Got my 83 back up on blocks, decided to do work in back yard closer to all my tools and equipment. So I've been thinking a bout bobbing it for some time, with a load of timber it often drags rear bumper going through mountain drainages and arroyos........I finally did it ! Using a laser I lined it out, had a touch of whiskey and went at it.
Took a  19" section out of the longbed. Its perfect now with tailgate up my bed is around 5'9" with gate down it's around 7' in length. Perfect for the length of timber we cut. A day prepping/welding,  a little bondo, grinding, sanding and my 10yr old Daughter will help prime and paint 

Modifying rear bumper and fabricating some kind of Tire carrier next

Hey nice work man,
Did you end up cutting the frame are all?
The Guy who did mine originally cut the frame as well (long bed) and now if I want to run 63's I'll have to make a rear bumper and mount the spring hangers to that lol

Finally got the bed back together , cut some steel strips off of bed section I removed, welded them to inside of seam then bondo'd over the seam on outside, sanded it up and we did a nice finish paint job......soon to be "Oscar Mike"
*****Thanks one and all for all the tips and support 

Now The Viking Blood Mead 

Finally got the bed back together , cut some steel strips off of bed section I removed, welded them to inside of seam then bondo'd over the seam on outside, sanded it up and we did a nice finish paint job......soon to be "Oscar Mike"
*****Thanks one and all for all the tips and support 

Now The Viking Blood Mead 

What's that little kicker shock I see..

Ha ...Good Eye  , those were on truck when I got it, kept them on because rear springs sagged so much with a load they served as a bumper so my tires wouldn't  rub. Whole lotta things coming off this old beauty including those, plus I'm hooking up my front axle with upper truss and front diff guard cover , things coming off & going on .
Solved sag problem with add a leafs

A big Thanks "Gnarls "at my age and state of mind I really do enjoy these projects/challenges !

I've seen old articles showing shock setups like that intended to reduce axle wrap. I'm skeptical that they do much, considering you don't see anyone running them.

Skip the top truss and go with these https://www.marlincrawler.com/axle/front-axle-parts/front-axle-armor/heavy-duty-knuckle-gusset-kit. Having done a lot of research on the topic, I have come to the understanding that you are likely to warp the housing installing the top truss. If you don't warp the housing, you have made it more rigid, causing it to be more likely to bend out past the spring perches where it is most likely to bend anyway.

Great work man! Turned out awesome, and I'm sure that paint is more than forgiving on any imperfections.
Working on my frame currently as the truck is striped down to a bare frame. Need to practice a bit and I'm going to try and make my own rear bumper with those spring hangers I spoke of. Keep up the good work on your end, and Wish me luck!

Back on the trail , the mountains once again !