I have a 79 f150 4x4 that has been retrofit w/ an 80+ style flareside short bed.
the wood and cross members were a total loss.
the PO gave me some metal slats he bought but they're for a styleside long bed.
Can I make these work for the shortbed by just cutting off some of the excess length? The holes for the carriage bolts just hold down the wood slats, correct?
I think some of them may go through the crossmembers as well, but wanted to see if anyone had experience w/ this. I can measure the distances between the holes if someone has the distances for a shortbed metal slat to see if they are the same. and I believe the bolts holding the bed to the frame are through separate holes in the front/rear cross members as well as the actual wood planks, right?
Does anyone else know if the bolts are the same as well? LMC only has the hardware listed for a 79 flareside but not for an 80 bed.

edit: bedwood.com not only sells wood beds but bolt kits that are for 76-87 short flareside beds. I have to assume the bolt patterns are the same for a pre79 and a post80 bed, right?

 

Ok there are a few things to note, this is for the 80 - 86 trucks but I can't see the early ones being different?
The bolt holes for flare side and style sides are in the same locations.
I believe the 87> bed bolts are different. I do not know if the 80-86 bed bolts are the same between the 2 bed types as I did not have any from my flare side to check with.

I dont see why you cant use the style side cross members and cut them shorter on each side.
Note the flare side cross members sit with the open part of the U to the frame and wood blocks fitted up inside are used where the bolts go through to keep from crushing the channels when you tighten the bolts. Style side beds have a tube where each bolt is to keep from crushing the bed floor.

The 80 - 86 flare sides used 2 sheets of plywood and the metal slats screwed to the wood made it look like planks.
If you do a search in the 80-86 truck area there are posts with measurements how the wood was cut, in short 1 down the center and the other sheet cut to fit down each side.

Now IIRC the flare side channels are of different height as the frame changes front to back and to keep the floor / bed level they had to do it that way.
You are best to lay them out and lay a long straight edge across them to get them even and then mark them.
Style sides the channels are welded to the bottom of the bed floor so they cant move around.

Now I say all this as the channels and front & rear sills for the flare side was $1000 then add the wood, metal slats and the hardware and it was way too much money for a driver type truck, had to watch what was placed in the bed not to hurt the wood and every few years you have to take it apart to refinish the wood or replace it, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FOR A DRIVER!

My fix was to use the style side long bed of my parts truck, 1 side was crushed in a roll over, floor for my flare side floor.
Cut the sides off and cut it shorter to fit the short bed frame. Graph what was left of the rear sill to finish off the bed floor and bolt the flare sides, after I fixed the bolting lips, on to the floor just like it was the wood floor.
Thing is if I want to go bad with wood I can just unbolt the sides, pull the metal ribbed floor out and get everything for the wood floor and bolt my sides back on.








The style side bed had bed liner on it when I bought it for parts and I left it just put a fresh coat of roll on to make it look good.
It took a little bit of work to get the rear sill fitted and figure out the front sill to support the steps but everyone thinks its a factory metal ribbed floor with bed liner not a custom floor I made. Same for the dual tanks, never an option for flare sides
Dave ----

 

Thanks Dave
I think I can salvage the front and rear sill supports of the bed. Looks like the 3 crossmembers will cost less than $200. Hickory bed runs around $800. Red oak is cheaper around $600, and there's also pine.
plywood is also an option. I have the stainless steel long bed slats to hold down the wood already from the PO, so I'll likely figure out a way to cut those down to size for a short bed.

 

I think the pre 80 flare sides used planks for the wood but you have a 80's bed and it used plywood that is a lot cheaper than what you listed.
I also know pre 80 did have a long bed flare side is that what you have the metal strips from or the shorter 80 bed?
People have used planks on the 80's flare sides so it can be done if that is the way you want to go.
On the metal strips you have look at them as some of the wood needed to be routed to fit them and other strips not as they sat on top of the wood.

It is good you have the front & rear sills as they are big bucks when I was looking years ago.
On the cross members you have are they different heights?
I cant remember if the style side ones are but I cant see why they would not be?
To know more of the 80's flare side beds look in the 80 - 86 area.
Dave ----

 

I'm pretty sure it's a short bed (~6") and know it's an 80+ bed based on the more angular fenders as opposed to the rounded ones.
Also the fuel filler was on the front of the DS fender as opposed to the rear of the fender.
The original bed was a sheet of plywood, not planks, with the strips bolted to the surface.
The crossmembers I believe were all the same height/depth, but don't recall. I can check.
Some rust holes in the front/rear sill that I will try to weld up. Replacements are like $300 each.
Now that you mention it, marine grade plywood that is stained will be cheaper than replacement planks...food for though.

 

First let me say it is your truck so build it the way YOU WANT!
I just wanted you to know how the 80's flare side beds came from the factory, what parts you can get, be it 5+ years ago, what others and I have done for beds.

Again I did mine based on money or lack of, the parts I had, wanting to use the truck as a truck and my skill.
Why I have a metal ribbed floor with bed liner I can throw things on and do.
Tomorrow is trash day and they were closed last week because of the hurricane so I have 2 weeks worth of trash.
Saturday throw other things in the bed and hook up to the car clubs 20' enclosed trailer as we are hosting a show 20 miles away.
Dave ----

ps the 80's plywood was painted the trucks body color, not stained and cleared