The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed box assembly

I have 50 chevy 3100 which I am working final assembly. What is best way to assemble box. Build box on frame or assemble on saw horses then place on frame. My concern is if built on frame crossmembers gas tank etc make things difficult. If built on saw horses I am concerned ling up box to may be too hard, I need opinions/tips thanks.

Just completed this task a few months ago on my ‘46 Restoration. We used the saw horse support method and it worked like a charm. Once it was all assembled it was slid onto the chassis using 2x6’s to span the distance between the saw horse supports and the frame rails. It helped that the rest of the truck was on tire skates, so we could more easily line up the bed. Once the bed was on the chassis, bolt holes were lined up with large tapered punches. Two of us accomplished the whole task in less than 8 hours. Your truck bed might be a bit heavier than this one.

Norse: it’s a big job however you decide to do it, but consider that at the factory the box was assembled first and then installed on the frame. Assembling the bed on saw horses is the way I did it also. The reason being is that I couldn’t imagine having to assemble and tighten all those 70 something 1/4” carriage bolts to the bed divider strips with the bed on the frame and having to work around the exhaust and drive shaft and springs, etc. Like Spanky said, two guys can put it all together in less than 8 hours, but that’s a big maybe......take your time, enjoy the ride. What I learned: make sure your saw horse platform is perfectly level; loosely assemble ALL your fasteners BEFORE you tighten anything; use a carpenters square to initially get the bed squared up but then go to the truck frame and measure the location of the bed to frame mounting points DIAGONALLY and then duplicate those dimensions onto the bedsides, crossmembers, bedboards and divider strips; remeasure; remeasure; remeasure; and then you can finally start to tighten up all those dozens of fasteners. Another set of hands is certainly a benefit. Once you’ve got the bed ready for the install to the frame, go get a case of beer and contact and arrange for 4 of your best buddies to come over and help you drink that case of beer while the 5 of you set the bed in place. You be the ringmaster and guide your 4 friends to pick the bed up (it’s not that heavy), work together, set it in place but you be the guy crawling under the truck confirming that everything is lined up. After it was all done, I might say that getting that bed on the frame was probably one of the most satisfying parts of the whole build.
Good luck, Dave

Thanks guys! I was leaning towards building box on saw horses and transferring to frame. I just needed confirmation which you provided. Old Norse

A different view.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/advance-design_parts_co/albums/72157631884205225