Cheap cheap bed floors??

[**grumpy**]

Let me hear what you've done for cheap bed floors.

I have new solid cherry wood and new strips, but not feeling it. Id be affraid to haul stuff and pretend its a truck with pretty cherry wood in there.

Think Im gonna sell the wood and strips at the swapmeet we're going to this coming weekend, but need a bed floor, cheap.

So what have you done?

[retodd7711]

I've got a 4x8 sheet of 1/2 " plywood in my logbed right now.
Hillbilly engineering for sure, but free and temporary.

[TwoFiftyShifter]

Use a sheet of plywood and mount your strips right over it, shuold look and work fine.

[terd ferguson]

The previous owner of y truck used 5/4x6 treated boards and varnished them with something. They look good enough though and no worries about hauling stuff and scratching $500 worth of oak.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

I used T1-11 and marine spar varnish.
The truck is painted single stage flat black, but I painted the inner bed Rustoleum extreme flat black. I figured that way if I scratch it I can get a rattle can at Wal-Mart and it will match.
I'm like you, if I put in $700 worth of wood and stainless or painted strips I'd be afraid to put anything heavier than a twinkie in the bed. I just couldn't justify the cost. I had plans of painting the "routing cuts" black, but just never did it.

[stevedh76]

Mine has diamond plate from the PO and it is worry free... Most likely will go with the nice wood since this truck is going to be weekend driver and nothing more. Got my 76 GMC for the beater. I hear you on the wood though - too expensive to use as a truck.

[kizer]

T1-11 will be my temporary wood bed of choice when I'm close enough.

[BMSJaX]

I've got a 4x8 of 3/4 untreated plywood in mine and only used two strips, one on each end. Leaves a foot gap at each corner of the bed but I only move large stuff so no problems.

[ol Curt]

Grumpy,
What kind of bed...long or short?

[slepysal]

here is "el Cheepo's " bed : I used some aluminum carpet strip hold downs It is marine grade ply wood coverd with bed liner paint it has held up well

[**grumpy**]

Mine is a shortbed fleetside.

I thought of the T-11 and then thought of some ruff-cut just bolted down sorta like C10Addicts bed.

Getting closer to needing to decide.

[ob1monkey]

I purchased a 67 longbed off craigslist for 150bucks and swaped the metal floor over to mine. once I line-x it it will look good and be fuly functionable.

[Eagletucky]

I just installed a 3/4" treated plywood floor in the bed of my fleetside 61. To do it right, I had to buy 2-4x6 sheets, then cut to fit. It will work fine, but will probably have over $100.00 in it by the time i'm done. I need to finish installing all of the bolts, but will add pics when its done.

[502tripower]

Throw a mat over the cherry and call it a day....

[chucks1967]

Originally Posted by ob1monkey

I purchased a 67 longbed off craigslist for 150bucks and swaped the metal floor over to mine. once I line-x it it will look good and be fuly functionable.

Will you post a pic of this please. I have a doner 71 long bed for my 66 and have been debating on doing this. also if you can go into more detail on how you attached it. was it welded or bolted to the bottom, also what did you do with the rear cross sill.

[atomic60]

Grumpy I am where you are at right now. I am leaning toward 2x6's and some thompsons water seal. I c notched the frame 3 inches in the rear and I need to raise it up a fw inches to clear the pumpkin. I am curious to see what you come up with. What did you use in your gold truck????

[1966gmc]

Originally Posted by chucks1967

Will you post a pic of this please. I have a doner 71 long bed for my 66 and have been debating on doing this. also if you can go into more detail on how you attached it. was it welded or bolted to the bottom, also what did you do with the rear cross sill.

I am interested as well........

[monolith]

I've got a few 4x8 sheets of 1/8" ABS plastic that I'm going to replace the rotted plywood bed with. I figure 2 layers ought to do it, it's smooth on one side and textured on the other, I'll be putting it in texture side up, then bolting the strips back down over it. I'll post pics when I get to that point.

[ob1monkey]

was really straight forward all the holes lined up to bolt the sides to the floor. my frame mount hole were off slightly. just drilled them out sry no pics of the actual install but can post pis of tit installed before and after.will have to locate the before and take some afters hopefully I can post them tomorrow

[**grumpy**]

Originally Posted by atomic60

Grumpy I am where you are at right now. I am leaning toward 2x6's and some thompsons water seal. I c notched the frame 3 inches in the rear and I need to raise it up a fw inches to clear the pumpkin. I am curious to see what you come up with. What did you use in your gold truck????

The gold truck had tongue-n-groove planks. It was almost too nice too. of course, that truck wasnt used as a truck. It was purely a toy.


But looking back at pics of the gold truck, I may do this, but not with perfect wood. Maybe I'll hit the lumber yard and see what ruffcut they have.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

If anyone needs the measurements for cutting 2 full 4x8 sheets to fit a shortbed fleetside, let me know. I still have them.

[terd ferguson]

Originally Posted by terd ferguson

The previous owner of y truck used 5/4x6 treated boards and varnished them with something. They look good enough though and no worries about hauling stuff and scratching $500 worth of oak.

Since everyone's adding pics, here's a pic of mine when I first got it...

[AnlaufJohn]

I have some of the side trim LVL from my iLevel/Weyerhaeuser plant here in Eugene and I plan on laying it with the side grain showing.

Only one problem.

It's all stacked now in the back of the truck and I don't have my planer at home. When I recover it from my son's place, I will start on the cleaning up and will ponder my attaching methods.

The electrics are still giving me fits. I followed the wiring for my headlamp circuit and found that the dimmer switch is the last part that has moving parts (the rest are wires). It fell apart in 3 pieces when I moved the floor mat aside. Then one retaining screw wouldn't let go, so the rust did. 1/4" hole on the right, 5/8" on the left. OOPS.

AnlaufJohn in Eugene, Oregon

[1964C10]

terd_ferguson, I dont know how it looks close up but I kind of like the way your bed looks, almost like hardwoods floors in an old building, heck people pay good money to have that kind of patina ;-)

[rickf]

I used 5/8 plywood. Winter was setting in, it was last Nov as I recall. I just wanted a bed in place so I could haul stuff and not worry about my foot falling through.

I knocked out the old wood, did not bother removing the rusted strips. Wasn't interested in laying in the mud to get at all the nuts. I used 5/8 instead of 3/4 to compensate some for the height.

I used the "spare" holes in the cross members for studs,m four of them. I cut the ply to fit inside the lips on the sides.

So my plywood lies in there and bolts down from the top. Easy to remove/replace, as I intend this summer to clean and paint the frame under there.

Not particularly pretty, but functional and easy.

And cheap.