The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed Bed Assy w/out wood.

Here's a dumb question...can I assemble bed sides, front panel, tailgate and mount the fenders all on the chassis without the wood AND then come back later and install the wood WITHOUT removing the bed again?

Yes. The wood doesn't have to be in to assemble the sheetmetal, though installing the 2 outer boards is a little tricky as you will have to lift the bed slightly to get them under the side angles.

Thanks Bill, that's reassuring since the painter will do the re-assembly of all sheet metal, I didn't want F-it-up when I got it home.

You did not mention the intermediate bed support. It will "float". Your paint guy will need to secure it some way to keep it from scratching the paint.

Are you refering to a cross member that is not connected to the bed sides, but bolts to the bed wood only?

It depends on how many cross members you have. I am sure it was not original to MY truck, but I have two cross members. One is between the axle and the rear cross sill. It bolts to the frame and the bed wood/bed side angle strip(?). The other is between the axle and the front cross sill. It only bolts to the bed wood/bed side angle strip. On my 49 3100, I was unable to put these cross members in AFTER the major components of the bed were put together. Your truck bed maybe different.

If you are going to assemble the bed with no wood floor, you probably should use a scrap of 3/4 wood between the angle and the cross sills to support the bed sides at the right height. Otherwise you may damage the apron. Be sure to use the correct height wood blocks under the cross sills at bed mounting points.

Short bed '52 should have three cross sills, one bolted to the front panel, one between rear sill and axle, and one "floating" between the front sill and the axle.

The floating cross sill, between the front sill and the axle, may be bolted to the angle strip in the correct location, even though it is not bolted to the frame.

Mar-Ktech

OK, I follow now. Thanks

what is "correct height (of) wood blocks"?

51:
The wood block height plus the cross sill height(including its little metal plate where the bed to frame bolt goes through) should be the same as the rear sill mounting bracket height. That way the bed sits flat and level with the frame and is not put in a bind by the bed-to-frame bolts that go through the cross sill. If your frame is distorted or bent you may have to adjust, but usually 2-1/8" works.

Mar-Ktech

Only problem with mounting the completed bed to frame without the wood is that its hard to get the nuts on the bolts in some places when applying the wood later. Its hard enough to get them on with the bed sitting on saw horses. The front corners of the bed, and a couple places in between are hard to reach with all the braces, frame parts and crossmembers in the way. I had to use painters tape, taped the nuts to the washers and used a socket entension to get mine in. Just my .02 cents worth. I assembled the bed with the wood off the truck and then with the help of a couple friends lifted the entire bed and sat it on the frame.