The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Bed wood replacement

I am planning on replacing the wood in the bed and wondering if anyone has had any experience with doing it with the bed off? I want to take it off but can I do this and still get the alignment correct when installing the bed back on the frame with the new wood installed?

I forgot to mention..this is a 1950 chevy 3100 short box..

Why do you want to take it off in the first place? That sounds like more work than necessary. What alignment are you referring to? If it’s still on the truck, it likely is aligned. I would leave it in place unless you have a major need to remove it. I installed my wood with the bed on the frame after paint. It went very well. Work from the outside toward the middle. If it’s very nice and shiny wood with shiny strips, wear your comfy socks to keep it shiny.

Nothing has ever been done with the frame and I am just looking to clean it up and paint. So I figured while I have the bed off i could replace the wood since it has never been replaced..couple holes in it..

Just wondering if anyone has done it and have any tips doing it with the bed removed..

Thanks!

I used a Mar-K bed on my ‘46 Chevy 1/2 ton. The bed was assembled and bed wood installed off the truck, then slid onto the chassis. It was fairly easy, but did require a helper. Drifts/punches were used to align the bed cross members with corresponding holes in the frame. I don’t know if this process will be applicable to your 1950.

I took the bed off my 49 1/2-ton this summer, after I discovered all 4 wooden blocks that are supposed to support it on the frame were missing. I replaced one of the bed boards, which is clearly not the same as doing the entire thing, but it certainly seemed much easier to have the bed off. I was able to stand the bed on end in the garage and work from both sides. Also gave me a good opportunity to sandblast/clean/paint the frame in the rear.

I attached a couple pictures, not that they'll help a lot.

I was hoping that it would be OK..I was going to just place it in saw horses but that tip with standing on end is great!

When you sandblasted the frame did you remove any parts from the frame? My plan was to remove the bed, pressure wash the frame then wire wheel it has best has possible but if I can sandblast it I think it would come out a lot better..I just don't want to start getting into to much at this time with removing a lot of parts..my space is at a minimum. .

Thank you!

I'm not going for any kind of significant restoration, just trying to clean things up a bit, so I didn't remove anything. I primarily sandblasted/painted the top of the frame because I had the accessibility with the bed off. I had previously removed the shocks and cleaned them up. There actually isn't much else to remove if you're stock.

Hi Greg,

That's an awesome job! Did you do the rear axle, torque tube also?

My truck is stock. Stull has the 6v system in it..

Hi Carl, Can the bed be removed with the wood still attached?

I'm not Carl (and happy about that ) but I'm pretty sure you CAN'T remove the bed and leave the wood behind. Each board is attached ABOVE the bed steel at front and back, and at the sides is tucked UNDER the bedside angles.

I think it is technically feasible to remove the box and leave the bed on the truck. I'm just not sure what advantage that provides.

You would have to remove the bolts that connect the front of the box to the front crossmember. You also have to remove the tailgate with the pivot mounts and the bolts that connect the rear of each side of the box to the rear crossmember.

You can leave the fenders connected to the sides. You would have to remove the connection between the fenders and the running boards and splash aprons.

The box itself would be pretty unstable because the only connections are between the front of the sides and the front panel. There would be no connection between the rear ends of the sides.

About anything is possible, but why would anyone want to go to the trouble of basically disassembling the bed while on the truck. The whole front panel would need to be unbolted, all the bolts thru the wood on the angle strips on each side (from under the truck), and while you could unbolt the rear cross-sill from the bedsides, they are also welded together, so you'd have to grind the welds off. Just pull the whole thing off the frame and do whatever work is needed on the bed, reassemble it, and reinstall it on the frame.

I sandblasted and painted the top/side surfaces of everything I could see with the bed removed. With the differential, the grease build-up was so thick I had to scrape and wire wheel it first. I left the bottom surfaces for later, when I have the truck up on the hoist.

Regarding the bed wood, as has been said, there are probably many different ways to go about it. In my case, I discovered that all 6 bolts that should hold the bed to the frame were missing. Only the welds between the fender and running boards were holding the bed on, which had slid back a couple inches. Yes, I said welds because somebody in the past thought it was a good idea to weld the fenders to the running boards. Removing these welds is what initiated my entire project. As you can see in one of my pictures, using the engine hoist fully extended I was able to pick the bed right off the frame after removing the fenders.

I deleted my original post, as it made no sense to even me. I can only hope to someday be as cool and knowledgeable as Kevin L Hansen.
There are as many ways to disassemble/assemble an AD bed as there are AD trucks in existence. It all depends on what one is attempting to do as to which way to proceed.

Thanks for discussion and tips on this!.

I will start with removing the bed with cherry picker and cleaning the frame, springs and whatever I can get to..brakes are ok but I will check them also while I have it apart.

I was also thinking of jacking the bed high enough or suspend it from the ceiling to drive the truck from under it.

Thank again!

I you are borrowing the picker, I’d recommend building an overhead crane with some chain falls. I use mine ALL the time and I can do all my truck stuff by myself if needed. Cabs, engines, boxes, frames; it’s handy. I bring in eyes when fresh paint is involved though! It will make that box a breeze by yourself. 4 ratchet straps to the corners, 2 straps to a chain fall and up you go. But ensure it’s level as you lift (adjust if required), and you will be able to move that box with great precision, and yes, I rolled my truck under it and out from under it numerous times. I highly recommend this to you. My only regret? I should have built its base a little bit larger for stability purposes.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hsSEBfZ2E6TRYcw78

I built a new bed on sawhorses. I duct taped 4x4s to the top of each sawhorse to make them wide enough to hold the bed. To square the bed, you must measure diagonally from left front corner to right rear corner and the other side. Keep adjusting until both measurements are within 1/8" or less. I duct taped 2x4s to the top of each frame rail, this minimizes difficulty of sliding the bed over the frame's rear axle hump. I walked the sawhorses to the back of the bed and lifted the bed onto the frame rail boards. I then pushed the bed forward on the frame rails. I then just picked up each side and pulled the board off the frame. It wasn't five minutes from sawhorses to dropping in the first bolt through bed and frame. All eight bed to frame bolts fell in perfectly thanks to measuring several times to square it up. Crude, but it worked and I'd do it again.