A highly polished hardwood bed in an old pickup is really an eyecatcher!!! Pretty expensive and each is as unique as it's owner. "Hey, is that a raincloud? Get the cover and let's get her back to the barn!!! Quick now!!!!!"
Wood beds are great....plywood, okay if it works for you. How about using some readily available composite stuff (horrors) to build a durable bed that retains the spirit of the original but let's you snicker at rain storms. And you can toss in some "truck stuff" without having to fret over the show quality finish!
I used "Vernda" a product used for decks, available at Home Depot....1" thick, color impregnated, waterproof, wood grained, UV stabilized, and requiring a whole lot less upkeep than a show quality bed.
It may, or may not work for you, but it works for me! Got a couple pics in my "shoebox" album.
Just my $.02!
