I'm working on a 64 ford short bed styleside. The bed floor has a rust line along every cross member under the bed. I have looked at converting over to a wood floor, since this is going to be more of a show truck than a hauler, but fabing up the sills and brackets looks to be trickey. So does any one make new bed floors for these trucks. I dont want to dimond plate it because that would weigh alot, and aluminum dimond is expensive. if nobody makes new metal floors I guess I'm in the market for anther bed.

 

I remember reading a post on someone who was getting some one to fab them a floor. I wonder if any of them looked at this yet

 

i'am working on the bed in my 64 right now using channel to repair crossmeber in front
and sheet metal from a later bed will post the outcome should be done in about aweek paul

 

I've seen at Supernationalsa 66 Styleside with an after market company wood bed installed; I beleive the guy told me it was around $600 to do not cost of labor; I can't remember the website; but I betcha if you google it you'll find a company.

 

Rick Allen of Carolina Classics is taking feed back on production of a new floor three piece stamping.

If enough interest is shown he may produce it.

Garbz

 

A company called Mar-K-Quality Parts sells a lot of bed parts and accessories.You might check their site and see what they have.http://www.mar-k.com/index.html

 

I spoke with a guy at bedwood and parts...he will make a wood bed for any application...just needs measurements and info on what wood type you want.
cost depends largely on the wood you want...there are a ton to choose from.

http://www.bedwoodandparts.com/Content/Home.aspx

I got the idea for my bed by watching stacey davids shows...the old TRUCKS on spike
and now gearz ....he did a chevy and an old truck he called hairy hauler... dont remember what it was..but there are pictures of them on his websites as well as on bedwoods. check it out.

 

http://www.gearztv.com/index.php?em2...2463=&ek=97441

http://www.gearztv.com/index.php?em2...2463=&ek=96289

 

Keep in mind that brand ( X ) wide FLEET SIDE beds had wood and the strips
in the bed bottoms from the factory, I bet the after market has kits for them.



P.S. you may want to spring for the stainless strips, the stock brand ( X )
metal strips will rust and fall out in one week?




Wally Womack

 

I will call Carolina classis to see if they are going to produce anything soon, I have been delayed 3 years on this project and it is time to get started. If they do not produce anything then a wood floor is sounding like a good option if a good replacement bed is not found.

Mar-k doesn’t have any conversion kits except for a 67-72 Chevy I’m going to look at a few of these trucks at some car shows to see how the beds are mounted.

Any manufacture of beds and wood floors will custom cut boards for you, Mar-k is close so I will get my boards from them. The stainless strips w/o the heads showing is the way to go for me.

A lip around the bud sides would not be hard to fabricate, neither would an angel piece at the front and back. As I have been thinking about this the problem lies in the thickness of the boards. The original floor thickness is only about ¼ inch from top of a rib to the bottom of a rib. Also nobody makes under bed cross members for these trucks, I will need to have a sheet metal shop bend up some hat channel, but for strength I think the cross members need to be bigger than the originals. So with the thicker floor and a taller cross member it looks as if the bed will be about an inch higher than original so the body lines are going to be off from the cab to bed, this is going to be the hardest problem to solve.

 

If you move the floor of the bed up to accomidate the change in thickness you wont have to worry about the body lines. You'll have an offset where the tailgate and the bed floor meet but like you said it's not going to be used for hauling stuff.

I know I posted a while ago a company that stamps floor patches who would sell the number needed to reskin the floors. Their panels are for the 67 and later F series trucks though. Have you thought about that as an option? It was posted last spring or summer if that helps. LOL

 

If my memory serves me, I recall hearing on here and from what I recall seeing in wrecking yards that the ribbed portion of the beds is the same thru the '72 model year run...styleside bed I am referring to. As for the 4 flat panels fore and aft of the wheel wells my guess is its most likely the same application but Im not for sure.
If anyone knows for sure one way or the other, feel free to correct any discrepencies with what I posted above. Also, if anyone knows the interchange for the cross memebers of the styleside box on the 2WD trucks, Id love to see that as well though Im not in need of any c/members myself.


- cs65

 

I could put the boards above the existing floor but it will be hard to cut a board to fit snug against the bed side, and to get the angel right for the wheel tub. It would look cleaner if the boards were below the orrignal floor so the lip was on top of the boards instead of below. Also then the boards would be flush at the back instead of the end of the boards showing. May not haul anything but needs to be show quality work.

I belive that is correct, 64-72 the same, but nobody makes a good patch panel, In my case would be 4 of them. I have had lmc patch panels before and I have sent them back because they were crap.

 

if your interested in metal i cut the floor out of mine repaird the crossmeber in the front by cuting it out and replaced it with one i made by a 1/16 inch flat iron to two pieces of angle iron welded together bult a frame out of 1x1x1/16 angle to atach flat 20 guage sheet metal in corners and ribbed floor out of the 79 ford that i got my frame from. welded it all togetherwith a mig using easy grind wire . worked out great.i also cut the rot of the front bulkhead and used the 20 guage to make a lower patch panel and welded it in .now i going to make new wheel wells you could you yours over mine were beat up bad and i decided if iwas aready there why not. i bought all my steel at a local steel yard that sells new metal scraps by the pound got every thing for around 80.00 dollars. oh one quick hint if you cut yours out i used a torch and left about two inches at sides and them cut the rest with a die grinder if you get any closer with a torch the heat will warp the sides.

 

have you scoured the boneyards for a decent bed floor...its a long shot but ya never know...

- cs65