Raised bed floor

[robnolimit]

I wasn't really sure where to put this. Here are some shots of an install we are working on. This is what we call a 'Salvage' or 'take-over'. the truck has been at a few shops and in a few garages. None of which did it any favors. The step notch was butchered, and the frame was not square or level in the back, so we chopped the back off and put on one of our rail kits. The bed floor had a huge tunnel put in and the tail gate has been welded and smoothed '90's mini trucker style. (not hatin, just sayin) So, fixing the bed floor is the next task. This is not a big $$ build, it's a fun cruiser truck. We have a budget to stay within, and a timeline.
I have used this concept on many custom earlier (55-9) builds, and thought I might use this idea (modified a bit ) on a C10. I had a local sheet metal shop cut and form some new 'boards' for the project. The main boards are 6" wide, with a 1/2" edge on each side. For the four side boards are only bend with a lip on one side. They are 6 1/4" wide with a 1/2" edge.

[robnolimit]

To start with we needed a frame for the boards. We used 1 1/2" .080 wall square tube for the frame. Then we cut some risers to help with the set up. These are 2 1/2" long. 2 1/2" riser plus the 1 1/2" tube will set the bottom of the floor at 4" above the OE floor. We only too the paint off in the weld areas, and wiped down the tubing with sealer before it was welded in. There are four cross bars, front, rear, and one at either side of the wheel tubs.

[robnolimit]

Next we dropped in the full boards, and started to square them up. With the condition of the bed, finding the true center was a challenge. So, when we got close, we did some measuring, and averaged the spacing on both sides. Then we cut some spacers to drop in to help with the set up. Once we were happy with the spacing, we marked the center line for the middle two boards.

[robnolimit]

Starting with one of the center boards, we added boards one by one. Each board is welded to the crossbars with a weld that is appx 3/4" long (1/2 of the width of the crossbar) The next board is the marked for the weld area, and a small notch is ground out of the lip so that it will fit flush up to the previous board. I decided on 4" spacing for the top seam tacks, these are deep and wide tack welds, appx .350" dia. Later the bottm seams and cross bars will be welded once the bed is off.

[budnikguy]

likeing the look of this Rob.....will be watching.

[robnolimit]

The last four boards take some trimming to fit into the corners. These parts only have one edge formed, so the fit up to the OE side needs to be fitted in. To help with the set up, I set a piece of 1/2" square tube on top of the side frame piece and set the last board on it. After it was fitted and tacked, the 1/2" tube is removed. That gave us a full floor. Wheel tubbs are next.
At this point we have made great progress in a short time. Our local sheet metal shop charged us $280 for the boards. The square tubing was $40. The prep and fab took less than one day (6 man hrs) at this point. - and, at the end of the day, we had a nice sunset!

[Lee H]

Good idea.

[Jfarns03]

how much would it be to have this done to a long bed? the metal floor board conversion

[robnolimit]

Day 2. I did some measuring to figure out how wide and tall the tubbs need to be. then I used some string to draw an arc and a pattern. The arc has a 17 1/2" raduis. from this I can fab a tubb 29 1/2" wide by 8" tall. I decided to bring the tubbs in to the second seam (something I had not originally planned on) So I cut the tubb tops 14" wide. I used a slip roller to arc the tops, then a bead roller to put in a single 1/4" wide recess bead.

[robnolimit]

Next I welded the tubbs together. I worked on the inside, with a wide cold bead. Athough not shown, it was fully welded. This way I can finish the outside with minimal loss of material.

[robnolimit]

Next step was to prep the bed box. I used the upper half of the template I made to draw out the tubb shape on the iner bed side. then cut out with a 3" cut off wheel.

[robnolimit]

I took the inner bed side out all the way down to the wheel opening lip. This way it creates the max room for tire clearance. I also had to cut out a section of the second board. Once that was done, I could set the new tubbs into place. Clamping the tubb to the lip on the next board made the fitting easy. Then lift and tack into place.

[robnolimit]

Then its just the welding. I full seamed the arc and the ends of the tubbs. Down the inside edge I folled the spacing of the rest of the boards. From the underside, I used a row of tight tacks on the edge of the side flange. From here, it's time to pull the bed, weld up the bottom side, and spray with primer and bed liner.
The tubbs take a while to fab. The entire tubb fab and instalation took another 6 hrs. So far not too bad. Another hour or two on the under side and it'll be ready for paint prep.

[robnolimit]

This is where it started

[duallyjams]

B I G improvement, bet the customer is very happy.

[Tinkermc]

nice lookin work and nice to see the seems on the tubs lined up with the floor

[tinydb84]

That looks great! What gauge sheet metal? How well does it stand up to putting stuff in the bed? Is it significantly heavier?

[SierraMtns]

Thanks Rob for sharing.

[Last_Paladin]

Necro thread: I really like this idea. Bookmarking for later.