Wood Bed Questions

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Apr 28, 2005 | 06:10 PM

nuts4hotwheels

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From: Webster, TX

Wood Bed Questions

Does anybody know how difficult it would be to make a wood flatbed for my '86 F150? Is there a place that I can get schematics? Is it worth the trouble? How long will it last? I was thinking of painting it with bed liner, but maybe clear marine varnish. I am not a great carpenter, but love the look of a flat bed. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Apr 28, 2005 | 07:14 PM

Jebadiah04

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From: Missoula, MT.

not sure about a flat bed but sume day i wanna wood deck the bed of my 86 f-150

Apr 28, 2005 | 07:23 PM

81rangerF150

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hey guys,

I've often thought about that too - I'm a wooden boatbuilder. The best thing to use on the wood is probably a two part epoxy coating. If you bolted white oak or another nice hardwood down on the bed with a waterproof caulking underneath, it would make a nice, durable bed.

Apr 29, 2005 | 08:44 AM

80`F-150

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From: Aylesford N.S

I put one on a `89.What i did was took a piece of PT 4x4and cut it out to match the frame rails.and put on nother piece on top and bolted it to the frame and PT 2x6 for decking and ran a skirt of 2x8 around the edges( so you cant see the 4x4).I sprayed it with Thompsons water seal looked and and still on it .
-Richard

Apr 29, 2005 | 08:24 PM

nuts4hotwheels

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From: Webster, TX

I would love to see pictures of the bed. It sounds like a pretty good design. How much do you think it cost you for everything? How much time did it take?

Thanks,
Nuts4hotwheels

Apr 30, 2005 | 10:26 PM

mustange70

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From: Coutts Canada

Here's what i would do:

Just make a stell frame that follows the box crossmember ( where the box bolts are), then cut the rails so they are the same width as the orginal box was, then weld on pieces of square tubing for a perimeter, then just bolt some planks down to the bed bolt crossmembers and you're good to go, but be sure to have enough space between the bed and tires for clearence reasons.

May 1, 2005 | 04:05 AM

Jebadiah04

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From: Missoula, MT.

I saw a guy who bolted a wood deck straight over the top of his already metal bed. You cant even tell he did it except when the tail gate is open. he spaced the planks like 1/4 inch apart, or about anyways, and then filled them with something black, not sure what. But you cant even tell he did it like i said and it looks real good. And if you wanted to get real creative you could crawl under the truck and drill holes all over the place and screw the deck down from the bottom, you wouldn't have any bolt holes that way and it would be a ncie clean look if you did it right. But his truck was a step side too, and that makes it alot easier than fighting the fender wells.

but then again, his wasn't a flat bed like you want to do....

how would you guys do it if you wanted to do it to a regular long bed? like mine.

Last edited by Jebadiah04; May 1, 2005 at 04:08 AM.