Blazer Bed Floor Replacement

[Chad22873]

I am doing a complete resto on a 1970 4wd Blazer. I am just about done repairing all of the rust from the back of the cab floor forward. I hope to start in the next few weeks on the bed portion. I replaced the front lower portions of each bedside when I did all the the rocker box and b pillar work. So I really have no need for new bed sides. My problem is with the floor and part of the inner bed sides. The floor is roached pretty much everywhere except the front 6 inches and the center. Everything around the wheel wells and where it meets the inner bedside is toast. So I am wondering what the easiest way to go about this is. If I get a whole new floor, do the bedsides have to come off and jack up all the work I just done with the rockers since they tie together? I found where I can buy the inner bed side pieces that the wheel wells bolt to...from GMC Pauls. That will fix most of my inner side problems. I may have to fabricate a little metal to take care of some rust between the wheel well and the front of the inner bedside. But that doesn't look to be too bad. Unless someone knows of a place you can get a patch for that portion of the inner side. So the real question is what do I do with the floor? Do I buy cross members and floor patch pieces and put in all the time to fab it all together? Or is there an easier way? I couldn't find anywhere in this forum that discussed this issue. Lots of stuff about rockers and floor pans, etc...which has been great. But not much on the bed issue.

[Chad22873]

Dang with all the stuff I have seen and learned from this forum I thought for sure that someone had replaced and done major repairs on a blazer bed before. I cant find anyone that knows anything about it.

[hemi43]

I hate to say it, but you should have done the floor first. Technically, you should be able to replace the floor pan without removing the quarters. I replaced the rear half of mine without issues, and shouldn't be more difficult if it was the whole thing.

[Chad22873]

Thanks for the info. So glad to get some input. I kinda thought the same thing. Really wish I would have started there. I actually have the drivers side rocker system, as I call it, all welded up but just fabed up on the passenger side. So do you think I can leave the RH bedside on and take the LH off and slide the new floor in place?

[raggedjim]

The only full floor replacements I have seen have been done by pulling the bedsides except this guy. He left the bedsides on but is putting in wood floor. I think you could do the same with a metal floor IF you cut it down the middle.

Good luck, Rg

http://www.k5blazersplus.com/forums/...bed-conversion

[Chad22873]

I looked it over quite a bit last night. I need to replace the rear sill. It appears to me that the rear sill is what holds the rear portion of the bedsides together and also holds them up. So I am thinking I will just cut about a foot of the bed floor out in the rear and leave everything else. Then replace the rear sill. I am hoping that by leaving everything else that it will give enough support for the bedsides and hold them in place while I cut the old sill out. Once I am done with that, I think I can do as raggedjim said and cut the floor down the middle and slide each side into place. Do you guys think this will work or am I screwing up? Thanks for your responses.

[Chad22873]

I am not opposed to doing a wood floor. Correct me if I am wrong....if I did one I would either have to somehow lower all of my cross members or sills by almost 3/4" to get the wood to fit under the inner bedsides OR cut my inner bedsides and raise the bolting flange by 3/4". Raising the flange by 3/4" would be fairly easy considering half of it is currently rusted out anyway and I am going to have to fabricate new pieces to weld in. Unless someone knows where I can buy them. The flanges where the wheelhouse bolts to the inner bedside are also rusted and I was gonna buy patch panels for that from GMC Pauls. So I guess I could raise those by 3/4" when I put them in so that the wheelhouses will bolt up. Anyone have any thoughts on this? What are the advantages and disadvantages to a wood bed? If the bed floor is raised by 3/4" from where it is now...does that cause any problems with anything else? I dont know if its worth all the hassle or not.

[A1971Blazer]

I can't really advise as to your best course of action.......mine is rusty all over and in so many various locations that I have decided to remove the bedsides and use this......complete cargo floor from SOKY Classics

[Chad22873]

I have looked at their stuff. I was planning to get mine from GMC Pauls. Its 50 bucks cheaper. Maybe SOKY Classics tho is better. I have never bought anything from them. Everything I have received from GMC Pauls has been great so far.

[raggedjim]

Chad, if you want a wood floor talk to Jaros44sr, I think he did a wood floor on this build

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=210641

Rg

[Chad22873]

Thanks. I will hit him up. This Jaros guy has that massive thread that I am sure you all have read. I have never talked to him and dont know him but that was one heck of a thread. I loved reading it. Took me a week.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by Chad22873

Thanks. I will hit him up. This Jaros guy has that massive thread that I am sure you all have read. I have never talked to him and dont know him but that was one heck of a thread. I loved reading it. Took me a week.

Maybe this will help

WIN_20150723_101746 by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/97391199@N06/]

Still ongoing!

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by Chad22873

I have looked at their stuff. I was planning to get mine from GMC Pauls. Its 50 bucks cheaper. Maybe SOKY Classics tho is better. I have never bought anything from them. Everything I have received from GMC Pauls has been great so far.

Probably the same part...?.....SOKY is within driving distance for me so that's a factor due to truck freight cost.....also a part like that can (and usually does) get damaged by the freight companies. A wood floor be would be nice too...

[Mr Banshee]

I was down at SOKYClassics in July and picked up a bed floor, cab floor step up plate and a cab floor for my 72 Blazer. Mike Oliver is a great guy to deal with. The parts i picked up were packaged very well and I must say the stamping quality is very good. I'm in the process now of modifying the pickup style cab floor for the blazer. I'm glad i went this route and very happy to do business with SOKY Classics.

[Chad22873]

Hey jaros. I have to say I really appreciate you responding. I have absolutely enjoyed reading and seeing your work. I am new to the forum and just can't believe all the good stuff here. Love the pic of the wood bed. I am seriously considering it. So what did you do to make the wood fit with the bedsides considering the wood sits higher? In one of my last posts I mentioned what I was thinking about doing to make them fit? I would love to here your thoughts.

[Chad22873]

Sounds like soky classics is certainly a place to consider. I will check them out. Thanks for the info.

[jaros44sr]

Chad first off welcome to the boards, and taking a week to read my build...

As you can see the wood sits on top of the step up and carries through with that height into the last crossmember at the tailgate. My crossmember was toast so I replaced it with a 73 and up. That crossmember has a 3/4" notch in it to accept the thickness of the oak, holes are stamped from the factory to bolt the SS strips down. The bedside have a flange to allow the wood to sit on them. Wheel wells bolts needed to elongated by a 1/2" or so and covered up with fender washers.

All in all,I would say it was a simple mod. Most time consuming part was taking out the old rusty bed floor, and stopping to remove spot welds from crossmembers as I went.

If you google wood beds in 69-72 blazers mine will pop up.

Good luck, on which ever direction you go, and feel free to ask as many questions as you like

You will find this a very helpful place to hang out, with a lot of knowledgeable guys to help you out with your build, in return we only ask for LOTS of pics. To entertain our obession

[Chad22873]

Thanks Jim. I really appreciate the welcome. I have certainly been learning alot from the boards here. It did take me a week to read your build but I only had a little time each day to do it. I looked forward everyday tho to seeing what was next. I think I am understanding the whole wood bed thing now. I am really thinking I am gonna do it. I really like the looks of them. The only thing that I am still trying to get a picture of in my head...is how the wood meets up and bolts to the inner bed side. Are you saying the wood sits on top of that inner bedside flange? Or should I raise those flanges up so that the wood can be tucked in underneath them? I have had a hard time finding a pic where I can see how the wood meets up with this flange. About half of my flanges around various portions of the bed are toast anyway. So it looks like I am gonna have to go up about 2" from the flange and cut them out and replace it with new metal.
As for the pic obsessions....I will start taking a bunch of pic this weekend and start posting them next week.

[jaros44sr]

Chad, the wood sits on top of the flange, and just secure it with screws, holes are already in the flange

I'll post up a pic.

[Chad22873]

Makes sense. So if that's the case, the only real modification would be the rear sill then like you said. So the wood would then also go on top of the wheelhouse flanges? Did you use the corner strips like whats used in stepsides? Or do you think that's even necessary? Are the SS strip for a shortbed long enuf? I cant remember whether the blazer floor is longer or shorter than a shortbed. I was thinking it was longer. I look forward to the pic.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by Chad22873

Makes sense. So if that's the case, the only real modification would be the rear sill then like you said. So the wood would then also go on top of the wheelhouse flanges? Did you use the corner strips like whats used in stepsides? Or do you think that's even necessary? Are the SS strip for a shortbed long enuf? I cant remember whether the blazer floor is longer or shorter than a shortbed. I was thinking it was longer. I look forward to the pic.

No, the wheelhouse bolts on top of the wood floor. I think I ordered the bed for a 8' bed, and then flopped the piece of wood with the wheelhouse cutout front to back, then there was enough martl to finish the install. You only have to do this on one board.

[doo142]

Originally Posted by Chad22873

I am doing a complete resto on a 1970 4wd Blazer. I am just about done repairing all of the rust from the back of the cab floor forward. I hope to start in the next few weeks on the bed portion. I replaced the front lower portions of each bedside when I did all the the rocker box and b pillar work. So I really have no need for new bed sides. My problem is with the floor and part of the inner bed sides. The floor is roached pretty much everywhere except the front 6 inches and the center. Everything around the wheel wells and where it meets the inner bedside is toast. So I am wondering what the easiest way to go about this is. If I get a whole new floor, do the bedsides have to come off and jack up all the work I just done with the rockers since they tie together? I found where I can buy the inner bed side pieces that the wheel wells bolt to...from GMC Pauls. That will fix most of my inner side problems. I may have to fabricate a little metal to take care of some rust between the wheel well and the front of the inner bedside. But that doesn't look to be too bad. Unless someone knows of a place you can get a patch for that portion of the inner side. So the real question is what do I do with the floor? Do I buy cross members and floor patch pieces and put in all the time to fab it all together? Or is there an easier way? I couldn't find anywhere in this forum that discussed this issue. Lots of stuff about rockers and floor pans, etc...which has been great. But not much on the bed issue.

There is a floor replacement done by atvpro , it is his blazer resto thread

[Chad22873]

Thanks for all the info. I got the bed floor cut out today and now just trying to clean things up so I can see how much of the inner bedside flanges that I need to cut out and redo. They are all pretty rough. I am going to finally start posting pics tomorrow. It's deer season here so that's gonna eat up some of my time.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by Chad22873

Thanks for all the info. I got the bed floor cut out today and now just trying to clean things up so I can see how much of the inner bedside flanges that I need to cut out and redo. They are all pretty rough. I am going to finally start posting pics tomorrow. It's deer season here so that's gonna eat up some of my time.

It would be simple to get a sheet metal shop to bend that flange on some sheet metal, how's your welding skills. Save as many Crossville as you can, but they are all available if you need some

[Chad22873]

Ya that's what I was thinking. I just need to find a shop to do it. We live in SE Kansas so sheet metal shops are hard to find. But they are simple flanges. So I will start looking. I don't have the stuff to do it anymore. My welding skills are good. I have spent most of my life welding. Most of it hasn't been sheet metal tho. Adjusting to that really hasn't been a big deal. The mechanical side of things is fairly simple for me as well. I have built lots of engines and trannys over the years. Where I really lack is in the are of body work and painting. I have done a little of all of it but not enough to really say I know what I am doing. I would love to lean on you guys for help in that area. I would really like to do it all myself. I need to learn more about all the different painting stages and when to sand and what kind of primers, etc to use.