What year did Chevy change their truck bed?

[jcfly]

Anyone know offhand when you had to notch the camper to get it to fit in the bed properly??

 

[John D]

I considered notching my camper to fit a 2009 Chevy truck but concluded it would not work on my 60 inches wide camper because I would have to remove too much material. Are you referring to the braces inside the tailgate that better stiffen the rear corners of the bed? What are the dimentions of your camper? What truck are you wanting to fit?

I fretted over this problem my self and concluded the only way for me would be a new camper designed for the new trucks. I ended up bying an older truck to fit my older camper and put off the decision until others with more time, patience, and experience resolved the problem. What solutions have you come up with?

John D

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

I believe 2007 is the year. All the information you should need regarding fit can be found here...

http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/camper_fit.htm

 

[dsrtrat]

Anyone know offhand when you had to notch the camper to get it to fit in the bed properly??


Starting with the 1500 1/2 ton new style body in 2007. They made both the old style (same as the 2006) and new body style 2007. The old style was called the Classic. I have a 2007 new style and notched my ATC Panther camper to fit, not too hard a job. You can also build the bed up 1-1/2 inch and it will clear. I tried this and didn't like the extra clearance over the cab. Camper fits well with the notch and 3/8 inch thick factory bedliner in place. The Panther base is 58 1/2 inches wide by 21 deep.

Dsrtrat

 

[jcfly]

Here's the deal. I have an 04 Hawk on an 01 Dodge, and was thinking of getting a different truck come springtime. From what I see, it looks like I'll have to platform the truck no matter what I decide on. Chevy, F-150, F-250 all need that little extra height.
dsrtrat: Was the cab clearance so much that it appeared ungainly?
CJ8: Thanks for the link.
John: looks like my solution is the platform.

Thanks all for your replies!

 

[John D]

The bed sides are taller on many newer trucks too. My camper is 60 inches wide. I advise careful measuring of the actual camper and truck in question before make a purchase. The guys running the Turtle Expedition modified their truck rather than the camper.

 

[dsrtrat]

Here's the deal. I have an 04 Hawk on an 01 Dodge, and was thinking of getting a different truck come springtime. From what I see, it looks like I'll have to platform the truck no matter what I decide on. Chevy, F-150, F-250 all need that little extra height.
dsrtrat: Was the cab clearance so much that it appeared ungainly?
CJ8: Thanks for the link.
John: looks like my solution is the platform.

Thanks all for your replies!


I had 5 inches above the cab before I lowered the camper. I wouldn't say it was ungainly but it did catch more wind. What I really didn't like was how the camper extended the extra 1 3/4 inch above the bed rails. I now have 3 1/2 inches above the cab and 3/8 above the bed rails and like the looks.
Dsrtrat