Finally took some pictures of the changes I did to the bed wood in my truck. I used the wood that was in the truck when I bought it. The wood had been neglected and was cracked on the ends. Here's what I did:

1. Sanded down all boards.

2. Used 100% Polyurethane Premium Wood Glue - filled in the cracks with this glue. Took multiple applications to fill. Some cracks went all the way through the wood, while other didn't. I would work the glue into the crack and then wait for it to dry. After it dried, I would fill the crack again. Allow to dry, and filled again. Same process until crack was filled. After crack was filled, sanded down the excess glue until it was the same level as the wood.

3. Applied three coats of POR-15 using a brush. First coat was very thin (thinned with POR-15 thinner) so it would work into the grain of the wood. Second coat was a little thicker. Third was even thicker.

4. Applied two coats of Valspar Exterior Latex house paint. Semi-gloss black.

5. Applied two coats of Rust-Oleum Gloss Black.

I read about finishing wood in this manner from the Mar-K website. It was discussed in the finishing tests.

The strips were powdercoated red. I wanted a different....more custom look and am really pleased with the results. I've gotten many comments/compliments about how great it looks, or how it's different from all the other bed wood that people see. One thing that I really like is how you can still see the grain of the wood.

 

OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH,,,,,,AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

That looks so nice.

How did you seal up the bottoms of the boards to keep moinsture from coming up through the bottom?

 

Julie,

Thanks!! Tried something different and it actually worked out well. I followed the same steps for the whole board. Ends, top, bottom, and sides all got the same treatment.

 

Excellent!!!!!!!!

Don't the Mar-K folks just have it all together on their site!

 

Very unique! You did good job.

 

Looks real nice Shane. Your descrition of the process made me look into the POR-15 product a little closer because I always considered it to be a metal finish and didn't consider it for wood. In the process of looking at the website I found another product, Glisten PC, which is touted to be a "bullet-proof" clear coating. I was wondering if you had any experience with this product or had considered using it on your refinish job?

 

You can’t beat thinking outside of the box, (no pun) great look, nice job!

 

Sorry to introduce a "stocker" mentality here, but nothing about your procedure limits it to a "darkside" truck. The factory wood finish was paint. If a person is restoring a black truck, your process teamed with black powder coated rails would be factory correct. Over restored, yes, but the whole thing would be indestructible. Stu

 

Very killer

 

Stu,

I always appreciate the "stocker" view! I was aware that stock trucks had the beds painted the same color of the truck. It was my understanding that only the top of the boards were painted which caused problems with wood rot on the underside because of the exposure to the elements. I wanted a finish that would be strong and hold up to the elements.....even though my truck sits in the garage protected from the elements 98% of the time. After researching the Internet and lurking around FTE, the wood finish tests from Mar-K gave me the greatest insight as to what finish would hold up the best. Overkill? Maybe. Was it worth going through the whole process.....YES!!! (However, after 14 hours of painting one day and 6 more hours the next....I was beginning to wonder!! ) The same process could be used with ANY color of paint. POR-15 comes in black and silver, so I would assume if you were painting the bed a lighter color then silver might be the best undercoat and black would be best undercoat for darker colors. I did one extra step that the Mar-K test didn't, and that was the final two coats of gloss black Rust-Oleum. The only reason I did that was because I didn't care for the semi-gloss finish that I got from the Valspar Exterior Latex paint.

I'm not familiar with the Glisten PC finish. Using the Mar-K guidelines, I tried to stay as near to them as I could, except for the last two coats. It could be a mistake, but Rust-Oleum has held up pretty well on other things that I've painted. Glisten PC might be the perfect top coat making the protection even better. The only concern I would have is how well it stands up to the sun. I'm curious to see how well the "gloss" look holds up after a few years of being in the sun.

 

The contrasting powdercoat you chose to do really sets everything off. Great job!

 

Wayne,

Thanks!!! There is a method to my "madness." I was worried that it was going to look like a piece of candy when I was done, but I like the way it looks. My truck is following a "theme" and down the road, the body is going to be painted a cream color and my highlight colors are going to be red and black. Now, the engine block is black and my valve covers and breather have both been powdercoated red (same color as the metal strips). The V8 symbol on my grill has also been powdercoated the same red. I will then make my interior the same red and black. It's tough to picture it all together....red, white, and black, but I'm doing it bit by bit, piece by piece, and will one day have it just the way I want it.....I hope. (By the way, it is a Nebraska Cornhusker theme....scarlet and cream, and the black coming from the "blackshirts." If you can see my license plate, it reads; HUSKR56)

 

Shane - My "over restored", or overkill, comment wasn't aimed at you. Just saying that any carefully done bed restoration will go way beyond the paint job they got at the factory. As for the underside, I can't say for half tons, but on my F-3 the underside did have remnants of red paint as did the wooden cross supports. Stu

 

Stu,

It makes me wonder what "exactly" Ford did when painting the beds of these trucks.

And don't worry, I never take offense to anything. I'm admitting that what I did would probably fall under the category of "overkill!" The guys in my car club thought I was nuts....and enjoyed driving by and waving while I lived in the garage for two days.

 

Man that came out insane. That silver really works on that truck too. That's a great looking hot rod.