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I have a 1948 Chevy 1.5 ton truck, but it currently doesn't have a bed on it. I want to build a flatbed on it, but haven't been able to find any info on it. Most people just want pickup beds, but I like the look of the stake bed. This is my first truck project, so I have limited knowledge on where to get parts or info. If any of you could help me in giving bed dimensions, materials, and/or places to buy parts, I would be extremely grateful.

I've built beds. Just look at beds to get idea of layout. What I do is...get treated lumber in 5/4" decking and cut strips to lay on frame rails full length. Cut the holes in it to lay flat over the rivet heads in frame, so the board lays flat. Buy 5" or maybe 4" channel to use as "rails" to set on top of wood and follow frame rails. Get them long, like 12 to 16ft or whatever you had in mind for length of bed. Use any tube or pipe to make a couple of x-members between them, usually at least three, to hold it all together as you build. Next, using more channel, weld a frame outside edge as big as you want bed to be, so it sets on the channels on frame at front and back. Now run smaller channel, like 3" accross the main rails an into outer channels and weld to them. Weld those smaller channels to the main channels. I like to make my outer channels "mitred" or 45 degrees for finish look. You could cut corners out and make them angled, not square and you can make a "dovetail" outer end if you wish. Buffet the rais to x-overs with little triangle plates for support. Use treated tongue and groove 2x6 boards for deck, painting them after they dry/shrink some. I used carriage bolts to bolt to x-overs every so often and ground down the edge boards and the ends of each to fit under channel lips. You will have to put the last end channel on last after boards if you make it flat. I can send a picture or two of what I did on my last truck. They are not that hard to make, provided you have welder, and good cut-off saw. Once you have the main frame set-up and tack welded, you can remove from frame and weld better or turn to weld and paint off truck. Set bed back on truck and hold whole thing down with long U-bolts you can get at spring shop or some places can make you some to your measurements. They are fairly cheap. About six is all you need, two on front, two on back, and pair in middle or maybe two in middle if you think needed, I don't.
Check out www.trailerplans.com for bed ideas for trailers, they are about the same.

Teen48,

Welcome aboard!

The bed on my '38 1-1/2 ton appears to have been built by the farmer that owned it. It has a pair of 4x6 sleepers that lie on top of the frame rails. It then has 4x4 cross pieces on top of those, and finally a 2" tongue and groove deck on top of that. All of the material appears to be fir.

There is a band of 2" x 1/4" steel lagged screwed around the perimeter of the deck that reinforces the stake pockets and protects the edge of the deck.

I remember when my uncle bought a new International truck in the mid 50's. It came as a cab and chassis and then he and my Dad spent a week or so building the bed and racks for it.

Good info. here. My '46 ton-and-a-half has a built-up bed, also.

If you build the bed off-truck, make sure you have some way to lift it up so you can get the truck under the bed. One way would be to build it up on cribbing, with some judicious planning, back the truck under the finished bed and bed frame, and lower the whole shebang down to the truck frame.

Don't forget to check your state requirements for things like clearance lights and mud flaps.

And don't construct a bed too long for the truck frame, you want to maintain weight balance and gross limits. Anything over 12 feet could become problematic.

Send pictures as you progress. G.L. will gladly tell you exactly what you should be doing at each step!

I built this bed on our 45 Chevy 2 ton for about $300 of white oak from a local mill. Like the post above says, its built on 2x5 oak sleepers run parallel to the frame rails, with 3x4 oak cross rails and the the 1-1/4 random width planks.The whole thing is held together with carriage bolts and quality deck screws.The oak planking looks very industrial and not like some rolling picnic table .Metal edges and frame work make a first class job, but I like the farmer bed good enough and it was easy to make.I looked at factory made flatbeds , but they were all too wide for the old trucks.... farmer bed. Geez, I posted something similar this morning, must have gotten lost.

Welcome to The 'Bolt, teen48! Lots of good info presented here already, I'll just add one little tidbit. When looking for supplies and materials, check out your local supplier(s) of "large truck" parts. I work for Ryder and all of our cube vans, dock heights, straight trucks are built on the same principles which GL and others already outlined here. The "sleeper" rails are secured to the existing frame rails with body bolt mounts consisting of two flat steel plates with two holes drilled in 'em. These are held together and sandwiched around the frames with two long heavy duty threaded rods with nuts/lockwashers on either end. Sounds like a cool project-why not take pictures while you're hard at it and see if John and Peg would post 'em here for a Tech Tip? Hope you found this helpful. I'm also kinda glad you posted this question-sounds like it might be a good way to finish off an old truck which is missing its bed.

Regards,
Wannabe

Here are GL Perrys pictures when he was building his flat bed... start off photo 2 ... photo 3 ... rear view

Thanks "Sender" for fixing me up with pictures. Fellas, these aren't the best pix, but read my first post and you can get general idea what I did. In one pix, I have the bed off and painted under my tall "body hoist" I made in backyard. I started bed on truck, tacked it, set on sawhorses in garage to finish, reset on truck, moved to hoist, then lifted it all angles to weld easier, then paint, and set back on truck with hoist again. I made the headache rack later and bolted it on, or you could weld parts on too. OR, just make pockets to make sides,ends. I don't have on here yet, but now have pockets on the sides and a wide flat steel over them to hook anchor lines on to. I have bed sides that come off and make into car ramps for the back which also now has supports for the ramps, not shown in pix.

Gl's finished bed. It looks good.

Thanks for your help guys, and I have decided that I am going to build a bed just like on OlBlue's '38 farm truck. It has 4x8 sleepers, 7 4x6x7.5 crossmemebers unevenly spaced (26" for the three in the front, 41" over the duals, and 24" for the two in the back) giving 14'. I would really like to build a 16' bed on it, but I'm not sure how good of an idea that is. It is 7' cab to duals, and 10' cab to the end of the frame. I plan on using 2x6x16 deckboards, about 17 of them. I got some of the wierdest looks when I went around to the local lumberyards asking for a quote on an order like this! You'd be surprised how hard it is to get 16 foot 4x8s. I'm also thinking about putting 2x6s down both sides as a support for the bedsides, is that a good idea, or should I go with the 1/4" steel strips that OlBlue's '38 has down the sides? I am trying to stay away from steel and welding as I don't have access to equipment here, and it is expensive here in town. Another thing: I am planning on using plain Doug Fir, and applying a marine varnish to all of them. The guys at the lumber yards say I'm crazy and should use pressure treated. Also I've heard people say I should paint it, all black except for the bedside supports (white). What do you guys think? I want to keep it fairly original, and the plain fir and varnish is what the p/u guys do for their bedwood usually. Thanks for all your guys' help.

Teen48, the biggest consideration of finishes would be what end uses you plan to make of this truck. If you are planning on using it as, well, a TRUCK, you should just paint it black-easier touch ups when it gets scratched or gouged. If it's just going to be a show truck then by all means go the full route with smooth finished boards sealed with several good coats of marine spar varnish. Best of luck-hope your project works out well.

Regards,
Wannabe

Teen, good idea about staying away from treated lumber, I think. I know a guy who builds lawn furniture, swings and picnic tables from treated lumber. He's been getting a rash on his hands and arms for a while now and the doctor didn't know what was causing it. The guy just found out that one of the chemicals in the treated wood is arsenic that's causing the sores. Untreated fir should be fine. Jacques

Wood Huh! Well OK! BUT, if you don't use treated, it will be rotten in 3-5 yrs. I know, it happened to me. I think you could use 4x6 treated for the main rails. I've never seen 4x8. Must have to have them cut at big mill. They won't be smooth if you go that route, stick with the treated at most good yards. Think you may be able to get 14 ft too, but sometimes longer ones move faster and you can get better wood picking 16's. You can always layer 2 x's and get good results also. Much like a beam in a house would be. I would recomend 2x6 treated tongue and groove for top boards. The 5/4 decking won't be strong enough and give over wider spots, and when it shrinks it will leave gaps. Most treated will shrink and leave gaps, the tongue helps some there. I once temporarily bolted on my treated wood and left thru winter, went back in spring and unbolted, pulled it all tighter again with big pipe clamps and rebolted. OH, Yes, this was after I painted the boards on all sides dissassembled including the tongue and groove part and them put back together. Had to leave last board till done to cut to right width. Clear as MUD? Treated lumber now has new "safe" treatment, no arsnic, costs more now too. You can paint it, but they reccommend waiting for year or so, to dry good. You'll have to run ground wires for all your lights to frame or somewhere too. I use those new rubber light holders and metal frames to slip in the new one-pc throw away lights like new trailers and trucks use, very nice.

I do want to stay away from treated lumber, but not necessarily because it has arsenic in it. I have built decks and ramps using treated, with no problems, but I want to go more original for my truck. I'm still not sure whether I want to use a marine finish or just paint it. One thing I was thinking about was the deck would be SLIPPERY when wet if it just had the varnish on it. Maybe I could add some sand to the finish? By the way, I'm painting my truck gloss black, so I think a black bed would look nice with it. From what I can tell, the original trucks were wood, much like I described, with 1/4" steel strips all the way around the bed, to protect the corners and to reinforce the stake holes. Where could I get something like that? Maybe I'll ask OlBlue (He lives here in town). I have heard that 2x6 tongue and groove is the best decking, so I'll do that. I was wondering though, to put 45s on the end of the 4x6 stringers it would cause problems when mounting the deck boards using carriage bolts. Any ideas? Or should I just go with 90s? Another question: are three U bolts enough to hold my ed on? It seems that it could slip or something. I was thinking 1/4" plates on each side of the beam/frame, and bolt them through. This would be more work, plus I don't want to drill any more holes in the frame if I don't have to. I was also wondering about lighting. Maybe I'll ask the electrical guys. Thanks for all your guys' help.

If you ever get over to Pendleton I have 1948 1.5 ton with the original flat bed. It was built in portland oregon. It has a hoist so that the farmer could dump his wheat. I beleive it is
7' 6" wide and 12' long. needs new wood but it would give you an idea................................