Bed Floor Ideas

[Chaparralman1974]

Morning everyone!

Well, I was able to find a bed for my '67 K20. It was used as a utility bed / trailer for the past 40 or so years. During that time, it had a camper shell on it that protected the bed floor. While it is weathered and old, it is sound and in great shape. The rails are laser straight. All that I really need to do is weld up the side marker holes, do a little bit of body work and fully raptor line the under side and wheel wells.

My question is about the inside of the bed. As this is original and in good shape, I am not sure how I should proceed. While an oak bed would look really nice, this truck is going to be a driver. I won't be abusing the bed, but I want it to look decent. My father in law is a wood worker. I was thinking about just running these boards through a planer to clean them up. Or should I just try to sand them? I tossed around the idea of raptor lining the inside of the bed, but I am not sure if that would look terrible or not.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I should do this?


Thanks, Clay

[70STOVEBOLT]

If it's a driver, I would just clean it up with a pressure washer, and put some clear poly or something like that on it, something with a UV inhibitor.

[LS short box]

No wood worker here but I would take them out and sand a bit on the bottom side of the wood to see how the top side might look after sanding.

[Chaparralman1974]

It is my understanding that the '67s were the last year of the black boards. Would that have also included the metal strips? IOW, did they just brush paint the entire floor black and leave the insides of the bed the body color?


Clay

[Busflyer05]

I would lean toward sanding, planer may take off more than you want.

[Chaparralman1974]

Originally Posted by Busflyer05

I would lean toward sanding, planer may take off more than you want.

I am thinking that may be the route to go. I could take them out, sand them, epoxy the cracks and extra holes, paint them black, and then just reinstall them.


Clay

[dagnabbitt]

Great find. I would go the sanding and epoxy route as well.

[Chaparralman1974]

Another question on the bed....If I remove the wood floor to sand / restore it, will the bed collapse? IOW, is the wood floor and rails in the bed required to be there to hold it all together?


Thanks, Clay

[sick472]

If you're going for an aged look, but want it preserved, lightly hand wire brush the wood then treat with the oil of your choice. There are oil stains too that will add color. Penofin comes to mind or tung oil.

[cj847]

I would power wash it, let it dry, them paint it with oil based barn paint.

Don't be a hero. If you start taking it apart you will break bolts and find rotten spots, etc. Mission creep will set it and....and....and

Remember...it's just a driver (dang, I wish I would listen to my own advice)

[Chaparralman1974]

I like the idea of barn paint....maybe that is the best route to take. I should clarify that while the truck will be a driver, I am doing a restoration on it, so I do want everything to look somewhat "new-ish". It will never be a concourse vehicle for sure. I do want it to look good and I will be using the truck when it is done. I think that the black barn paint will look good and I think I will probably cut up a horse stall mat to throw down in the back as well. I really contemplated doing the oak floor / stainless steel thing, but the original wood is in just such good condition that I don't think I could tear it out. Maybe someday in the future.

Another question...should I do the bed sides with raptor liner, or should I do them in the body color? The truck will be a baby blue with a white cab top when it is done. I plan on applying the raptor liner to the entire under side and wheel wells like I did with the cab to keep it all protected and looking the same as the cab.

Clay

[dmb]

linseed oil and forget it will last a long long time. no way would
I take it apart

[Getter-Done]

Originally Posted by dmb

linseed oil and forget it will last a long long time. no way would
I take it apart

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yes

Unless you like opening a Can of Worms.

Make sure to dispose of rags properly if this is the path you choose.

[notsolo]

I also would go with epoxy repair and paint the boards black......epoxy primer on inside metal bed with Raptor liner over it...and Raptor formula can be adjusted, adding more urethane paint and reducer leaves a milder matte finish...Spray with 1.8 tip in hvlp gun.....not a great photo, I can get a better shot if your interested

[HoneyBeeMan68]

my 68 came with black boards! I would just power wash and add oil to the wood.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Then there's always the option of an 8 foot x 4 foot 3/4'' plywood sheet.