Hey everyone I’m removing my bed floor and going to add a wooden bed floor. However I’d like to know how the bed floor supports attach? Are they welded to the frame or bolted on?

I’m asking because I see these lag bolt looking parts and I cut out all the metal around it. Will this weaken the floor supports or do they attach some other way? I don’t wanna go down a trail hit a bump and my bed flies off.

 

Yikes. they are bolted down through the bed floor and cross structure with the carriage bolts you're seeing. .

 

Yep, I’m not sure if that’s factory or not? I also see where some of the other bed floor supports attach differently. I may just weld a plate on the bed floor support and then weld it to the bolt head. Kinda like In this picture I edited: black being the plate and blue being the weld.

Anyone with more experience than myself care to chime in about this idea?

 

I'm not sure what you have there, is that the bed crossmember or the frame?

Where are you located ? as cheap and good beds are this seems like a lot of work for less pickup bed.

 

I think the factory style side floor was all welded bedsides to center floor, etc. I think the cross supports were welded in places to the lower part of the corrugations or "formed ribs" of the bed. Bed bolts look like carriage bolts from the top and they go through the bed floor and cross support into the top frame flange. I think the bed bolt has a square shank through the portion of the cross support that acts like a spacer I think, the square seats on the lowest part of the support.

The flare side with the wooden floor had long strips between the planks that acted as clamps to hold them down on top of the cross supports.

I would not weld to the frame flange of a truck with 4 contact points on the ground (tires) as they will flex and the flexing will wreck welds and flanges. I did weld new cross braces on a frame used for making a trailer, as trailers are free to rock on just 3 points (hitch and tires)

When purchased in '86, my truck had spent time sitting under some trees and the front of the bed had some rust. Soon then I bought a 5x10 sheet of steel, it was about 3/32" thick, not quite an 1/8th, but was thicker than a 1/16th. I forget the "gauge". I cut a foot off one end and trimmed out for the fender wells, but let the sides overlap the factory bed sides (galvanized) 6" and I used a dozen, maybe 16 even ... 5/16" carriage bolts to fasten those to the bedsides in the 4 overlap areas. It was hot, the steel was in the sun, I was using a saber saw. I traded the excess 1-foot x 5-foot piece for a longer piece at my local steel shop, he "broke" a lip in it that overlapped the bed floor 3" and would go up the front wall to it's first "brake" point, cut it in half, and trimmed the ends to fit inside my bed front corners. In place, there is a row of short screws through it into original bed front wall, with nuts and washers behind the cab. Tape on a nut makes it fit a long wrench tight to hold it long enough to thread the screw end. Set in place, welded the center together and the overlap to the bed floor. I had undercoated and painted the new floor underneath, but I know the weld heat cooked that part. In short, my factory bed bolts are covered up, sealed over even. I then just poured paint into the bed and spread it with a brush, let it dry before putting a bed liner in. In 2022, I revisited the bed floor, added some 3/4" drain holes, a wire brushing, and a gallon of Iron Armor. I put a new drop in bed liner in. . Underneath, the supports and what I can see of cross supports and bed bolts are "sound". I was pleased with the way my added floor had held up.

I had also added a 4" wide 1/4" steel strip across the rear of the bed but below the bed floor, and using vertical angle had tied into my bed's rear stake pockets to prevent bed side flapping, it too is solid still but those 30 or 45 degree "pre-runner" braces would work, but if I used something like that, I would maintain 4 feet flat in the center between them.

 

I’m in VA, I’ve looked around for beds but haven’t seen much. Also that picture is the bed crossmember, that bolt goes down into the frame.

 

I see, nice rust free beds around here are $500 .

Then that is the carriage bolt that went through the floor and bed crossmember mounting the bed to the frame. I'm not sure how you want to do it if you're using wood . you might have to get creative, a metal strip on top of the wood for the bolts maybe. or bolt it on and put the wood over the bolts.

 

Thanks! I’ll look around for some beds locally. What I was thinking is just laying wood over top of everything and screwing it down to the bed crossmembers. However I’m trying to figure out the best way to secure the bed cross members since I cut out all the metal around the bolt. I think I just need to get out there and start welding and fabricating!

 

Since you cut the floor away, and that was part of the sandwich, at this point I might one by one, cut the bolts and bolt my cross supports to the frame through the same holes, new bolts, good washers trimmed on opposite sides to fit within the channel. I'd look also really close at the bed side inners that rest on the ends of thos supports, that's what holds the bed on. Maybe I'd add support ... before bolting my wood down.

 

Good idea on adding supports, I think I’ll try and strengthen everything that is currently on there via welding and bolting, (avoiding welding on the frame). As much sense as it would make to get a new bed id like to try and salvage this one just for the fun of it. I’ll post up some pictures once I’ve gotten everything figured out.

 

set one aside for me I'll be there as fast as I can get. they are double that easily in the rust belt if you find one.

 

Thanks for the advice again fellas! Today I worked on the bed and will probably start a build thread soon. However here is my progress so far.

I welded some brackets to the floor supports then welded the top of the bed bolt to the bracket. I did this on the adjacent bolt and it eliminated all the wobble on the back part of the bed.


As for the front of the bed near the cab it’s still wobbly. You can barley see the top of the bolt there and it was all rusty. I proceeded to just cut it off as it wasn’t holding on to anything. I’m thinking about welding another bracket like I did in the previous photo, drilling a hole in the center and the adding in a new bolt.



as for this floor support nothing is holding it on at all and I removed the majorly of the floor. I think I will drill a hole in the bottom and in the frame then bolt it on with a 5/8 grade 8 bolt.

once again thanks for all the advice. As one user mentioned I should get a new bed, but one in good shape is pricy!

 

Up to a 96 is the same inner floor panel and inside fenderwell and inner bed side parts. I vote for take it off and go flat bed commando style. Easy to make.

 

Those flat beds are talkin! If I can’t get this bed figured out and find a new one I might go with a flat bed.

my grandad liked to buy old trucks and would always put a wooden bed in them and haul hay around the farm.

 

Or wood IN the bed or other bed ideas or just an all wood bed...