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My bed is in good condition, the fenders are great, the bed itself needs 1 small patch a good sandblast and bedliner. BUT I am considering converting to a flatbed for camping purposes. I can't store the orignal bed, I don't need it for hauling, I want a weekend driver. This picture is along the lines of the direction I'd go. Thoughts or good reasons I should or shouldn't?
Obviously this is a personal preference question and answer. My opinion is these trucks have timeless styling as they came from the factory. Going to a flat bed or what is pictured will ruin the trucks character and classic look as well as value. If you don't care about that and the functionality you want for camping can't be achieved with a cap then go ahead and convert, its your truck. Beds in good condition are in demand and yours will help someone else get their truck on the road.
Great comments, the value is what has been eating me up. I wouldn't make it quite like what is pictured, (no lift) just the general offroad camping rig idea. It's a 1979 f250 4x4 I want a nice truck, will keep it 5-15 years it will get driven about 3k/year. So many decisions...
My bed is so far gone I’ve been looking for a replacement. I found one but the guy wants $1300 for it. I was hoping to pay half that. You shouldn’t have too much trouble selling yours if you go that route.
I have a flatbed on mine. The bed was in really bad shape, and I use mine for all kinds of hauling duties / recovery / firewood cutting / etc..., so for me the flatbed is much more functional than the bed. I built the bed and the side boxes that serve as the bedsides / tool storage to be functional for my uses for the truck. Back in the mid 70's when I was changing truck and heavy equipment tires, all our service trucks were F350's with service bodies. I liked the usability of the service bodies, but not how far they hung down on the sides. I do like the classic styling of the original bed on our trucks but, if a flatbed / camping bed works better for you, I say go for it. On a side note, my uncle had a bump side F350 like the one in Rich's post that he used for many years before going to a real motorhome. I have many good memories of camping / fishing / dirt bike trips in that old Ford.
Mark.
I'm a big fan of flat beds, I say do it. I think they're way more functional than a standard box, especially with some planning. I would suggest trying to find somewhere to store your bed if it's in good shape, cause it's only gonna get harder to find them 5-15 years from now if you want to go back.
I'm just not sure how going to a flatbed gives you more room for storage for camping, plus it will definitely hit the value of the truck.
You could weld together a rack that would sit flush with the top of the bed, giving you room below and above. You could add a carrier on top of the cab. You could get a trailer. You could sell it as is and get a bigger truck.
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