I have a rear fuel tank in my '51 Panel so I had to devise somewhere else to locate the spare tire. This simple mounting bracket from American Van Equipment secures it solidly, and helps counterbalance the loss of the original side tank to prevent the notorious "Chevy Lean" that our trucks always seem to develop.
Sorry, you can tell that the cargo compartment is the last thing on my truck to receive any detailing...eventually it will all be painted black and the wood refinished.
Metal on the bracket looks beefy. I’m not so sure I would be in a hurry to paint the inside black. I like how it looks now instead of the coal mine after dark effect. I personally would be inclined to match the grey that’s in there and see how it looked. You could spray some matching grey primer on the rusty spots as a test. The bed actually looks pretty good from here. Maybe a wash down and some poly and roll with it. Just like in a house, dark colors tend to shrink the space to the eye, while light colors give a bigger feel. But hey, it’s your truck after all.😀