BIG CHEVY 3600 writes, "My thought would be to align and bolt the sides together then put on the truck and then add the wood, strips etc."
How many crossmembers on those wood beds, five or six? I need to go out and look. Sure would be difficult to assembly a wood bed on sawhorses and keep good alignment for frame bolt holes. Obviously a lot of people do this just fine.
My deciding factor was not where and how to build my bed rather should I go with a wood bed or go with a steel plate bed. Have a complete oak bed, still boxed, along with metal bed strips, sitting in a corner gathering dust, went with a diamond plate 1/4 inch thick steel bed.
Reason for this is I want to be able to lift off my bed, fenders, spare tire carrier, the works, lift off the bed with ease using a four arm car lift. This allows access to clean, polish and wax the back of my cab and the front of my bed.
Personally, I would build your bed right on the frame. Seems like this would be an easier and smoother going job.
Billyray
