87 Bed Issues

[TGlocks]

So I bought my first MJ a few weeks ago now, it's a 1987 4.0 BA10/5 and for some reason, the guy who owned the truck before the guy I bought it from decided the bed was bad and put a bed from what I was told was a 55 Chevy stepside pickup. It looks ridiculous. I wasn't that worried about it originally because the truck was only $600, had a 4.0, it ran and drives, and I've changed a bed on a different truck before. It sucks and it's heavy but it's doable. So I was working on some other things I need to fix up on the truck (it was a woods truck, I knew it needed work) and I started looking at the bed a little closer. Whoever decided this abomination needed to be put together also decided that welding the bed to the frame was a great idea.

So I have a few options here:

1. Take this bed off and find a new one.

- Not impossible to do, but I'm concerned about what was possibly modified or removed to make this bed and frame match up. I included some pictures to hopefully show people with more knowledge about how the original bed and frame match up.

2. Keep it the way it is.

-It looks stupid and isn't the most practical as I wanted to use this for a bit of daily driving as well as offroad, but its an option. 

3. Flat bed

-Kinda what I wanted to do when I first got the truck but probably the most expensive option. Also not super practical for me.

4. Find another Jeep that can accept this motor for cheap and do a swap

-I've always kinda wanted a wrangler, but they aren't cheap or easy to find with a blown motor near me. I also wouldn't hate a XJ.

 

So what does everything think? The 4.0 only has 66k miles on it, and I have access to an AX15 that I was going to throw in this. Now with finding out this is welded, I'm starting to get concerned about how hard putting an original bed on it will be. The rest of the truck isn't in terrible shape.

[krustyballer16]

Short bed or long bed? Location?

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[TGlocks]

Short bed, Charlotte, NC

[89 MJ]

Cut the current bed off. It doesn’t look that hard. 

[Ωhm]

Keep the bed, add duallies. Should make you the talk of the town.

[fiatslug87]

Here are some threads with pics of the frame.

https://comancheclub.com/topic/152-removed-the-bed/

https://comancheclub.com/topic/21066-long-bed-stuff/

https://comancheclub.com/topic/55204-bed-bolt-locations/?tab=comments#comment-564686

https://comancheclub.com/topic/15384-quick-bed-removal-problem/

 

[drcomanche]

Judging by your cross member, looks like you have a long bed truck. The rear of the frame only looks like he welded tabs, which will be easy to grind off. We will need to see the forward portion to know if he hacked anything up there, as there are 2 bolt points that stick above the frame. Otherwise, it looks pretty untouched. In the third picture, though, I do see some rust poking through. May want to address the inside of the frame before mounting a new bed. Or if you're going flatbed, cut the whole thing and build a frame for the rear.

 

As far as putting a new one on, have a buddy help you carry and place it. It's only held down by 8 bolts and the fuel tank. I've even worked my way around doing it myself. 

[TGlocks]

48 minutes ago, drcomanche said:

Judging by your cross member, looks like you have a long bed truck. The rear of the frame only looks like he welded tabs, which will be easy to grind off. We will need to see the forward portion to know if he hacked anything up there, as there are 2 bolt points that stick above the frame. Otherwise, it looks pretty untouched. In the third picture, though, I do see some rust poking through. May want to address the inside of the frame before mounting a new bed. Or if you're going flatbed, cut the whole thing and build a frame for the rear.

 

As far as putting a new one on, have a buddy help you carry and place it. It's only held down by 8 bolts and the fuel tank. I've even worked my way around doing it myself. 

 

I was told it was a short bed from the start, although I'm going to look into more into that now. As far as the rust, it will all be wire wheeled down and sprayed with rust reformer before anything else goes on.

[eaglescout526]

Post your VIN in the registry and we can decode what bed it should be.

[tugboat95]

I'm going to qualify this by saying I'm only seeing the pictures on a cellphone and not very well at that. But it looks like all you have to do is cut the welds. I wouldn't use a grinding wheel. Use a cutting wheel on either a 4 inch angle grinder or an air grinder. You'll get a cleaner thinner cut as opposed to grinding it off and should take less time. Down side is the amount of cutting wheels you'll need. But you'll save more metal if needed. And you can generally control the cutting action better than a grinder.

But either way if that frame is good cut that bed off and put another on there. I know where there a text short beds and one long bed in eastern NC right now. Save that truck, don't trash it. These things are getting harder and harder to find.

89 Comanche
Eliminator

[drcomanche]

16 minutes ago, tugboat95 said:

I'm going to qualify this by saying I'm only seeing the pictures on a cellphone and not very well at that. But it looks like all you have to do is cut the welds. I wouldn't use a grinding wheel. Use a cutting wheel on either a 4 inch angle grinder or an air grinder. You'll get a cleaner thinner cut as opposed to grinding it off and should take less time. Down side is the amount of cutting wheels you'll need. But you'll save more metal if needed. And you can generally control the cutting action better than a grinder.

But either way if that frame is good cut that bed off and put another on there. I know where there a text short beds and one long bed in eastern NC right now. Save that truck, don't trash it. These things are getting harder and harder to find.

89 Comanche
Eliminator

 

I suppose I should have clarified more, but yes, cut the braces the po made as close as possible using a metal cutting disc, then use a flapper wheel/grinding disc to eliminate the rest. I tend to generalize a bit when talking about "grinding" to anything that I use the angle grinder for. I hardly ever use a grinding wheel when there are better alternatives. 

[Eagle]

52 minutes ago, TGlocks said:

 

I was told it was a short bed from the start, although I'm going to look into more into that now. As far as the rust, it will all be wire wheeled down and sprayed with rust reformer before anything else goes on.

 

What's the wheelbase?

 

Shortbed is 113 inches, longbed is 119.9 (call it 120) inches. Should be easy to check that way.

[BeaterComanche86]

Can’t tell if that’s a hole or scaling but I thought I’d point this out