Fleetside bed assembly - do it A^% backwards?

[cortcomp]

I know most of you guys assemble your beds first, then wood, then move it to the truck. Well, i'm low on space, and seeing that most of the bedpanels sit on top of the wood, has anyone just put the bed cross sills on the frame, put the wood down, put a few bolts in everything finger tight, and then brought the bed sides and tailgates on last?

I'd like to do it this way because i'm out of room to assemble the bed separately, and because i'd like to bring the bedside "into" the tailgate vs sliding the tailgate in and scratching paint (not welding the bedsides to the rear cross panel like stock, i guess i could do that tailgate swing no matter how i assembled the bed.)

Thoughts on this? I don't mind the constant getting up and down and up and down under the truck and i have help, i guess it seems more sense to me than shimming the bedsides and stuff up and then putting wood in later?

[61K10]

I did it that way when doing my bodywork. I did cut small pieces of 3/4" plywood to take the place of the bed wood. probably do it the same way as i will be doing it with just my wife's help.

[Woogeroo]

site supporting vendor : Mar-K

sells this for each year model/type of bed :



mar-ktech here on the forum.

-W

[Greg63]

Originally Posted by cortcomp

I know most of you guys assemble your beds first, then wood, then move it to the truck. Well, i'm low on space, and seeing that most of the bedpanels sit on top of the wood, has anyone just put the bed cross sills on the frame, put the wood down, put a few bolts in everything finger tight, and then brought the bed sides and tailgates on last?

I'd like to do it this way because i'm out of room to assemble the bed separately, and because i'd like to bring the bedside "into" the tailgate vs sliding the tailgate in and scratching paint (not welding the bedsides to the rear cross panel like stock, i guess i could do that tailgate swing no matter how i assembled the bed.)

Thoughts on this? I don't mind the constant getting up and down and up and down under the truck and i have help, i guess it seems more sense to me than shimming the bedsides and stuff up and then putting wood in later?

I did mine that way as well. Limited space also and it worked out well.
Greg.

[cortcomp]

Woog, thanks for the link, but i have that (got it with my bedwood and strips, etc) and it really only describes one way to "skin this cat", plus it could be broken up better, lots of diversions (if you didn't get pre-drilled do this, pre drilled do that. Did i mention that you shouldn't have finished them yet? Let's go over finishes. Sand this way, then that...) An exploded view is handy, those are around the web here and there.

Anyways, i'm not really confused on HOW it comes together, i'm just curious why more guys, instead of laying the sills out on sawhorses, assemble, and then move bed to the truck, don't just use the truck as the sawhorses?

Greg; thanks for the feedback, it makes me feel a little more confident that someone else has done it this way. I think, starting this week, we're going to give it a try, crossills, then bedwood, then body panels.

[chad64chevy]

I see what you mean, I have a 70's steel floor so doing it this way, is the only way I can think of doing it!

[Captainfab]

I don't see why it wouldn't work the way you are describing. Just leave everything somewhat loose untill you get the entire bed assemled.

[cortcomp]

That was kind of my thinking, just some finger tight bolts to hold things together until other pieces came in. I just wanted to see if it had been tried and if so, had others ran into things that you couldn't get to on the truck, or something being in the way, etc. Thanks everyone for the info!

[jayoldschool]

I JUST came in from loading my completed bed on a trailer to mount tomorrow. Do it your way! Sounds way better.

[kieth]

we set the freshly painted bed on the truck with the crossmembers for support, then installed the wood, cut it out for the fender wells, then bolted everything down.

just keep clicking on the thumbnails and you can see it come together....

http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-GMC/i-SpmNrzF

[cortcomp]

Thank you guys for the feedback, we will probably get 2-4 of us and give it a try this weekend and i'll report back how it worked. I just wasnt about the idea of pushing the truck out to make room, and lifting a newly completed bed onto the truck and possibly hurting something (like my back or a bedside!)

[61K10]

I also pulled my bed with my eng puller (cherry picker) by myself. it was hard to keep balanced by myself. with some help wood be easy.

[cortcomp]

Going to assemble with help after work tomorrow and saturday. Here's where i'm starting from.

[Clyde65]

This is the way I am doing my pickup bed trailer, but I am doing my wood in the truck the opposite way, since it is already on the truck.

[cortcomp]

Seems to work OK, 2 or 4 bolts had to ratchet instead of electric drill since crossmembers in the way. Might be harder with exhaust and driveline in. Was nice having the 2 boards with bolts through to the frame to help line things up. Ignore the two boards i had backwards for a couple minutes.

[cru_zn_29]

That bed is looking good nice color on the wood. Are you using sealer of some kind between the wheel tubs and bed sides ?

[cortcomp]

I didn't put any sealer between them, but i'd guess some clear RTV or a seam sealer wouldn't be a bad investment if it was going to be driven/used a lot/outside. This might get caught in the occasional rain shower, but will mainly be inside a heater garage.

Could you imagine going back to the guys who designed/built these on the line and talking to them?

"Hey, can you line this panel up a little better? When i put 20K and 10 years into restoring this, that door gap is going to be so frustrating. The light in my garage where it lives and never leaves hits it just so and it annoys me"

Deer in headlights looking back at us.

[jayoldschool]

When putting in bolt #200 or so... I was thinking, "Wow, it was someone's job to do this. All day, every day."