composite wood bed

[STL_66 Chevy]

so decided to try the composite wood decking material instead of the standard wood in the bed. i figured out that between the wood i wanted to buy, finishing and what not i could save almost $200.00, so i picked up some slate gray boards from home depot last night and here is the basic layout! i still need to do some routing and trimming to make it fit right since the composite decking is slightly thicker than needed. but you get the idea! there are a few extra boards so i will have to purchase 3 new metal strips but over all its still cheaper than the wood kit unless i went with pine. i will keep you updated on the process and pic when i get it finished!
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sorry these are bad pics from my phone so the color is off.. i will take better ones with my camera later!
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[protrash64]

......looks really nice from here!!!

[bubba327]

Keep the pictures coming !!! this is exactly my plan for 64 !!! let us know how it goes.. looks good so far. Saw a 66 schlong bed done with chrome rails in a hugger orange truck that looked great.

[Frizzle Fry]

Great idea man. Wonder if you can get the stuff in wider planks?

[ChiefRocka]

Everytime I go to HomeDepot, I think about doing the same thing....Looks good man...

Are those 1x6's ?

[Blue666]

Looks Cool!! Don't forget the heat shields over the mufflers.

[bubba327]

Blue666 ---Good thinking!!!!

[STL_66 Chevy]

thanks fellas! i will keep you updated on the pics and progress!

they are 1x6 board which are actually 7/8x5.25.... i did some research on other manufacturers and they do make some other sizes and widths but anything other than 1x6 is pretty pricey!! you might as well buy an exotic real wood bed! they do have some boards that are slotted for hidden fasteners so some of you might want to explore those options as well.

as for the heat shield i thought about that the other night but good looking out! i will definitely add a couple of those!

[STL_66 Chevy]

so this weekend i made some progress on the composite wood bed! after cutting all the boards to length i then had to route out the underside of all the board where the cross sills touched. this was because the composite wood is about a 1/16th of an inch too thick.. here is a picture of one of the boards to give you an idea of what i am talking about.

here are all the boards cut to length and routed on the underside..

here it is after routing the long edges of the boards for the metal wear strips... i need to buy 3 more strips to finish it off because there are more boards than the stock wood but here is what it is going to look like! note they arent all tightend down but you get the idea!

after i buy the additional strips and every thing tightend down i am going to modify the wheel tubs by fabricating new inserts (stamped part that goes over the metal strips), and relocate them. there is one in this picture to show you what i am talking about.

let me know what you think!

[502tripower]

Originally Posted by STL_66 Chevy

after i buy the additional strips and every thing tightend down i am going to modify the wheel tubs by fabricating new inserts (stamped part that goes over the metal strips), and relocate them.

Seams to me it would be much easier to cut down a couple of the boards in the middle then cut a dado on the outside 4-boards and add a piece to widen. The seam would be under the flange and would not be seen. Then your boards would line up with the wheel tubs. GM did the two middle. JMO

[STL_66 Chevy]

i like the look of all the boards being the same width all the way across the bed.. but that is a good option!
making the new stamped insert pieces for the wheel tubs isnt too difficult its just 2 steel tubes with a piece of flat sheet metal welded in between and then cut the lower part of the tubing off. i think if i do it right it can still appear to be stock.
i was also considering hidding the fasteners along the side of the wheel tubs but i havent decided on that yet!

[SCOTI]

How difficult was the material to route? I know some 'plastics' will want to ball-up & are difficult to cut from the generated heat @ the cutting tip.

[BTCHN 1963]

STL 66 CHEVY,
Make sure the composit wood has plenty of room to expand length wise. I have built a few decks with it and it has a lot of expansion. If you want to get an idea of how much you will need to give yourself, just take a piece and measure it in the cold morning, then let it sit in the sun and measure it again.

[STL_66 Chevy]

routing the boards is super easy! like i said before everywhere there is a cross sill or frame rail i had to route out about a 1/16th of an inch (a little deeper where the rivets on the frame rails are) but it routes just like wood... it comes off the bit in small shavings. there are no issues with heating or melting. all the edges are crips and straight. sometimes it does leave some "stringy" shavings on the edges (you can see what i am talking about in the first pic) but it cleans up nicely with one pass of a red scotch bright pad or your fingernail.
i did cut the boards short to allow expansions... about a 1/8th on each end... i am also going to trim the metal strips a little to match better!
i will do a test to see how much its really does expand! good looking out!!

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by STL_66 Chevy

routing the boards is super easy! like i said before everywhere there is a cross sill or frame rail i had to route out about a 1/16th of an inch (a little deeper where the rivets on the frame rails are) but it routes just like wood... it comes off the bit in small shavings. there are no issues with heating or melting. all the edges are crips and straight. sometimes it does leave some "stringy" shavings on the edges (you can see what i am talking about in the first pic) but it cleans up nicely with one pass of a red scotch bright pad or your fingernail.
i did cut the boards short to allow expansions... about a 1/8th on each end... i am also going to trim the metal strips a little to match better!
i will do a test to see how much its really does expand! good looking out!!

Thanks. Let us know how that 'test' goes.

[1964C10]

Very very interesting and awesome work, please do keep us posted pics etc. I think a number of us have been exploring this option so someone doing it and sharing their experience is invaluable!! Thanks!

[bubba327]

TTT- Some body was looking for this on composite beds.

[c10addict]

I dig it... Looks good!

[Palf70Step]

I like how it is coming together. Nice job!!

[daverod]

Any pictures of the finished product? I was intrested to see how the wells worked out. Looks good.

[bodyman9174]

I know this is a really old post. But would like to know how your bed has help up over the years. I want to do something other than wood.
Thanks JAy

[Slow Build]

He sold it about a month after his last post on this thread.

[ChevyTruckGuy]

Man, I just read this thread a few days ago, found it from a google search. I like the idea & already bought 100 new bolts, just need the wood but I found another guy that did this & he special ordered wider boards from lowes & I think that is better, also found while doing a google search. I was just looking for wood bed on 60's chevy... & found a lot of cool stuff....My old plywood needs to go......!

[Sharps40]

I used composite, from lowes, beachhouse grey color, on my 65 SBSS last year. Still looks great. Difference is I used 5/8 thick composite and no milling the back....simply dropped it in after cutting the rabbits for the bed strips. I'm very happy with it. I also did an install thread. Its a bit heavier than wood and helps tame down the rear bounces a bit too.

[jayoldschool]

Same for me. 8"x10' TREX, cut to factory dimensions, same thickness as stock boards. I also chose grey so it would look like weathered wood, perfect on my patina truck.