Not very.. Find yourself a Short box and a plasma cutter.. Cut out the section (Think its 15 3/4"), reweld/boilerplate it, Have the Drive shaft shortened (or get one from a salvage yard), Shorten the fuel lines and brake lines, tuck up extra wiring or shorten it also
Why in the world would you want to shorten your box? I have a extended cab long bed and i love it, but in the city it can be challenging somtimes to park and stuff..
Around where I live I can't find any short beds because all the stupid kids around here buy them up for hot rods :doh: and there mommy and daddys buy them for them and yes im a good welder I figure I just hate how it looks its a white xl looks to much like a contractors truck
I miss having a long bed and there has been so many times I wished my truck had one. Though it does look a ton better with a short bed but I personally wouldn't change it. Plus you will have to get the shorter/smaller gas tank too. There are a few builds on the internet if you search with a great how too, and exactly where to cut. Like said above, you will remove about 15-18" inches between the back of the cab and the rear axle. You will want to fish mount cut it then support the area on the back side with at least some 1/4in plate a couple of bolts. PM me your email and I will send you Ford frame welding requirements if you decide to do it. I used them when I welded the holes and smoothed my frame.
I've cut down a couple of trucks - no Superduties though. Careful measurement and planning - DON'T do a straight cut - I always am very careful and "Z" cut the frame and then its a much stronger finished joint. Then I take the pieces I cut out of the frame and plate the inside of the frame with them. I have a short box crew cab 1985 Chevy sitting in the driveway I did last fall - the truck isn't finished, but the frame is cut and the box is on it. It turned out very well - with a little planning ahead of time - once the bed was off - it was shortened with the shortbox back on it in under 4 hours (already had the gas tanks removed).
We just cut down a 2005 Dodge for a shortbed this past week, they're a little more complicated than the Fords. The Dodge frame rails have a step up in the area you gotta cut out. The Ford is pretty straight forward, like HRT said, don't cut it straight down. You'll want a horizontal cut in there for added support.
I cut down a 2000 regular cab to put a shortbox on it. Truck was wrecked, I ended up using a crew cab shortbox frame and cutting out a section between the cab mounts. Simple enough, time consuming though.
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