This Old GMC Work Truck’s Genius Bed Is More Useful Than Any New Pickup

While automakers play checkers and look for new ways to reinvent the pickup truck bed, this 2000 GMC Sierra plays chess with the utility box to end it all. It looks stock at first, but flip a few switches and the sides open up to reveal tons of tool storage and more. Pretty much every “new” bed innovation is right here, and you can buy this seemingly reliable work rig for $6,350—a whole lot less than a new Ram or Rivian.

First, let’s take a closer look at those bedsides. They extend upward like some sort of Mercedes gullwing doors, except when you look inside, you’re more likely to find an angle grinder than a Tag Heuer. Ram does something like this with its patented RamBox, though those compartments are smaller; only the tops of the bedsides open. The ones on this GMT800 offer a lot more storage than you’d find in a traditional utility or service bed.

Then there’s the gear tunnel, which is a big selling point of the Rivian R1T. The thing is, that’s made by a fancy EV startup and this is on a 24-year-old work truck. Now, this isn’t a complete pass-thru design but it’s darn close as there’s a sliding drawer that pulls out nearly four feet by the looks of it. You can only access it on the passenger side, but it’s not the end of the world. At least you don’t have to store your shovels or levels in the main bed compartment.

And speaking of that, even it has a drawer that extends all the way out. This thing really is like a Transformer. It’s part of a drop-in box, from what I can tell, and it has lockable compartments up top as well. You could carry an entire shop’s worth of tools in this thing and nobody would bat an eye because it just looks like a stock truck. That’s great!

The seller says this bed was built by a commercial manufacturer in Mississippi, though no company name is mentioned in the listing. I reached out to hopefully learn more because knowing that would help answer a few of my questions. There’s more info I’m dying to know, like: How are the bedside lifts powered? Can you still get replacement parts? How much did this setup cost new?

I think the asking price is incredibly fair considering you also get a well-running 6.0-liter V8 that apparently just got this guy from eastern Kansas all the way to Colorado. He says it has minimal rust, and while there are a few blemishes on the bed, that just means you won’t have to worry about using it the way it was made to be used. If you’re looking for an extended cab, long bed workhorse that will haul more tools than just about anything, this is a fine choice.

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