The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop bed panels...what type of wood is preferable

I was hoping some people have some input on bed panels and the type of wood that is suitable and afordable. thanks

Mar-K has very good panels and has a very good reputation of being helpful.

Wait - are you buying new or making your own? If you're making them, yellow pine (which was original) looks best (in my opinion:))

Many of the repro. companies have different kinds as well. Don't go cheap on them, you'll just have to replace them again.

Hopefully more guys will pipe in.

I am planning to put red oak in mine. Whatever you choose just make sure you seal it on all sides and the ends.

I read somewhere that some guys have been successful using TREX - the new composite materials....

Bigbassmann as a woodworker myself I wouldn't put red oak anywhere there is a chance of getting wet; red oak is an open grain (pore) wood. I would use white oak which is a closed grain wood; white oak is used in the boating industry and was used on the USS Constitution (1812 US navy sailing ship) The original wood used in most Chevy pickup was yellow pine.

I put yellow pine in the back of my 55 2nd.

35 trucker - Howell, MI. I'll be darn. I grew up in Brighton. Good to hear from you.

Trex is not structurally stable over the spans between the factory cross sill locations. It will weather well and resist rot, however you do not want it to sag under loads that may be introduced when hauling items.

The original wood was southern yellow pine, however the harvested wood from the forties, fifties and sixties is from the "old growth" forests, whereas a lot of what is available today is from "new growth" forests. The wood from old growth forests has better structural and decay resistance characteristics. In any event, there are many options available. White oak is preferable to red oak from a stability standpoint, however red oak is more readily available, thus more economical. Some prefer red oak over white due to the richness of the color and the interesting grain patterns. If you are looking for original, go with southern yellow pine. If you prefer a more showy look, red or white oak may be your choice.

Good luck with your wood plank replacement.

avoid red oak unless it will be staying dry. White oak is the better choice for wet applications. Personally, I'm considering yellow locust for my flatbed, but only because I have access to trees and sawmill. Should last forever.

j

When I got mine out of a field some years ago, the bed was totally rotted..could not put a foot in it...that won't work, but wasn't ready for some pretty stuff...took the old out, got me some 3/4 marine plywood and cut it to the sizes I needed for each piece (all different widths)..soaked it in some water sealer, got some zinc plated carriage bolts, painted the rails and works well for now..holds about four camping chairs and a cooler..can even dance on it..will replace with some nice stuff when the rest is painted and pretty

Good decay resistant woods: white oak, walnut, locust, cypress (pricey), cedars (if you can find them big enough). Cherry is fairly good at resisting rot too.

Red oak will rot too readily. New growth pine has very low resistance to rot. Hickory is not good. Ash too. Poplar.

Guess pine is original. All depends on you desire to originality and the application for your truck.

Walnut is a horrible bed wood. It really is not rot resistant at all, at least if left untreated. A walnut tree will rot right through the heart in just a few years from an improperly cut trimming. Powder post beetles also love the stuff.

Trex will work just fine if you add extra crossmembers between the ones that are already there. It even comes in colors.

I'm planning either redwood, ipe, white oak or pine for mine. White oak is grown locally here. I've also seen a pecan bed that looked nice, although it's more of a southern wood. Teak is very good but also very expensive.