Need Advice on Wood Bed Install 4 Fleetside. ? would you have done differently?

[summerj]

What would you have done differently on your wood bed install?

I have search the forums- I see lots of info on stepside wood bed install but nothing for 65-66 Fleetside. Saw some info from one of the forum venders too but no directions

got my oak kit- bolt kit and metal strips
now I think need to:
do a dry lay out,
drill it.
stain it 3 coats top, bottom and thru drilled holes- (Purchased a Dutch made UV resistant Marine Varnish at West Marine)


then install.

Some say with the lay out- start in the middle.

AM I missing Anything?

[bob-n]

First, make sure the boards are cut to the proper width. One seller on ebay's wood is a bit skinny (1/8") and will give you fits, but you can make 'em work

I aligned the boards to be centered between the holes for the strip bolts, worked great. From there you can fudge it for personal taste

GMCPauls site has good info, as does Mar-K

[forestb]

Drill the holes before you put on the varnish. If you are going to keep your truck outside you will want something stronger than UV resistant Marine Varnish. I would read the install instructions on the mar-k web sight. They also did a test to see which varnish worked best when exposed to the elements. I used a marine varnish and it started cracking after just a couple of months. I have not redone it yet so I do not have any suggestions.

[GMR-PERFORMANCE]

I have the Mark K kit ( oak polished SS strips and bolts)

Lay it all out, drill it, etc. Mock up all the holes .. basicly put it together first to make sure EVERYTHING FITS AND LINES UP!!!!

Number the boards on the underside. Draw a pic of how you have them numbered to save the grief later.

Sand the boards prep for coating.

I will tell you how I did mine. Some guys will disagree and other will want to out right jump up and down.

Varnish, marine spar what ever in my own opinion = JUNK!!!! The wood is not easy to remove or to re finish. Thus why not use automotive clear. It will not peel, or crack if correctly done. It will stand up to UV, heat, and freezing temps.

I used Sikkens clear,.. costly yes but bullet proof compared to the other stuff. I was raised around sail boats and our family owns and produces West System Epoxy. So we know a thing or two about wood and coatings. I did a test piece when I got my kit a few years ago now. I let it sit out in the sun, rain, snow, you name it. Laying in a puddle of water for a few days at a time, burried in snow. Nothing wrong with it what so ever. I was not sure that clear was the right way to go, but it has been done long before I tried it, and they are still going strong.

The only issue I see is for those that want a darker color to the wood.. I myself did not stain the wood and clear over it. I would thing though that the stain could be done first and then cleared without issue.

Get a piece of test wood from them and give it a go. See if it has a issue, if not move forward.

One of things that i see with many of these trucks at the shows or where ever is the wood top coat always looks bad, cracking, or lifting.. Clear is very tough stuff compared to a spar varnish..

BTW when the wood comes out the box will get a bit wild as far as the shape so be ready to re square the box up. I used two ratchet straps corner to corner and left them in place until I could get everything lined up and bolted into place..

Long post but I hope it is of some help. Good luck on the new bed wood.

[trelogix]

I'm going to be doing my bed soon as well. I've seen the Sikkins name recommended by a lot of people as well. Is there a specific Sikkins product that you would recommend?
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[GMR-PERFORMANCE]

I will get back to you on that. I think I used the auto clear 250 ... But to be sure I will have to look at what I bought. I copletely sprayed the entire board, etc. I know I read some where , that you are not to seal the wood as it needs to breath ??? Sorry but the wood is dried when you get it. Why would I want the wood to be able to get moisture inside it???

[64GMCHorsepower]

one other thing I have not seen mentioned......

Do this with the bed OFF the truck....makes it a whole lot easier.....

I did mine with the bed on, and it was a PITA!

And of course you need a helper to hold the bolts in also while you thread the nuts on....

[newbe351]

Sorry. Wrong post, no delete button.....

[YBNORML]

Subscribed

[bob-n]

Originally Posted by 64GMCHorsepower

one other thing I have not seen mentioned......

Do this with the bed OFF the truck....makes it a whole lot easier.....

I did mine with the bed on, and it was a PITA!

And of course you need a helper to hold the bolts in also while you thread the nuts on....

Amen to the bed off!

Also, if you do it alone, you can lay a soft hammer on the bolts to hold them down while you thread the nuts on, but you'll wear out your knees getting up and down so much ( trust me...)
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[fleetsidelarry]

Originally Posted by GMR-PERFORMANCE

I have the Mark K kit ( oak polished SS strips and bolts).......
I used Sikkens clear,.. costly yes but bullet proof compared to the other stuff. I was raised around sail boats and our family owns and produces West System Epoxy. So we know a thing or two about wood and coatings.

I consider that an understatement I am an absolute believer in the properties of epoxy, especially when used for treating wood, and have always used West System.

I'm kind of surprised you didn't seal the wood first with epoxy, then coat it with a UV blocker. And I'm surprised at the choice of oak, unless of course the bed is not subject to continuous weather. The oak that survived the Mar-K test was sealed with clear penetrating epoxy with a UV blocking cover coating

[GMR-PERFORMANCE]

Larry, I have not finished mine I only did a test. I am getting very close. But have helped several others on there wood bed.

The clear( I used on the test board and the others) is the sealer & has UV blocker in it..., myabe I am missing something in what you are saying?? As for OAK vs Pine.. More of a personal choice. The truck will have its home in the garage... First time for everything LOL.. The sun and heat .. are the biggest issues out here. UV being the number 1 killer of paint.

Pine Vs oak, well we have some weird bug out here that loves pine,.. it bores holes in it. Killed about 20 of my full grown trees.. We had to cut them down and burn them ASAP once we found out what happened, Guy next door lost 12 or so .. When I pulled the old pine out it had bore holes in it as well.. So Oak was the choice I made.

[SFTorange]

I went through this process on my build a few months back. We custom built white oak bed wood and coated it with Epiphanes brand marine spar varnish. I made that choice after a lot of research and looking through the Mar-K testing. My truck is garage-kept, so there aren't as many concerns about durability. We put 6 coats of the varnish on both the top and bottom of the boards. The process took about 2 weeks, since each coat needs to dry 24 hours before sanding and re-coating. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It seems incredibly durable and looks great. Only time will tell how it lasts. I certainly don't have the experience as others on here, but the Epiphanes varnish has a very good reputation as one of the best available.

Here's a picture of how it turned out. I still need to post some updated pictures.



As for the installation of the wood, there are a few things I would have done differently. I'll absolutely second everyone's mention of installing the wood with the bed off. It makes it so much easier. When I started installing the boards, i started in the middle of the bed and worked towards the edge. I ran into trouble as I got to the outside boards though. If I had it to do over again, I would have installed both of the outside boards, making sure the bedsides are in the correct position. On these trucks, the bedsides have a ton of movement/adjustability, so they aren't necessarily going to be in the correct position as they sit. If you install the outside boards and bolt them up to the bedside, you can adjust the board and bedside until they are lined up with the holes in the front panel of the bed as well as the holes in the support crossbars, the rest of the boards should fall into place pretty easily.

Finally, don't try to do this alone. It helps a TON to have someone in the bed holding down the bolts as you go.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!