Just finished cutting my TREX bed wood!

[jayoldschool]

Went well. Thought TREX would be a great choice for a truck that will sit out in the elements. Got a great deal on overstock that was sitting unused outside. Used the dimensions from GMCPaul's site. This is for my LWB 65 C10 Fleetside. The boards were 1"x8"x12'. Took about three hours total for measuring, cutting to length, ripping, and grooving. Boards were cut to length with a circular saw, but all other dimensions were done with a radial arm saw (ripping blade, and a dado blade).

Can't wait to install it!







Wood, non-polished strips/bolts will be a nice upgrade:

[gofastnut]

Looks good man!

[Fastrucken]

I wanna see how this turns out... How much did you pay for it??

[Sharps40]

I'm looking at trex for John Lee Jr this summer. How does it mill? I'm gonna use carbide dado head on the table saw. Was wondering if it'd gum up the blades or cut smooth.

I plan to use the 3/4" thick trim boards so the fit is the same and add a couple cross ties to put it all on 16" centers.

[Blue666]

Looks great. If your mufflers are under your bed, really look at installing a heat shield.

[BMERDOC]

Looks great! I wish I was better with wood and had the tools to do it.

[jayoldschool]

I will be running a stock muffler, and I will build a heat shield for it.

I paid 25/board. List was 60ea! Expensive, but no sanding, no priming, no stain/paint. Ever.

It cuts easily. Easier than lumber, I would say. No "gumming", the waste just spiraled off. No problem for the old circ saw blade, and it just glided through the radial arm with no pressure. With two people, the long boards were easy to push/pull through. Toughest part was getting them down the basement to the workshop! We cut them all to length in the garage, no way 12' would have made it.

I decided to go this way after doing lots of research on this forum. A few have done it, so I wanted to try as well.

[Sharps40]

Okay, its decided then. John Lee Jr is getting trex this summer!

[donthekawguy]

I'm going to powdercoat the strips and get new shiny bolts. Just an idea for ya.

[Clyde65]

Only thing with Trex is it comes in 6" width only. more boards but if it lasts as it should, your truck will never need new boards again.

[Sharps40]

Actually, the trim boards from trex and various other makers come in 1x12 dimension and actually measure 3/4" by 11+" inches wide. Perfect for milling and cutting out bed boards. Add a couple cross ties though cause even the inch trex needs to be on 16" centers and theres a couple spots in the bed where more support would be needed. I plan to use the Grey trim boards from lowes. They are not trex but are only $27 each for the 12 footers at 3/4" by about 11 1/2" wide.

[jayoldschool]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

Only thing with Trex is it comes in 6" width only. more boards but if it lasts as it should, your truck will never need new boards again.

Trex comes in many different sizes now. My boards are 1"x8"x12' (dimensional, as Sharps pointed out), the perfect size to match OEM boards. Also, my boards aren't "decking", they are "facia" boards.

[JWheeler331]

Looking forward to seeing the project as it progresses.

[1963c-10]

Originally Posted by Blue666

Looks great. If your mufflers are under your bed, really look at installing a heat shield.

x2....I'd definitely put heat shield on. Easy and cheap insurance.

[BR3W CITY]

I did a bed with trex a bit back, and it's held up great so far, tho I used the decking style pieces not fascia. I didn't mill them to accept the trim strips, instead I made psuedo-trim strips to fit the gaps. I plan on bedlining the whole thing to give it one contiguos look.

Did you plan on painting/coating yours?

[jayoldschool]

No, I purposely picked grey so it looked like old weathered wood. It will be appropriate for the truck.

[Clyde65]

I stand correct, my apologies. I looked at my local Lowes and they only show the 6" deck boards. I didnt even know they had facia boards or ones that are 1X12's. Good to know, thanks guys!

[jayoldschool]

Back with an update. I've been busy with other projects, but finally got new crossmembers and front panel installed. Wood is in place, strips and wheel houses go in next.

[joedoh]

outstanding

[Sharps40]

Awesome....Mine is looking good so far...only about a month old but I like the way when its dirty, a drive in the rain pretty much cleans it off, no scrubbing!

[jtrichard]

check this out 3/4x 11 1/4 x 8' $30 lowes choicedek foundation http://www.lowes.com/Decking/Composi.../N-1z10sn3/pl#!

[Sharps40]

That's what I used on John Lee Jr. Its advertised at 3/4" but its true thickness is 5/8". Seems sturdy enough. I got it on sale, $18 or so per board. Looks wonnerful in the bed.

[jayoldschool]

Making progress...

A few more bolts to snug down. Middle two boards will be installed after the bed is back on, I need to be able to strap around the cross members to lift with my engine hoist.

[Sharps40]

Damn nice.

[jayoldschool]

Those are unpolished strips. They will be the nicest parts on the whole truck! Black would have fit better, but it's going to sit outside in the snow, so I thought stainless would be a better choice than steel.