SCFlareside Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 All, Just saving some photos on the forum for the sake of preservation and info: Here are some shots of the underside of my Flareside with the OEM wood. It appears they encased or coated it with something in addition to just the plywood. These are shots of the underside looking up at a rear wheel well, with a piece of the "shell" also. Other shots show the back looking forward over the rear axle; note the location of the heat shield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 It appears they encased or coated it with something in addition to just the plywood. These are shots of the underside looking up at a rear wheel well, with a piece of the "shell" also. Hey SCFlareside. My '84 Flareside had the original 3pc plywood bed floor in it when I bought it, and while it was partially rotten on the top, the undercoating had preserved it like brand new on the bottom side. I cleaned some of it off looking for any markings on the wood, and the bottom layer of the plywood appeared to be like an MDF veneer or something. It's all gone now, but if you saw it in person it looked just like that brown MDF paneling you buy at Home Depot, etc. It was 3/4" plywood, but the bottom layer was as smooth as glass. It was almost as if they used a finish plywood, like the stuff used for making cabinets, etc. At this point and time, more than 30 years later, it is pretty uncommon to find one of these trucks with the factory bed wood still intact (rotten or not). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 It appears they encased or coated it with something in addition to just the plywood. These are shots of the underside looking up at a rear wheel well, with a piece of the "shell" also. Hey SCFlareside. My '84 Flareside had the original 3pc plywood bed floor in it when I bought it, and while it was partially rotten on the top, the undercoating had preserved it like brand new on the bottom side. I cleaned some of it off looking for any markings on the wood, and the bottom layer of the plywood appeared to be like an MDF veneer or something. It's all gone now, but if you saw it in person it looked just like that brown MDF paneling you buy at Home Depot, etc. It was 3/4" plywood, but the bottom layer was as smooth as glass. It was almost as if they used a finish plywood, like the stuff used for making cabinets, etc. At this point and time, more than 30 years later, it is pretty uncommon to find one of these trucks with the factory bed wood still intact (rotten or not). I think it more likely MDO (medium density overlay) This is often used for signs and such where you want an impermeable smooth surface that doesn't telegraph the grain below. Then there's HDO, which is used for concrete forms... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I think it more likely MDO (medium density overlay) This is often used for signs and such where you want an impermeable smooth surface that doesn't telegraph the grain below. Right you are. It was smooth like glass, but definitely part of the wood. You know that hard paneling you can buy that's always dark brown? Usually smooth on one side, and rougher on the back? Same kind of stuff they use for the back panels on things like a dresser, or cabinet? That's what it looked like on my truck, but it would have been just a single layer veneer of the plywood. I couldn't remember what it was called, but that is what mine looked like when I wiped away the undercoating. I just didn't take any pictures of it unfortunately. Ken's could be something different, I'm not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I think it more likely MDO (medium density overlay) This is often used for signs and such where you want an impermeable smooth surface that doesn't telegraph the grain below. Right you are. It was smooth like glass, but definitely part of the wood. You know that hard paneling you can buy that's always dark brown? Usually smooth on one side, and rougher on the back? Same kind of stuff they use for the back panels on things like a dresser, or cabinet? That's what it looked like on my truck, but it would have been just a single layer veneer of the plywood. I couldn't remember what it was called, but that is what mine looked like when I wiped away the undercoating. I just didn't take any pictures of it unfortunately. Ken's could be something different, I'm not sure. "Masonite" is otherwise known as oil tempered hardboard. This is what pegboard is made from. Regular hardboard is that cheap '70's paneling and Ikea cabinet backs. Whereas MDO and HDO are phenolic impregnated Kraft paper. The phenolic is what keeps it from absorbing water. Maybe irrelevant, but I'm 'that pedantic geek' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFlareside Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 "Masonite" is otherwise known as oil tempered hardboard. This is what pegboard is made from. Regular hardboard is that cheap '70's paneling and Ikea cabinet backs. Whereas MDO and HDO are phenolic impregnated Kraft paper. The phenolic is what keeps it from absorbing water. Maybe irrelevant, but I'm 'that pedantic geek' Yes! The outer layer is extremely thin, but smooth. It's definitely only the last layer of veneer. Good picture Rembrandt, good to have on this thread. Looks like you still have the mystery piece on there as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFlareside Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Yes! The outer layer is extremely thin, but smooth. It's definitely only the last layer of veneer. Good picture Rembrandt, good to have on this thread. Looks like you still have the mystery piece on there as well... Jim, not sure if these pics help identify or confirm it as MDO? Here are a few closeups of the piece I took off as a sample Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFlareside Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Jim, not sure if these pics help identify or confirm it as MDO? Here are a few closeups of the piece I took off as a sample You can see in the second picture, taken on edge (profile view) how thin that lower, outer layer is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Jim, not sure if these pics help identify or confirm it as MDO? Here are a few closeups of the piece I took off as a sample Cool! You can see it in your pic Ken, it's just like a layer of brown paper almost...a thin/smooth veneer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFlareside Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Cool! You can see it in your pic Ken, it's just like a layer of brown paper almost...a thin/smooth veneer. OK I keep editing this reply, was looking up MDO vs MDF. It looks like MDO is readily available in 3/4 inch plywood and used for outdoor signage and other exterior use. Hmmm... It also comes in either single or double sided, so one could have the MDO outside facing downward and the wood OR MDO up on the bed floor. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/plywood-versus-mdo-99007.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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