The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed Treated lumber for the bed...

I've had my 68 Chevy SWB Truck for 27 years. 15 years ago I rebuilt my truck and used treated wood for the bed. I've seen no negative ramifications since doing so. I've read some of the other posts about the best methods of preservation for untreated oak or pine wood, and also seen a few glancing cautions against using treated wood. Now, I'm doing another restoration and am considering the wood to use. Is treated wood really not a good idea? Are there others that have used treated wood and found either positive or negative results? I'm doing this restoration with an eye for originality, but I also plan to use the truck as a semi-regular driver, so I have no issues with disposing with originality if it means that the truck will last longer or perform better. Any thoughts?

Do an internet search. I punched in 'treated lumber corrosion' and found lots of info. In 2003 CCA treated lumber was replaced by ACQ treated lumber, this newer treated lumber is far more corrosive than the old stuff. It's also more corrosive to aluminum and steel the more it is expoed to moisture.

And I believe ACQ has been replaced itself, with something less corrosive, MCA. If he's doing a thorough job of finishing it with poly, it's unlikely to be an issue without direct contact. Plus if he uses stainless hardware, even the ACQ shouldn't be a problem for many, many years.

Our local Lowes Home improvement has 1" X 5.5" x 6' composite decking at $2 each. Why not? lasts a long time!!!!!! Don't know if it can take a "rabbit" cut.

One issue you might have with treated lumber is that it could still be "wet" from the treatment. Once it completely dries out, it will shrink which can be a problem if you drilled and installed it wet.
If I were going through the trouble of doing another restoration, I would put in a better grade of wood and use a bed mat if I was hauling anything.

Just my opinion.

Many times wood you buy is "green" to an extent and could twist, curl and shrink a bit. Be careful where you buy your wood. Check with MarK in Oklahoma City. They sell the wood ready-cut for your truck. They may be a bit pricey but you can count on it being kiln dried. I've had too much of Home Depot wood twist and curve on me to trust it for my truck.

I wanted yellow pine for my bed so I looked in the yellow pages and found lumberyards that had been in business for many years. I found one near Mockingbird and Greenville road in Dallas. They had old yellow pine that was 'kiln dried' by many years in the Dallas summer heat. They allowed me to pick through the boards for straight ones. These boards made a fine bed that didn't twist or buckle.

The 'big box' stores buy and sell quick and in quantity. Maybe that is why it is wet and not dried.

Here is a link to an interesting discussion on treated wood
....link....

i'm guessing about fiftten years ago i removed all the origional wood and the two additional layers of plywood in the back of my truck. replaced them with pine 2x4's. so far soo good.

We get asked the question many times
Is your wood treated?

Our Answer: Our wood is kiln dried, not treated. Kiln drying is a process of heating the boards to reduce the amount of moisture to less than 10 percent. Kiln drying helps prevent the boards from cracking and warping after installation.

Also, here is a link to information on how to finish your bed wood:
http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finishing.html

We also have 2 finishing tests that are very helpful:
http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finish_testing_i.html
http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finish_testing_ii.html

Hope these help.

Thanks, great post.