I am thinking about putting duallys on my 81, so it will haul more. The only problem is, it is shortbed, and I want to keep it looking original. Did Chevrolet put dually rear ends on shortbeds, or were they only longbeds?
They only did the dually option on long bed trucks rated as a 1 ton. You could put duallys on your short bed but you would probably need custom fenders. Also your 1/2 ton axle would not allow this. You would need to find a 1 ton axle from a dually, they are different than a 1 ton axle set up for single tires. One thing you need to keep in mind is that just putting duallys on your truck WILL NOT allow it to haul more. you will still have the same 1/2 ton frame and 1/2 ton springs. The only reason you would be able to haul more is because of the higher load rating on the tires.
I know where I can get EVERYTHING to do it. Axle, springs, fenders, everything. Well, I guess I could just go ahead and put it on another frame while I'm at it. Yeah. I know about the tires. That's all I wanted was more tires. It already has a towing package.
you will have fun getting the 1 ton springs to fit. They are about 4-6 inches longer than 1/2 ton springs. You would need to take them somewhere and have them re-arched (bring the eyes of the spring closer together) This was an old trick from my off roading days to get about 6 inched off lift on our 4x4s. If you do this you will raise the back of truck and you would feel every gravel stone you hit. EXTREMLY rough ride. I think you would be better off leaving the stock springs in there. Which would be fine if your just after the "dually Look"
Sounds like a lot of time and money just to haul more stuff around. I might as well buy his truck and get it running. I might just do that. It's a crew cab.
Chris, I think you hit the nail on the head. Even though you could put all those parts on your truck, you still would only have a 1/2 ton rated truck. You really would not be able to haul more stuff. The frames are different between a 1/2 ton and a 1 ton truck, not to mention the driveline, front suspension, etc, etc, etc,... This reminds me of a friend of mine. He wanted more power from his 1/2 ton pickup so he built a strong running 400 cid small block. He towed a 24' enclosed trailer with a 4000 lb car inside (BTW, a 24' enclosed trailer will weigh about 3500-4000 lbs empty). The engine was plenty strong enough but everything else failed, including the rear axle which almost cost him his life when it broke and he lost control. What I am saying is don't try to take a mule to run in the Kentucky Derby. Buy a truck that will do what you want it to do, engineered by the factory. You and the rest of us on the road will all be much safer.
