Messin is fun, so is putting in a good lookin durable bed...here we go.
I'll work in the heat shield from Ol John Lee over this nice Thrush Glass Pack as I install the bed.
But first, some more prep. Please don't weld in a bed unless ya do it right, and please if ya do, pull out the old wood and skid strips first. Grindin all them welds is hard work. Specs say put composite lumber on 16" centers, no less. So, I'm adding some braceing where I have a long open spot or to. An angle at the rear where the motorcycle tire always sits.
And an extra crossbuck up in the middle where its got its widest open area. This should keep things rock solid and it gives me a place to bolt in all them bolts that originally just have washers on em and only pull the wood together. Now it'll pull the wood together and be stronger/well supported across the midsection.
After grindin all the weld blobs and priming and painting the angle brackets, header and tail cross buck....
Down to the wood shop. I am replaceing 8 rotted factory southern yellow pine boards with 5 composite boards. This will make a stiffer flatter bed. Now its advertised as 3/4" thick just like the dimensional lumber that's supposed to go back in but its only 5/8". No worries, I have extra supports and now I only need to make the skid strip grooves. I don't have to mill off the 1/8" for the shoulders under the skid strips cause the new boards are already 5/8" instead of 3/4" thick. Cuttin em to width...two each 10 13/16 by 77 1/8....these will be left and right sides. Two boards instead of 4.
I've cut the skid strip grooves in the right spots and check fitting the skid strips. Looks good, a grey just like weathered wood on a cottage at the beach. The right look for this truck I think....old restoration, should have old looking wood.
A better look at the grooves for the edges of the skid strips....now I gotta mark holes for the skid strip that goes next to each bedside and drill out holes for the bolts.
I've worked these new wide boards into the bedsides where before there were 4 boards and started by bolting down the skid strip. I've left the bed to frame bolts loose and did not yet install the angle bracket bolts....straighten up the bed, pry and prod things into place, drop in the skid strip bolts and cinch em down with washers and lock washers.
Once the bed is square, and the skid strips snugged down, I tightened all the bed to frame bolts. Nice clean look, no carriage bolt heads sticking up thru the bed wood and more secure...the bolts can't smush the wood and loosen up cause they are under the wood instead of like factory which were thru the wood. At this point, I drill out the holes thru the angle brackets on the bedsides and dropped in 3/8 carriage bolts....added nuts and washers and lock washers and snugged them all up too. Hard ones are up front on left and right, ya gotta pull the step sides to get to the nuts!
Cleaned up a bit, a nice look. One board instead of two and bouncy rock solid. The truck bounces under my 180 lbs of pork but the bed don't flex anymore than good yellow pine. And, no rot to worry about.
Tomorrow evening I'll mill up one wide board for the center. It will replace two smaller original boards. I'll bolt it in and then fit the boards that go left and right of center and be done. Hopefully done on Friday morning, my first Furlough day....the first of 11 long weekends courtesy of the scheisters in Washington DC.