The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed Metal Bed Blocks?

Anyone ever used metal, either square tube or solid square bar, instead of the wood blocks between the bed and the frame?

Any thoughts on pros or cons of this?

The reason I ask is the guys who I am working with on the custom bed have suggested making the blocks out of solid square bar, drilling the bolt hole and then welding them to the frame, so the blocks become part of the frame. They have also suggested putting an additional block between the frame and bed cross member that appears to have never had one originally.

Open to any thoughts or comments. Thanks in advance.

Even on the rear support where it is metal they use the rubber pad, do you intend on using these for vibration? If so then the metal block might work OK. The unblocked bed sill served the purpose of floating except when under a load, it then went down until it touched the frame (theoretically for a short period of time).
I guess I have to wonder what the solid mounts buy you?

Yes, if we go with the metal blocks, they would be welded to the frame and have the rubber pad between the block and the bed sill. The bolts would still go all the way through, just as if we were using the wood blocks.

I don't plan on any heavy loads for the bed, so the block on the crossmember that never had one isn't really necessary, I suppose.

The advantage to the metal blocks is they become part of the frame and would be painted with the frame, the thought is to get rid of those little wood blocks from the harsh environment under the truck.

I considered using 2" square metal with rubber on my 4t6 just because I had it laying around. I ended up using square oak blocks. I figured Chevy knew more than I did and they musta had a reason...lol
Dan

I make mine out of 2 inch nylon round stock on the lathe. Worked well and added some resilience when tightening down.

Lynngrove,
Here is a shot under my 1 ton bed with metal blocks I built using 2" tubing with 3/8" rubber pad underneath. Looks great, solid, and no worries about anything rotting. I capped the ends of the tubes so water or dirt can't accumulate in them. My opinion is to go for it. Modern trucks sure as heck don't have wooden blocks under the bed.

http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/f...mage_zpslpdakhq9.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

Welding anything to the flange of a frame rail is a really bad idea. If you want to secure a bed block to the frame, either bolt it without welding, or add a tab that can be welded to the side, not the top of the frame. Weld beads cause stress risers on frame flanges and you'll end up with a crack across the flange beside the weld.
Jerry

I'm confused Jerry. Is it only because the weld is on the top of the frame that can lead to cracks? Why don't the guys in the HIPO shop worry about welding in blocks and cross members and extra stuff? My tuck won't be doing anymore work, so I'm not going to worry myself.

They either don't know any better, or they just don't care what happens to a project once they get paid for it and it's out the door. Check out a big rig sometime- - - -every crossmember and bracket that's either welded or bolted to the frame is attached to the vertical part of the channel, never the top or bottom flange. All frames torque and flex due to road roughness, potholes, cornering load, etc. A weld bead, and sometimes even a bolt hole in a frame flange can be the beginning point for a crack.
Jerry

Can it be reinforced on the vertical afterwards to prevent cracks from starting?
Would regular driving cause enough force to induce the forces needed or would you need to loaded frequently?

Define "regular driving". How about that pothole 8 inches deep that wasn't there before last week's snowstorm, or the sudden 90 degree turn that appears out of nowhere on a road you haven't driven before? After 40-something years of building dirt track race cars and working on 18 wheelers, I'm not surprised at much of anything that happens out on the road. It's a small miracle that body and frame parts last as long as they do.

Far too many hotrodders simply slap something together that "looks good" without taking into account any of the physics or geometry involved in what's going on. I've seen downright deadly combinations of parts that might run just fine in a straight line, but the thing will handle like a rhinosceros on a wet clay bank the first time an unexpected turn pops up!
Jerry