Bed wood, square nuts, need your help

[hairdog]

Okay, I'm at the installation stage. I ordered the unpolished stainless rails and stainless bolt kit. My question today is about the bolts and washers. I have some 5/16" x 1-1/2" bolts. I have more 1/4" x 1-1/4" bolts. I have fender washers with 5/16" holes. I have regular washers with 5/16" holes. I have both sizes of lock washers.

My main questions:
Do the 5/16 bolts go in the holes around the edge and the 1/4 bolts go through the rails? Where do the fender washers go?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[cwcarpenter98]

5/16 bolts for the bedsides and wheel tubs, 1/4" for the strips. The fender washers probably go on the strips over the axle where there's no cross sills to run a bolt through. At least, that's how mine was done by the previous owner when he replaced the wood. But that was probably in the late 80s, early 90s because it rotted out again by the time I got it

[hairdog]

Originally Posted by cwcarpenter98

5/16 bolts for the bedsides and wheel tubs, 1/4" for the strips. The fender washers probably go on the strips over the axle where there's no cross sills to run a bolt through. At least, that's how mine was done by the previous owner when he replaced the wood. But that was probably in the late 80s, early 90s because it rotted out again by the time I got it

Thanks for the confirmation. I'm not sure why they gave me so many fender washers but I'm just using them when I have the room to do so.

[Chevy Fleetside]

I ran the truck for 8 years with plywood on top of my bed strips. There was very little original bed wood left. I basically used a cut off wheel and sawsall to get my old strips off. about 5 year prior to that I bought wood from Home Depot and cut my bed strips myself. I used plain steel strips and reg bolts. I was going for the original look and of course an access door was not original but My gas tank is back there.

[hairdog]

That looks great!

[Chevy Fleetside]

Thanks . Just take your time. I used a bed liner on the bottom an sides of the wood to seal them but who knows how long that will last. I also don't drive it in the rain and it is parked in the garage. I originally bought it for a work truck but I decided not to do it because I didn't want to mess up the truck anymore. I ended up buying this thing for my work truck which I think is a better choice. 2002 5.9 Cummings

[hairdog]

Finally put my last nut on my last bolt today. This was a big project for me and I'm very happy with the results. I thank everyone who provided advice along the way.

Lessons learned:
You're not going to unscrew nuts that have been holding down wood that's now rotten. Just use a reciprocating saw and be done with it
Use a face shield when working under a truck unless you like to eat rust and dirt.
If you're doing this without a helper, prepare to go under your truck and get out from under it about a hundred times. Your knees will hurt but don't they say something like pain is weakness leaving your body?
If you end up with a board that isn't quite straight, you can use a scissor jack to push it into position.
Lava soap really works.
You will dream of more efficient ways to get a flat washer, lock washer, and nut into narrow channels (tape then together, glue them together) but most of the time you'll just use your fingers to put them on the bolt separately.
It's great to have a son with woodworking tools and skills because each board requires about 5 cuts.
Classic Industries sells bolt kits with the exact number of bolts and nuts you will need to complete your project. But only if you never lose a bolt or nut.
Use anti-seize compound on the bolt threads to prevent galling. That compound gets everywhere, which is why Lava soap is so great.

Good luck to anyone putting new wood into their pickup bed. It's a rewarding project.

[AcampoDave]

That looks fantastic. All those lessons learned are so spot on.
I learned one that you didn't (lucky for you)...Don't let your buddy puncture your rear tire with the Sawzall blade.

[hairdog]

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

I learned one that you didn't (lucky for you)...Don't let your buddy puncture your rear tire with the Sawzall blade.

That's hilarious. Oh, I almost forgot one lesson: wear ear plugs while using the saw. And eye protection. A bolt head flew straight into my goggles and just bounced off. Thank goodness I was wearing them.

Thanks for the compliments!

[jayoldschool]

Great work!

[Braunschweiger]

Looks fantastic, oh yeah, I'm about to do that too, although I smiled reading it.
I probably won't when I put it together.

[Pick121]

Originally Posted by jayoldschool

Finished pics around post 34
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=583030

In your Finished photo (other thread) the wood looks black, is it just the angle/lighting or did you change it from the gray weathered look? It looks great