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Utiline Bed Years

Posted By: Pkeel

Utiline Bed Years - 01/10/22 05:52 PM

I have a 1980 long bed Utiline. I know some of the bed sides for the older flat fender trucks are being reproduced.

Does anyone know what style beds were used in which years? I once had a page bookmarked but no longer...
Posted By: trw1982

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/10/22 09:17 PM

try dodge trucks@dodgeboys.net
or
tapatalk.com/groups/dodgetrucks/usefull-truck-system
Posted By: redraptor

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/15/22 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Pkeel
I have a 1980 long bed Utiline.


Wow, from the 70's to mid 80's those are rare. Don't know much about the Swepty years.All should be the same. Does yours still have wood floor?
Posted By: Soopernaut

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/15/22 05:59 PM

Wheelbases changed over the years, so bed sides probably did as well.
Posted By: cudaman1969

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/15/22 06:23 PM

I’d like to know who makes the bed sides, I haven’t found anyone yet that does
Posted By: Alaskan_TA

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/15/22 07:03 PM

Not shown on this page, but I emailed Matt a while back & he had them.

www.dodgepowerwagon.com/classifieds/tisdale-040713-bed.php
Posted By: Rhinodart

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/15/22 11:49 PM

From 1953-1985 metal floors came in around 1981 I believe.
Posted By: Alaskan_TA

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/16/22 12:26 AM

Originally Posted by Soopernaut
Wheelbases changed over the years, so bed sides probably did as well.


Three box side versions.

6 foot, 8 foot -and - 9 foot but only with the 300 series for the latter.
Posted By: 6PakBee

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/16/22 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by Alaskan_TA
Not shown on this page, but I emailed Matt a while back & he had them.

www.dodgepowerwagon.com/classifieds/tisdale-040713-bed.php


Wish he had a picture, what he shows are the Power Wagon box sides, not the Utiline.
Posted By: trw1982

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/16/22 02:43 AM

this is another web site i have saved. just refound it. not smart enough to copy and past.
bed identification-dodge short stepside beds.
Posted By: Alaskan_TA

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/16/22 02:45 AM

Which is why I said
Quote
I emailed Matt a while back & he had them
.

Send him an email. up
Posted By: Soopernaut

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/16/22 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by Alaskan_TA
Originally Posted by Soopernaut
Wheelbases changed over the years, so bed sides probably did as well.


Three box side versions.

6 foot, 8 foot -and - 9 foot but only with the 300 series for the latter.


The 122" wheelbase Utiline trucks had a 7.5' bed. The late 65-71 trucks had a 128" wheelbase and the 72-85 trucks had a 131" wheelbase. Did the 72-85 trucks use the same bed sides as the 65-71 trucks? What method was used to make up the 3" difference in wheelbase? The OP mentioned something about flat fender trucks. These may have used a completely different bed side and I have no idea what the wheelbase is on these.
Posted By: poorboy

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/17/22 02:37 AM

The side panels on the uniline beds didn't change much from 1948 through the end of production in 1985.

Dodge used 3 basic rear fenders. The flat fender military looked like bent flat sheet metal with rounded edges. Those were specific military and were used up to the end of the 68 model year.
The early year beds (48-52) used rounded fenders that looked like over grown trailer fenders.
From 1953 up to the end of production, Dodge used the same fenders used on the Little Red Express trucks. The difference in the wheel base between the truck eras could well be in the front axle location. The 48 trucks were 109" wheel base, but with the 'modern" fenders, the wheel base stretched to 116" wheelbase. Cabs changed in 54, 58, 62, 67, and 72.

The bed sides are a bit more confusing. Up until somewhere between the 1956 and the 1957 model years, the top angle of the bed rails were bent at a 45 degree angle, after that time, and until the end of production, the top of the bed rails were bent at a 90 degree angle.

Early production trucks offered a high side bed side or a low bed side. The low side version went away in 1955. The new 1953 model was a long 116" wheelbase with a 7 1/2' box, as was used on the 3/4 ton pickups. Before 1953 1/2 ton beds were 6 1/2' long. A long bed 1 ton version was available (no length given). There was a note in the 59 model year section that stated that the long bed 1 ton dually used the wider 48-52 rear fenders, one would assume that was how Dodge covered the differences in the wheel base.

In 1959, the standard bed was renamed the Utiline bed because the style side beds were becoming more popular, the name change was to end confusion. Information past 1959 says "the uniline bed remained basically unchanged". This information was from the book Dodge Pickups history and restoration guide 1918-1971. There was a 2 page section that skimmed over the Little Red Express trucks. Gene
Posted By: Pkeel

Re: Utiline Bed Years - 01/18/22 12:28 AM

yes the floor is wood. The sides and the strips it attaches to are all more than a little rusted out.

I bought the truck from the original owners son. I have the original sales slip on the truck somewhere.

He told me his Dad had to special order it and it took a while to be built.

It is a W200 but the suspension is massive and it has free floating hubs in the rear with Dana 60's front and rear.

I emailed Matt. I know i contacted him a long time ago, but not sure he was making the later style sides.

I suspect it would have not changed from the 1959 3rd series, but I don't know for sure.

The kid is going to start learning to weld and he hopes to be able to patch it all up, but there are a lot of thin and rusted spots.

Thanks for the help.
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