The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks Bed mounting pads?

Bed - fleetside with fresh planks - nearly ready to go back on to frame. Got these square rubber bed mounting pads from Classic Parts some time ago and now as the deed approaches I'm beginning to ponder the logistics. I'm even having doubts about using them now at all, can't find them in my LMC catalogue either, certainly can't recall seeing any remnants of rubber when we removed the bed. Anyone with advice on this matter will immediately be appointed sheriff for a day.

I've not seen any remnants on any of my fleetsides either, and my side trim did not line up correctly if I used them.

The whole side trim thing , it not lining up, never once occurred to me. Not much an issue here as I don't have any, but I can see it catching out folk looking only to do the right thing. I did, however, almost get caught out on those pesky cross sills and thinking they were all identical - the five large ones that is - having nurtured them back to life by blasting and painting, only after installing I noticed an odd one. Just in time!

I used them no problem. Needed a good ground for the taillights to work. installed a strap bed to frame.

Here are the installation details from Mar-k on step sides, fleetsides may be worth a call. if anybody will know it will be them.

http://www.mark.com/Catalog/PDF/Instructions/bed_mounting_information.pdf

I guess the question I really should be asking is anybody know if any thing like this was put in from factory? Or was it simply metal to metal and bolts torqued to FT? Just trying to do the right thing. Over.

Metal on metal makes zero sense, that bed would squeak until you went crazy.

Mr Allen, Sir, yes I would go crazy. I can see where this is going but still interested to know what was originally fitted.

I have never owned that vintage so will be curious. A metal on metal fit in that area of a truck would quickly see wear through of one surface or the other as well. Maybe someone will chime in with the right answer. Did you call Mar-K?

Did not call but did scrutinize their web site and saw absolutely nothing about bed mounting pads

You did not look at this?
http://www.mar-k.com/Catalog/PDF/Instructions/bed_mounting_information.pdf

Mr Allen, Sir, I stand to be corrected, my wife will gleefully say not for the first time.

As an FYI.....

The guy that did the body work on one of my trucks used to use plastic from milk / water jugs to make plastic spacers to go between metal to metal joints.

I've done this a number of times since. Seems to work quite well, especially in instances where the thickness needs to be as thin as possible.

Rubber tends to trap moisture, which leads to rust.

Would some pieces from a tire tube work? Seems so.

I would think a thin Nylon or Delrin would wear the longest.

just another idea. I had some old fire hose that has a thin rubber liner and is wrapped with a polyester type fabric. "kinda" think and worked real good for me. These are the pads for my panel made from the fire hose.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/LutherParris/52Panel/NEWbodyblocks001.jpg

That's a pretty resourceful approach, Sir. Like it a lot.

Of all of the '60-'66 Chevy/GMC truck fleet-side beds, we have disassembled, I have never seen any evidence of spacers, of any sort, between the landing pads of the bed cross sills & the landing perches affixed to the frame. Although metal-to-metal, is recommended, a square of sound mat, like Hush Mat or Peel-n-Seal, is a good isolator and the thickness is minimal.

Real careful inspection of frame does show compression marks, definitely consistent with the cross sills tightened metal to metal, funny, never noticed it before. The other thing that crossed my mind was if pads were used from factory, say 5mm give or take a bit, and, with the passing of time perished, wouldn't that cause the bed to slide and bang every time the truck hit so much as a blemish in the road? Eventually the bolts would sheer.
I feel like I'm back to square one. Just finished sculpturing twelve pads out of 3mm heavy duty rubber too.
One more consideration: this newly revamped bed is way heavier than I could ever have imagined, lining it up is one thing, keeping an eye on twelve pads, even if glued down, is another.

Here's how I did mine:

Go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy bolts that are a couple inches longer then the ones you have.

Set the bed on the frame without the pads. Move it around until the bolt holes line up.

Put all the longer bolts through the bed into the frame, but don't install the nuts.

Take a floor jack and lift the back of the bed enough to provide space to slide the pads into place.

In the back half of the frame remove the bolts one at a time and install the pads and then the longer bolts.

Lower the back of the bed down onto the pads/frame.

Repeat the procedure by placing the floor jack on the front of the bed.

Once all the pads are installed let the floor jack down.

Replace all the long bolts with the correct bolts, then install washers and nuts.

Eazy Peazy Lemon Squeazy

My old '63 was still all original when I bought it in 1977. Only 14 years old at the time and it had no pad or anything between the bed and the frame.

My '62 didn't have anything there either, but it was a lot older and had been worked on by the time I got it.

I may now have for sale twelve 3mm rubber pads, bespoke, 63 long fleetside, never used.

A ton of thanks to all who've chipped in.