Build a Flatbed

[Old Greenhorn]

Looking good Bill! I like that lettering, it looks slick. I am also impressed by the condition of that frame. You never see THAT around here!
 Maybe you can put the old bed up on CL and get a grand for it or so?  :D ;D

[firefighter ontheside]

Thanks all.  Cindy found this lettering and we have adopted it for the shirts she has made me too.  It seemed fitting with the tools.  I am amazed at the condition of the body and frame of this truck.  Even here its unheard of to have so little rust.

[Crusarius]

How easy is it to read from a distance?

[firefighter ontheside]

It's probably not great as far as that goes, but it doesn't concern me.  It's really more for my amusement than it is for real advertising.

[kantuckid]

I'm out of time to look further but seems that Ford uses some sort of new, patented gizmo with alu beds as spacers? But there's lots of people posting on beds like yours to read. 

[firefighter ontheside]

I came across a Ford forum discussion that talked about using wood as spacers where needed to level the mounts to adapt a pickup truck frame to accept a flatbed.  There were many references to wood being used on many trucks such as tanks trucks.  The wood appears to be bolted to the truck mounts and then large u bolts being used to go around the truck frame and into the mounting tabs on the bed.  I am going to investigate if this will work better than the way it was mounted before.  I didn't like they way that some C channel was mounted across the truck frame with other beams welded to the channel and then the bed sitting on those members.  It seemed repetitively redundant.  Of course I need to be sure that the bed is mounted high enough for wheel travel.

[Crusarius]

I would not be comfortable with wood at all. To easy for it to split and loosen the u-bolts. or even just compress and loosen them.

u-bolts can take alot of abuse. Until they loosen. Just like lugnuts!

[firefighter ontheside]

It seemed contra indicated to me too, but there seemed to be some legitimate comments saying it was a good idea and used regularly on big trucks.  

[DbltreeBelgians]

Looks nice Bill. Looks even better on my iPad than what you sent me earlier today but that was on my phone. I like the Hillsboro bed. You done good.
Btw, the wind picked up a bit and that fire roared 




 



 

Brent 

[barbender]

I see wood used all the time under dump beds on tandem dump trucks. Get yourself some blocks of white oak or something else dense, I don't think you'll have any issues at all.

[thecfarm]

I had a Ford with Ford flatbed on it, I forgot the year.
They used wood to level out the frame. Was about 8 inches high. I took the flat bed off that truck and put it on a '76. I cut about 6 inches off that piece of wood to lower the body. I only hauled wood with it and wanted it lower to throw wood into. Used it for about 10 years and worked great.

[firefighter ontheside]

I had planned to get to work on it this morning, but mandatory OT got in my way.  I'm leaning toward using the wood.  I just might have some white oak around that will work.  It's dried, so I wont have to worry about the wood shrinking after being installed.  I also have a locust 6x6 that I might re-saw for this. It will only serve as a spacer and will not be involved in holding the bed on the frame.  That will be done by steel and aluminum.  It will solve some of the issue of steel reacting with aluminum.  Looking at the underside of the aluminum bed it appeared that in its previous life some steel washers that were part of holding the bed on had completely eaten thru the aluminum mounts.  I will find some teflon or other plastic washers to help prevent that from happening again.

[firefighter ontheside]

I got the bed on today, but only temporarily.  I need to do some more work.  I didn't use any wood.  I bought some 3x3 square tube and used a little 4" tube that I already had.  I will use some rubber that I have to put in between the aluminum and the steel frame.


 

 

[barbender]

Looks right sharp on there, anyhow!

[hedgerow]

When I put the aluminum bed on my Ford. I used a three or four inch channel were the truck frame dipped and used four inch by 1/4 thick flat running up the truck frame to the steel frame for the aluminum bed. The steel frame was welded to the truck frame. I used 3M spray under coating on flat bed frame and truck frame. Then mounted the aluminum flat bed to the steel frame. I drove the truck every winter for fifteen years and when I sold the truck everything was still solid. I would usually touch up the under coating every couple of years to keep it looking nice. 

[PoginyHill]

Avoid welding a truck frame. They are heat treated and welding them will weaken them. Drill and bolt.

[firefighter ontheside]

This truck has larger than stock tires(the way I got it) so I needed a little extra lift on the bed.  I will be removing the bed to finish mounting the rails to the truck frame.  I will grind off a little rust thats on the bed rails and then coat with this undercoating I bought.  I probably need more than the one can I got. 

[PoginyHill]

You may want to consider something that doesn't dry or cure, like Fluid Film. My experience with undercoating sprays is that, unless the surface is perfectly clean, it will eventually peel off. Or use the undercoating then apply a non-hardening rust preventer if/when it does start to peel - only in those areas. I've occasionally used a rust converter, but not on an undercoating type application. That might work also, rather than trying to grind it all off.

[firefighter ontheside]

I will look for something like that, especially for the old parts.  I will use the other product on the new parts.

[firefighter ontheside]

I just ordered black cosmoline to put on the frame parts.  Won't be here til mid week, so I may not get the truck bed all mounted til next week.  I guess better to wait and do it right.  

[Gere Flewelling]

If there is a NAPA auto parts store near you, I would suggest you see if they stock any of the "SEM" brand paint products.  SEM makes a product called "Rust Trap" that is similar to the POR product others have mentioned in this post.  The POR product is good except  that you have to throw away what you don't use as you can't get the container (paint can) to seal back up good enough to keep the product from hardening up after a week or so.  The Rust Trap product comes in a quart can similar to what brake fluid comes in.  You can pour out what you need and then dump back what you don't use into the can and seal it up.  I have had great results with this product on my truck frames and beds.  You can then spray on whatever top coating you desire.  The Rust Trap product must be painted over with something to keep ultraviolet rays away from it.  Also this product is less expensive than the POR product.  It comes in black or silver.  I have used both and recommend the black.

[firefighter ontheside]

Doesn't really look any different than the previous photo, but in this one the bed is permanently attached and the tail lights work.  I don't have the back up lights wired yet, but I will work on that soon.  The frame parts are all coated in black cosmoline and I think that is a good product that will protect the frame from further rust.  I want to get some underbody tool boxes to mount at the front of the bed.  I used some purple power cleaner and scrubbed the flatbed. It looks a little better than it did.  


 

[beenthere]

Door sign is easily readable. Truck looks great.

[Old Greenhorn]

Truck looks great! I have an underbody box I would give you, if you were more local but shipping is somewhat prohibitive. Sorry.

[Crusarius]

yea, door sticker looks good.