Plywood bed floor under $100..

[shp4man]

There's a thread in the 67-72 section about plywood bed floors, but thought I'd post here.
My truck's a '65 long stepper with completely rotten OEM bed wood. It's a patina style truck with good mechanicals but faded paint/some rust

..anyway, the bed is actually about 4 x 8, just like a sheet of plywood.
So have been researching the different plywood grades, and hardware replacement from the cheapest sources.
I figure I can do a good, long lasting bed replacement for under $100. That's with some black or grey paint for the plywood and hardware and rust sealing.
I'm curious to see what it actually costs. It's always more, as you know.

[Chevy Fleetside]

If you measure your bed you might find that it is 97" in length, 1" longer then a piece of plywood.
I bought some pine and home depot for about $130. Will be milling and installing it soon.

[LostMy65]

Plywood cost is outrageous right now. You can get by with 8 feet and use a 1 x 3/4 hollow steel stock filler at the tailgate. I'll get a pic tomorrow.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Plywood cost is outrageous right now. You can get by with 8 feet and use a 1 x 3/4 hollow steel stock filler at the tailgate. I'll get a pic tomorrow.

Here's a scrap piece of 3/4x3/4 steel stock I used to mock it up.
And it's the same height.

[62bagger]

I used plywood for my short fleetside. I had the plywood from another project. I am happy with the looks.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by 62bagger

I used plywood for my short fleetside. I had the plywood from another project. I am happy with the looks.

Looks good.

[jayoldschool]

Yep, you need 10' lengths for a long bed. Cut shorter, of course.

[kens65fb]

Could you point me to the post on the other board ?

[verdell]

I ended up doing this last year for under $80.00. Unfortunately, I didn't take pics of the finished product. I painted the steel strips and used stainless button head hardware. Just a sheet of plywood from Lowe's. It came out ok and serves the purpose.

[slepysal]

Originally Posted by verdell

I ended up doing this last year for under $80.00. Unfortunately, I didn't take pics of the finished product. I painted the steel strips and used stainless button head hardware. Just a sheet of plywood from Lowe's. It came out ok and serves the purpose.

how many sheets did you use?

[LostMy65]

Oh, and the chemicals used in Pressure Treated plywood will likely corrode metal.

[Chevy Fleetside]

`I used my table saw to cut the grooves. It was some work. I learned something. It is best to buy the wood wider and rip them down so it is next to the bolt holes on the cross sills. I never took the bed off of the truck.

[LostMy65]

I ripped one sheet into two 20 inches, and the center sheet is about 34 inches. The strips are spaced at about 18 inches.

[KVB]

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[KVB]

Southern Yellow Pine is what was used originally, and it can be found pressure treated. Should last forever.
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[LostMy65]

I'll mention it again, but others may want to do their own research, but I think the chemicals used in pressure treated wood will rust basic metal.