would almost drop right on?

 

another for reference.

 

just eyeballing it, yeah, it looks a little shorter than a RCLB.
i know the wheelbase difference between my RCSB & that ^^ RCLB is 14" (119 vs 133), and the short-chassis i mentioned was nowhere near 14" longer - more like 5-6ish. it was also a company truck, so it wasn't some custom job & there were a handfull of them.

 

heres one for 8500, standard and all.

Used Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Chassis 2003 Tuscaloosa, AL | 1GBJC34193E360184

 

that one's even longer than what i'm looking for & a dually.
the basic gist of this project is to have a regular-looking pickup that's a lot more capable than a normal 1/2 ton. just think: the truck in my sig but 3/4 ton & diesel

 

don't know if the newer trucks are different but these websites show gm chassis cab to be slightly longer then a reg long bed.

http://www.chevrolet.com/vehicles/2011/silverado1500/features.do?styleIds=324093^324094&tab=tabHighligh ts
GM Commercial Truck Showroom on gmcanada.com

 

hmm, yeah. i got to looking through the configurations in the back of the brochures & it says the short chassis cabs are about 3.7" longer than a long bed pickup... at least on the GMT900s. (which are right out because you have to go to Mexico to even hope to find a manual transmission & it'll only be in a half-ton)

i don't doubt what you're saying, but i also can't doubt what i saw with my own eyes. i'm gonna have to find some trucks on a lot now & start measuring