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Thinking about the truck bed for my 53 F500. Not sure weather to use 2x8 or 2x10. Not using pressure treated lumber just plain southern yellow pine, scorched with a torch and then coated with a mix of motor oil and transmission fluid. (I’ve seen some done like this and I really like the look)
Will be cutting ship lap notches in each board, not sure weather I want a T or a Z style. Z would give me all same size board widths. T style would give alternating short/ long widths. I have a photo of some wood I cut using the different styles. these were just scraps that I cut to get an idea. These were just 2x6 but the idea would be the same weather I decide on 8s or 10s. Bed width is 84” plus side rails of 3/4” and posts of 1.5” for a total width of 88.5 witch is slightly larger than the width of the rear tires.
I cannot condone the use of the motor oil mix for obvious reasons, plus if it is going to be exposed to the weather it will constantly have to be retreated because rain will wash it away (oil being lighter than water).
Either way you lap the joints in the decking is going to result in cracking and splintering as the wood dries and is subject to movement, imo. If you want a perfectly smooth deck, I would suggest 1" T&G plywood. Pine is a pretty soft wood too and can't take a lot of abuse. My first choice for slatted decking would be Apitong.
Mixerman, thanks for the info above. I know I want boards of some sort instead of plywood. 95% of the time, the truck will be sitting inside. Do I need to have ship lap? As far as I can tell, the truck did not originally have overlapping boards but they were 1.5" thick. Maybe just lay boards side by side and see the cracks. If so, I think I would just go with the 1" thick red oak that would match the sides. Maybe I should just go with pressure treated and paint it black after it dries in a few months. The plan is to use lag bolts and angle iron to attach bed boards to cross members from the under side so no bolt heads show. Too Many options!
When I did the bed on Edith (my 50 F5) I used 1" (actual) oak boards and left small gaps between each board. The gaps allowed water from rain etc to drain and not settle on the bed floor. Of course I never used the bed for any kind of heavy loads or anything, so I stained and coated with Marine spar varnish. I used my own lumber from trees cut on my property and actually used both red and white oak boards. https://onpitroad.smugmug.com/Ford-T...5-Stake-truck/
Truck or trailer decks have never used overlapping seams for the reasons stated previously, plus it would make them very tedious to replace should it become necessary. Imo, you need to rethink the underside lag bolt fastening, that just isn't done for obvious reasons - the vehicles following you will thank you for it. If you don't want screw/bolt heads showing just counterbore the holes and wood plug them like the deck of a fine yacht. I've done this many times and it works very well, and holds up to the elements.
Put boards side by side. Rabbit the edges and put skid strips between each board like the pickups do. Mar-K sells stops in any length. Go to Mar-K.com to see what they have.
I think the ford script beds came from the factory with skid strips.
Put boards side by side. Rabbit the edges and put skid strips between each board like the pickups do. Mar-K sells stops in any length. Go to Mar-K.com to see what they have.
I think the ford script beds came from the factory with skid strips.
Do you have skid strips on yours abe..? I know I was going to put them on mine if I build one. Anyone know if the Mercury trucks had a script bed..?
I would just butt the boards together. The smaller the boards the less you will see expansion and contraction. Ship lapping the boards creates a weak spot in the wood. It will also trap water, moisture, dirt, etc. As for oil and tranny fluid on the wood, that sounds like and environmental issue to me. Where will you keep the truck? It is going to smell for sure. And anything you put in the back will get oil on it. Not sure that is a good idea. Pressure treated wood and steel don't get along well. It promotes rusting. Now that I have cut you down enough, if it was my truck, depending on the use 1" hardwood would work good. Depending on the use will guide the type of finish if any you put on it. Pine is good as well, just softer.
Do you have skid strips on yours abe..? I know I was going to put them on mine if I build one. Anyone know if the Mercury trucks had a script bed..?
No my flat bed is not a factory Ford bed. It has boards with space between each one, space so wide mulch or soil could fit through the space. Some of the boards were quite rotted especially at the front since the bed empty slopes to the front and rain water must have pooled at the front of the bed. I put ¼" plywood painted top and bottom on the bed. So to answer your question, no, it did not and does not have bed strips.
I don't know about Merc factory flatbeds but if they exist I bet they're made of unobtainium.
Bob, all of the Ford script flat beds had skid strips between the boards. The seams you are seeing are laminated boards coming apart. My 9' bed had several different kinds of hardwood for the floor and stake rack boards. Very few, if any are one piece boards. They are usually two or three narrow boards tongue and grooved and glued together. Also, both F2 and F3 are 3/4 ton trucks, F2 being light 3/4 and F3 the heavy 3/4. My F4 is a 1 ton, F5 1 1/2 ton and so on.
Mark
Thank you to all for the advice. Abe thank you for the pictures. I have decided to go with red oak 2x8x10. Planned smooth on one side, rough cut other side, then I can decide if I want smooth side up or rough cut up (more grippy for a floor). Once in saw the price, decision was pretty easy. Pressure treated at Lowe’s was 1.07 a foot. From local Amish, Red oak was 1.60 a foot. Maple was 1.30 a foot. That’s dried, cut, and planed.
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