Bed floor corner sheet metal

[CJ_Chevy]

Does any one have an tricks up their sleeves to fixing the rot in the corners of the bed floors? I havent seen any patch panels out there and i do not want to have to replace the entire bedside. I figure it can be fabricated, but i want to make sure it looks good and fits against the wood correctly.

[ray_mcavoy]

Hi CJ_Chevy,

Those pieces that fit up against the wood are separate pieces that bolt onto the bedsides (bolts are hidden underneath and the joint is filled with seam sealer). So even if you were to get new bedsides, they wouldn't include the pieces you need.

I was able to save/repair a few of those panels on dad's 77, but for the ones that were too far gone, we had a local sheetmetal shop make some replacements using the old ones as templates. I believe they used a bead roller to form the rounded edge where they meet up with the wood.

Before:


After:


The piece along the bedside is one of the originals and the ones that wrap around the wheelwells are fabricated replacements:


The piece along the bottom of the front bed panel is a fabricated replacement too:

[Restrorob]

Ray, That bed looks awesome !

[CJ_Chevy]

ray_mcavoy,

that is a really nice looking bed. hope mine turns out half as good. thanks for the info. I will have to look around and see if one of my local fab shops can make something up. the hump for the gas neck shouldnt be a problem for them i hope.

[ray_mcavoy]

Thanks for the compliments!

We lucked out and didn't have to replace those two panels with the humps to clear the gas filler necks on dad's truck. In fact, I think those are the only two that we did end up repairing/re-using.

I don't think it would be possible to stamp those humps out exactly like factory without some very specialized tooling. However, they look as though they could be re-created by cutting an angled slice out of a piece of tubing (like exhaust pipe) and welding it into place over a corresponding U-shaped notch in the new panel.

By the way, if you need some new cross sills, we found out that the ones available for 67-72 fleetside wood beds will make suitable replacements. The plank width (and corresponding hole spacing) is different, but Mar-K (www.mar-k.com) offers them without holes so you can drill your own to match the 73-80 pattern.

[CJ_Chevy]

ray_mcavoy,

would you by chance have the contact info for the shop that fabbed up your pieces? i have had my parts in and out of most all of my local shops. They would look and think about it for months and get nowhere. these pieces are literally the last things that need to get made up before i can get the truck back together and drive soon. I dont really know where else to go for these parts.

I am going to fall Carlisle soon, maybe i can dig up a set if i am lucky... who knows.

any info would be great.

[Skunksmash]

Wood beds... do you worry about tearing them up? I know I would.

[v30crewcab]

Man I've been around these trucks all my life and that is the first time I've even seen a picture of a fleetside with a wood floor! I guess not too many people got them that way.

[old blue 86]

Originally Posted by v30crewcab

Man I've been around these trucks all my life and that is the first time I've even seen a picture of a fleetside with a wood floor! I guess not too many people got them that way.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[old blue 86]

What color blue is that?

[07XCSBZ71]

Originally Posted by old blue 86

What color blue is that?

#25L Mariner blue and #20u lite blue

[07XCSBZ71]

I'm wanting to do the wood bed in my 77.

[jetmech85]

I would like to have a wood bed to use to convert a short bed to wood. I have only seen one wood bed on a fleetside and it was a single wheel 1 ton. Hopfully someone will make all the pieces to do a conversion in the near future.

[CJ_Chevy]

I wish someone would make them too. However I've talked to a ton of sheet metal suppliers and most of them don't even know they existed. Nonetheless start making them. Till then we just have to make do I guess
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