Stepside Box

02GMSierra · February 1, 2002

Hi everyone I went to my dealer today and he said that the reg cab Stepside trucks boxes are cracking at the fenders is this true??

MountaineerTom · February 1, 2002

I havn't heard that. Maybe some of the Stepside owners will know more.

NewbieZ71 · February 1, 2002

I read alot about trucks and yours is the first comment I have seen mentioning anything like this.

radrado · February 2, 2002

I got a crack in the outside shell of the bed after driving really fast through deep water. I could feel the waterspray crashing against it. The next morning I found a nice 2 inch crack. The General was very kind and covered it under warranty. I have an extended cab and know of one 2000 short cab stepside that had the same problem.

Z71Adrenaline · February 2, 2002

I only know of two similar instances...but neither are just random cracking. Instance 1) My buddy Ryan has a 2000 Silverado Z71 Reg. Cab Stepside. He's got like a 4" lift on it and one day while out riding he got into some big gravel and his huge Super Swamper tires threw rocks up and now he's got three or four holes in the fenders...mostly in the wheelwells. Instance 2) A friend's dad has an identical truck to the one mentioned before sans the lift and Swampers, but while he was out feeding cows one day, BOTH fenders got a hole punched in them by his clumsy cows...how's that for luck? I sure hope that doesn't become a widespread instance about the random cracking!

Stepside Z · February 2, 2002

I am on my second new body style stepside and have had no problems.

Victory Red · February 3, 2002

Hi everyone I went to my dealer today and he said that the reg cab Stepside trucks boxes are cracking at the fenders is this true??

Why would a dealer tell you that? I would think they WOULDN'T tell you something like that, since they want you to buy their trucks. I know of no problems with the beds cracking ON THEIR OWN. But if you are like the others, and have cows punching your truck, or you like to race through deep lakes, then I suppose you're going to substain some damage. The outter shell IS plastic you know. Can't blame GM for what your cows and your drunk buddies do, now can you?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the outter shells of the fleetside trucks have the same composite shell? Seems like a cow could punch his way through a fleetside just as easy.

Kania2k1 · February 3, 2002

No cracks to speak of, but I believe that the fleetsides are all metal.

MountaineerTom · February 3, 2002

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the outter shells of the fleetside trucks have the same composite shell?

Nope it's metal. Not the strongest of metal, but still metal.

I think it started in 2001, but you could get the Pro-Tec box and tailgate option on extended cab Z71's. It's an injection molded composite material. You can easily tell them because they have the word Chevrolet molded into the tailgate. (Plus they have an emblem on the tailgate too.)

Kansas Kid · February 3, 2002

Those who said the fleetside beds are metal, is correct. It has to be paper thin, but its still metal. If what you say about the stepside beds cracking is true, then GM needs to get on the #### ball and make some decent truck beds. You can't even put a decent across the bed toolbox on these trucks anymore because it cracks the bed rails. But if that Pro-Tec bed turns out to be stronger then the crappy steel ones the fleetsides have standard, I'd be all over that option...