The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Need ideas on preserving new red oak flatbed

Hello-

I have a 1958 Chevrolet Viking 6400. Has a 14 foot dump bed on it. Was originally a Omaha Standard grain truck bed with removable sides. I just finished installing new steel cross members and put 1.5 inch thick red oak boards for the bed. Unfortunately, this truck has no inside storage. This is not going to be used as a show truck. I intend to haul wood,logs, scrap iron, etc. with it, so painting it or varnish probably won't be an option. Would linseed oil work good (boiled or raw)? Or should I use a deck sealer such as Thompsons? What are some things others have used? Thanks in advance!

Jesse

The best bet for what you have described is cheap or even used motor oil. Linseed
is OK but would cost more I suppose. Why not white oak which is more plentiful and works as well? O/S used 1/18" x 12" laminated edgegrain larch for many, many years as a platform floor material. I've also seen them use 2" nominal YP which is a great floor material. Waterproof treatments like Thompson's, etc. must be used every year and are expensive. No good for this usage.

Well it's to bad you won't be able to keep it out of the weather.
I've got the same setup you have on the back of my 52 6100 and it's still in good shape, but judging from what the whole thing looks like I don't think it spent it's life outside.

Right now it is outside but the bed is covered with roofing rubber which I managed to get cheap at an auction.

I've tried Thompson's on wood and like Dave said, put it on every year, but who feels like doing that.
Take a lesson from that oak you see laying in the woods, because moisture is the enemy. If the oak stays dry it will last but the oak that stays wet a lot, will rot.

My bed was made with tongue and groove oak and it's the between the boards that rarely drys out and begins the rot.

I think I'd try the motor oil trick, if I couldn't do any thing to keep it dry.

Dan

As Dave noted, white oak is rot resistant while red oak is not. As such, the best bet if you have picked out red oak is to seal the entire board, top, bottom, sides, and ends. Any drying oil (like tung oil, boiled linseed oil, etc.) is going to have to be reapplied every year, and gives little UV protection. A semi-transparent deck stain or an oil based deck stain will work better as it has UV blockers added. Something like Sikkens is regularly recommended by deck builders for longevity (3-5 years)on projects where you don't want it to look painted.

I have no idea about the long term effectiveness of motor oil, but I have an old workbench that beads right up if water is spilled on it because someone clearly tore down an engine on top of it and soaked it through with oil. Paraffin or Anchorseal (a wax emulsion paint) are other options.