bed build

[hilltop55]

Ive searched the forum and on found little info on building a bed off the truck. I have a shortbed fleetside wood floor and I want to build it off the truck. Anyone have experience with this? forseable issues? I am widening my tubs 4" and already have c notch with 5 inch drop.

[weq92f]

Originally Posted by hilltop55

I want to build it [the bed] off the truck.

I have no experience with R/R of the bed let alone building one with parts and fasteners. However... ( disclaimer: I have no experience... Flame away )

I can see some really bad drawbacks...

o fit during install
o difficulty installing due to fitment issues

Unless you build a jig using your chassis to assemble the bed on or build it first on the chassis and then remove it, the above is going to happen.

Hth,

-klb

[frenchy51]

I just finished a 69 long bed. I pulled the bed from the frame then removed all the old bed wood. Then months of body work and paint. I might add I put the bed on a body dolly I have made from 1" tubing. I bolted the bed to the dolly. After final paint I laid all the cross members back in and laid the wood and bed rails in. I finger tightened most of the bolts that go through the cross members in to keep them in "place". I then cross measured the bed to see if it was square before tightening any of the bed bolts. The bed was over an inch out of square so I took a ratchet hold down strap (cargo type) from one pocket stake hole diagonally to the opposing stake hole and tightened (cushion the hook end with rags to save the paint) and measured until the bed was perfectly square. With the help of a buddy I then tightened all the bed bolts and strips and finally drilled the holes around the wheel wells and bolted them down. We checked for square again by measuring diagonally and she was still square and solid so with the help of a hoist we lifted the bed, removed the dolly, and rolled the chassis under it. Let the hoist down-put the bed to frame bolts in and tightened it down-Done-or so we thought. When I put on the newly painted tailgate the upper area of the bed was too wide by about 3/4 of an inch. So I put my heavy duty trailer ratchet strap From the rear stake pocket across to the other pocket and pulled tight until the opening was perfect with the tailgate. (I protected the paint with some cushioning rags) It took some time and I had to over pull several times because it would spring back. After a few tries it was good. I didn't want to over do it since it would have been a ***** to widen it.....
In retrospect if I were you I would measure your bed for square before you pull it. If it's square- put a brace of some sort diagonally front to rear to keep it square. and a brace across the back to keep the tailgate opening good. Hope this helps.

[hilltop55]

thanks Frenchy I didnt think of the squaring issue. I think ill put it together on the truck.