Don't sweat the 8' bed since you'll have a regular cab...the wheelbase is essentially the same as a supercab shortbed. It will do just as good off road as all the extended/crew cab shortbeds.
Your title says 2nd gen 3500, so... Don't kill yourself looking for a SRW as they didn't make any. Don't look for a short bed, either...they didn't make any. All 2nd gen 3500's were dually long bed. Good news is that they are easy to convert to SRW--just unbolt the front hub extension, throw...
x2 what ramblinChet said. Over at Wander the West forum, the often heard comment is to buy a 350/3500 if you are going to put a slide in camper on it, even a "light" one like a FWC. Many folks over there upgraded from a 3/4 ton to a 1 ton and comment on how much better the 1 ton handles the load.
Another thing that added to the problem is the moto hanging way off the back. The inertia (I think it's called a "moment") of that weight over bumps is incredible.
It's a shame that camper manufacturers build monstrosities like this and then, thru dealers, say "no problem on a 3500".
The HO was only available with the 6 speed manual in '03. The ad says it's an auto and lists the HO as a "typical feature"...can't be both unless a swap was done.
It'd be a real surprise to me if Quigley did that conversion. Chevys have been IFS since...what, '88? And Quigley uses only OEM parts for the major components.
"Do I just take this back to the shop, repair, and pass that cost along?"
That would allow anyone to fly in /drive it home. As it is, a buyer would have to trailer it or have it shipped...I suppose to many that is a deal breaker. I've kept your van in mind, but I don't want to trailer it to...
I don't know what brand or year your customer has, but RAM used to call their 2500 box-delete a C&C, which could be found on their website along with the 3500, 4500, 5500. On the 2500 only, when you looked at the CA dimension, it was the same as a pickup--but the 3500's and up were 60" CA or...
Chet, thank you for the great trip reports and wonderful pics! I've been following your build since day one. Very well done!
I need to go see Barber Motorsports!
This is a steal for what it is! A Cummins 12V swap would be cool... :)
Curious: does the interior go all the way to the rear doors which are blocked off (can't see the doors in the interior shot)? Or is there storage accessible from the rear doors?