Flareside: OEM Bed Wood pictures

[myrl883]

Cory,

I think the rotary cut Fir looks fantastic!

There's nothing second rate about that at all.

Mine is marine grade, but just the basic structural stuff in Douglas Fir. I got a lot of flack from my buddies for installing plywood by the way...

When people question it, I can say that it was good enough for Ford, it's good enough for me...lol.

http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n60552/IMG_7956.jpg

Today, many of us (woodworkers) have vacuum bag presses.

I specifically bought my 60 mil urethane bag in 5x9' so I could veneer regular size plywood sheets.

While that leaves the plywood 'unbalanced', if you use a glue with no water (epoxy, solvent based neoprene contact cement) you can pull it off without curling.

At 14.7 psi @ sea level that's 2,117 pounds per square foot of clamping force... 67,744 pounds on a 4x8 sheet and it's entirely evenly distributed.

Has anyone done a thread on wood replacement? Once my F100 is running, I need to replace the bed floor. Mine has the original 39 year old wood that I don't dare stand on.

When it's assembled, it looks like the floor is mounted to the frame (think flatbed), and then the front and sides are bolted to the floor. Is that the way it's done, or do you assemble the whole thing on the shop floor and then bolt the box assembly to the frame?

[Rembrant]

Has anyone done a thread on wood replacement? Once my F100 is running, I need to replace the bed floor. Mine has the original 39 year old wood that I don't dare stand on.

There are a few threads about bed rebuilds and such. Quite a bit of info around, although probably not all in one place. I rebuilt the whole bed on mine last year, so I can answer just about anything.

When it's assembled, it looks like the floor is mounted to the frame (think flatbed), and then the front and sides are bolted to the floor. Is that the way it's done, or do you assemble the whole thing on the shop floor and then bolt the box assembly to the frame?

No, it's not really like a flatbed. If you are only changing the wood, you can just leave the bed right on the truck. You'll want to replace the wood mounting blocks while you have it apart, but just doing the wood is pretty straight forward.

I assembled the "box" of my bed on the floor, upside down:

Then I had a friend help me flip it over right side up and sit it on the frame. I had a couple 3/4" boards in there I can't remember why now...lol.

Then I pulled the boards out, and inserted the bed crossmembers and new wooden blocks:

Once you're that far, you can just slide the wood and strips right into place.

I used plywood like the later Bullnose Flares, but the process is all the same with the boards like the earlier trucks (1980-1982)

 

[Rembrant]

So this thread explains a lot. The smooth TOP surface on my bed is actually the MDO peeling off in so many places... I was looking right at it but not seeing it

It sure does explain a lot. I went on the website of the company where I bought my marine plywood, and they have a section/picture for MDO plywood, and that is EXACTLY what mine looked like on the underside:

https://robertbury.com/products/

It is really very interesting to know what Ford used. The top side of my wood floor had been painted black, and it was pretty rotten, so if there was an overlay on the top I couldn't see it. However, the bottom looked just like this picture. Thanks Jim for clarifying what I was trying to say when I said mine looked like MDF on the bottom...lol.

 

[Rembrant]

Cory,

I think the rotary cut Fir looks fantastic!

There's nothing second rate about that at all.

Thanks Jim! I guess the point was, that oak or hardwood boards in general are the defacto standard for refinished floors in these things. Softwood and plywood are for daily drivers. I was thinking about using some bird's eye maple, but like I said earlier, I was really just trying to finish the truck and stop spending so much money on it...lol, it was never really supposed to be that fancy.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

Cory,

I think the rotary cut Fir looks fantastic!

There's nothing second rate about that at all.

Thanks Jim! I guess the point was, that oak or hardwood boards in general are the defacto standard for refinished floors in these things. Softwood and plywood are for daily drivers. I was thinking about using some bird's eye maple, but like I said earlier, I was really just trying to finish the truck and stop spending so much money on it...lol, it was never really supposed to be that fancy.

Elegance is best, understated.

[myrl883]

Elegance is best, understated.

Thanks so much Rembrandt. Pictures can be invaluable!

I can now see the front and rear cross members in the photo where yours is upside down. I didn't see those on my truck, and so I thought that all of the sheet metal rested on the bed floor (which seemed too weak to work). If the sheet metal stays on the frame, it looks like the job just got a whole lot easier!

Also, since the question seems to have come up... Both of my flares have original bed floors, and the floors are the same color as the trucks. It looks like Ford completely assembled and painted the beds before installing them.

Next question - Looking at the parts catalog, early flaresides (before 07/82) had multiple strips of wood instead of 3 pieces of plywood like the ones shown. The metal strips are a different part number as well. It looks easier to me to use plywood like the late trucks had. Does anyone know the difference between the early and late model metal strips?

[Rembrant]

Thanks so much Rembrandt. Pictures can be invaluable!

I can now see the front and rear cross members in the photo where yours is upside down. I didn't see those on my truck, and so I thought that all of the sheet metal rested on the bed floor (which seemed too weak to work). If the sheet metal stays on the frame, it looks like the job just got a whole lot easier!

Ya, so it's not so bad. The outer shell stays on the frame. The front and rear sills are basically part of the "box", and the wood floor is sitting inside it. You would slide the left and right boards in first so they can slide under the fenders, and then work towards the center.

Also, since the question seems to have come up... Both of my flares have original bed floors, and the floors are the same color as the trucks. It looks like Ford completely assembled and painted the beds before installing them.

Yes sir, sitting new on the dealer's lots, the bed floors were painted the color of the truck.

Next question - Looking at the parts catalog, early flaresides (before 07/82) had multiple strips of wood instead of 3 pieces of plywood like the ones shown. The metal strips are a different part number as well. It looks easier to me to use plywood like the late trucks had. Does anyone know the difference between the early and late model metal strips?

Here's a fancy drawing showing the differences in the metal strips. So, from 1980-1982, there were 7 boards and 6 metal strips. The metal strips fit into grooves in the boards, so the edges of the strips extended past the flat bottom section of the strips. Starting late in 1982, Ford went to the 3pc plywood and 5 metal strips which simulated 6 wider boards. These metal strips had the edges curled right around because they sat flush on-top of the plywood (three of the metal strips were not covering any gaps at all).

As far as I know, nobody is making the later style flush mount metal strips. I know Ron/Reamer modified a set for his '86 by removing the longer edges of the metal strips.

 

[myrl883]

Cory,

I think the rotary cut Fir looks fantastic!

There's nothing second rate about that at all.

Mine is marine grade, but just the basic structural stuff in Douglas Fir. I got a lot of flack from my buddies for installing plywood by the way...

When people question it, I can say that it was good enough for Ford, it's good enough for me...lol.

http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n60552/IMG_7956.jpg

Today, many of us (woodworkers) have vacuum bag presses.

I specifically bought my 60 mil urethane bag in 5x9' so I could veneer regular size plywood sheets.

While that leaves the plywood 'unbalanced', if you use a glue with no water (epoxy, solvent based neoprene contact cement) you can pull it off without curling.

At 14.7 psi @ sea level that's 2,117 pounds per square foot of clamping force... 67,744 pounds on a 4x8 sheet and it's entirely evenly distributed.

OK, Now I'm really confused. The bed of my F100 appears to be totally original. All of the paint is aged appropriately, the condition of the stripes perfectly match the cab, etc. BUT, the floor is 3 pieces of wood exactly as the rest of you with newer flaresides have, and it has 5 late style metal strips that match Rembrandt's drawing of the '83 and newer floor strips. Maybe it isn't as much of a survivor as I believed it to be, or someone had the floor replaced many years ago. My build date is 01/81.

[SCFlareside]

OK, Now I'm really confused. The bed of my F100 appears to be totally original. All of the paint is aged appropriately, the condition of the stripes perfectly match the cab, etc. BUT, the floor is 3 pieces of wood exactly as the rest of you with newer flaresides have, and it has 5 late style metal strips that match Rembrandt's drawing of the '83 and newer floor strips. Maybe it isn't as much of a survivor as I believed it to be, or someone had the floor replaced many years ago. My build date is 01/81.

Oh wow! Can you give us more pics of that floor? Is it worth sanding down and saving?

To be clear, the besides DO rest on the wood - and it can be a pain to slide the wood in there, as the crossmembers have to be unbolted and things can wiggle around... but its not awful. Just lots of bolts.

[SCFlareside]

Oh wow! Can you give us more pics of that floor? Is it worth sanding down and saving?

To be clear, the besides DO rest on the wood - and it can be a pain to slide the wood in there, as the crossmembers have to be unbolted and things can wiggle around... but its not awful. Just lots of bolts.

Also to add: I think if your floor had originally been equipped with boards it would have additional holes in the crossmembers that are now unused... you could look for that perhaps