Need some help with spacing of bedwood supports on a short bed stepside

[freco]

The picture shows my 1969 stepside short bed. The bedwood and most of the underlying support structure was already gone when I bought the truck... So, guessing where the steel bars supporting the bedwood should be placed is not that easy. I would greatly appreciate if someone would be so kind and help me measuring the distances between the holes in the bedwood on a short stepside bed. It's most important to get the distances from front to rear, but also side to side would be valuable. Maybe it's easiest to make a simple sketch and take a picture of it. Hope someone can help. Thanks in advance!

If you're interested in reading more about this restoration project there is a thread about it here: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...14#post8363714

[ZEKE68]

The supports have holes in them that set your side ways board spacing, and the bed strips and angle brackets have the holes that position the bed supports if you have any of these items. There are two large bed supports in front of the axle, one close to the front end panel. Then there is a thinner reinforcement strip after the axle and then another bed support behind that. Here is a picture of mine that shows the basic layout but I would have to measure to tell you exactly.

[Smitty]

Try this web site. You’ll probably find the information you need.
Mar-K.com.
Looking good keep at it!

[panhead59]

The cross braces have all the holes predrilled. They bolt to frame. Wood can come predrilled also. Get your cross braces and you'll see. Then get measurements for wood holes ( there's only 8 ) if you're drilling wood yourself. Mar k excellent site as referenced above.
Much easier to just buy all predrilled imo. But i see where you're from so shipping $ will be outrageous. They are here cuzz of the length.

[ZEKE68]

Do you have any of the old bed supports or bed strips? Are you planning to make these yourself?

[freco]

I don't have much more left than what you can see in the first picture... There were some fragments left of the old cross braces but nothing I could use for taking measures. I also missed to measure the positions for the brackets on top of the frame where the crosss braces attach before scrapping them, so I don't have much to start with...

As already noted shipping bedwood from US to Sweden will be very expensive, so my plan is to make my own bedwood planks. I will also make the complete support structure for it. Since I am making it all myself I could of course just make up some suitable distances and measures, but it would be nicer to have the correct original spacing. I have looked at Mar-k.com and I did find the side ways board spacing, but no information about the front to rear spacing between holes.

It would be super nice if someone on this forum could make the effort and measure the distance between holes from front to rear for me (e.g. starting from the first hole which is just some 1/2" from the front end of a bed plank). I have a K10 short stepside bed and since the frame is different compared to the C10 (where the frame is wider in front of the axle) also the hole pattern in the bedwood is slightly different. However, I believe the spacing between cross braces should still be the same.

[ZEKE68]

Measured my bed. From the inside of the side wall to the first bed strip center bolt line is 3 1/2" (89 mm), then 7 3/4" (197mm) to the next, another 7 3/4" (197mm), then a 5 3/4" (146mm) then you are at the bed center. Then 5 3/4" , 7 3/4", 7 3/4", and 3 1/2" to the other side. The cross bars are as follows measured from the inside of the bed head board (metal) back. First there is the row of carriage bolts that bolt the strips to the head board. They are about 3/4" from the front of the bed. Then at 3 9/16" (90mm) you have the first bed support cross bar, with a row of bolts in it for the strips. At 14 15/16" (379mm) there is another bed support cross bar with strip holes. At 22" (559mm) there is a row of bed strip bolt holes but no support goes here. Then at 35 11/16" (906.5mm) there is another row of strip bolt holes with no support under it. Then at 48 5/16" (1227mm) there is a row of bolts where the thinner bed support bar is bolted under the boards. Then at 60 3/16" (1529mm) there is a row of bed strip bolt holes and this is where another thick bed support bar goes. These are center of the holes measurements. Then there is the row of bolts at the rear panel for the bed strips. I will send measurements for the big hold down bolts on another post.

[freco]

Thank you so much for taking the time to get these measures for me!
Now I can move on with the bed restoration.
If I remember right the big hold down bolts go through the big cross bars too, so I guess it's just the side ways measures missing here and these I can get from measuring on my frame (and they're different on the C10 I think), right?

Interesting that there are some bed strip holes with no support brace under. That explains why there were more holes in the bedwood than there were support braces in some pictures I found on the internet...

Again, thanks a lot!

[Zeroman]

Here is a good resource about bed wood.....

http://www.gmcpauls.com/47-72_BedWood_Info.htm

Here is a pic of my bed, top of pic is back of bed.

[ZEKE68]

Yes those two rows have no support bar under them I suppose because the frame rails are very close under the bed there. The large hold down bolts do go through the big cross supports except the rear most two go through the steel brackets that are part of the rear plate at the tail gate. Second bolt back from the front is out of line with the others because the frame mounting for it is outside of the frame. The bracket that supports the side bed step bolts to the front bed cross support underneath.

[freco]

This is just perfect! Thank you so much for pictures and explanations. I think I have all the info I need now for building the bed.

Just need to decide now if I shall go with the original "hat shape" profiles or some rectangular tubes. The hat shape profiles can be ordered from a local beater shop (right term?) and that will provide the most prototypical look, while the tubes will be easier to make and will provide more strength. On the other hand, the tubes might collect water making them rust... I have an idea making the bed tiltable just to give better access to what's under it and then the stronger pipes will be favorable. In either case, the difference won't be visible from above. We'll see what solution I end up with.