The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed Questions on Building a flatbed

Hello All,
I'm interested in building a flat bed for 59 for a few reasons. 1.More room to move stuff & easier to strap items down. 2. My bed is in bad shape = lots of body work = lots of $$/time. 3. I won't use a shiny perfect bed, even thought they look awesome. Here's my questions:

1. Picture #1 show a wooden beam on top of the frame held down by LONG U-bolts. Was this how they did it back then? (i'm thinking yes)
2 Suggestions on type of wood for bed . It will get light to medium use, nothing too heavy or abusive.

The 2nd picture show exactly how I'll make my stake side holders. I have all the equipment to do it & just completed a big metal gate so I got my practice in

I would use pressure treated pine (SYP). The bed in your second photo is SYP.

It's meant for outdoor use and won't rot or get eaten by bugs. If you're worried about shrinking and having the gaps between planks open a little, let it dry out for a few months, first.

Or you can buy Kiln Dried Pressure Treated Pine, known as KDAT.

If you buy the KDAT, you can apply stain immediately. If you buy the regular stuff, let it dry out before staining. Pressure Treated lumber doesn't require stain for outdoor use, though.

The chemicals used in the pressure treating will corrode certain fasteners so use only stainless steel or hot dipped galvanized steel fasteners (not electroplated galvanized).

Great info Otto! Did they use wood above the frame rails? (question #1)

If the bed was built by an aftermarket supplier, it could be constructed however the builder or customer wanted.

I don't know what method the factory used to build the flatbeds but somebody on here once posted a General Motors manual with pictures and descriptions of various factory flat beds and stake bodies. I'm sure someone will direct you to that document soon enough.

How is your current bed constructed?

I currently have a step side with a side mounted spare tire. I don't think they made flat beds in the 3100's, I've only seen them in 3/4, 1 tons + . I volunteer with our historical society & were always moving items, so I this the stake side will come in handy like a pocket on a shirt.

fester - The below screenshot taken from the 1959 Chevy Truck Data PDF shows those spacer boards sitting on top of the steel frame rail and clamped on by the U-bolt and clamp hardware. It doesn't provide specific dimensions of the boards themselves, but if you look closely through the vehicle height data below the pic (in the PDF itself), you should be able to do the math and figure out how tall they were. The width of the boards should match the width of your frame rails and length fit to size of the bed space available, plus however much overhang at the rear you intend to have.

I've also attached some extract pages from a 1955-59 FAM that depict the platform bed with support "boards" and some of the attachment hardware.

Note the measurements and diagram apply to 3/4 ton and up flat beds, so slight changes to fit your 3100 frame would be needed. You will also need to consider the rear axle frame "hump" in your support boards. Hope this covers what you need.

Wow! Awesome information thanks again stovebolters

Dan, that IS great info. There is other helpful ideas in the Legacy Tech Tips.

Absolutely agree Miss Peggy and thanks for the reminder on that. This one for Irwin's '59 1 Ton all steel flat bed build might be some good info for fester to consider also!

Thanks for the reminder on that build Dan! I remember reading it before but didn't pay too much mind to that article. Now that info is gold. I'll starting my research & plan to build pretty soon. Thanks again to all those who posted.

I'm 90% done making my flatbed & I'd like to show "my" process in case it might help or inspire someone. This will be an overview not a step by step how to.

I'd probably do a couple of small tweaks if i did it again. Its like the expression goes, hind sight is 20/20.
I'm pretty happy with the outcome & just have to build some stake sides.

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The last picture does not show the bed wood bolted down. I'll upload that within a week. Still need to make some stake sides too.

fester - That's one fine looking flat bed! Congrats on how it turned out and thanks for sharing! Will be interested to see your stake sides when you get them done up too.

I didn't quite get it done this weekend.Here's a preview of the sides. I'll upload the final pics in a couple of days.

I will stain it tomorrow.

Final thoughts, I probably will choose (maybe diy) another rear bumper in the future. In hindsight I probably would have made the bed another 6" longer (total of 7'). I wanted the bed wide enough for my wife & I to sleep sideways on the bed. I will also be making a removable ladder rack & a removeable camper to fit on the back. It will be a "foamie camper", look it up if your not familiar (very light weight & weather proof)

Total cost was about $1,155 & weighs 400-415lbs. Lastly if your looking for any kind of u-bolt. https://uboltstore.com/ has every style, size & length you can think of. Great company.

That's all folks!

I agree that that bumper doesn't go with a stakebody.