Wood bed

[1966FLEETSIDE]

Hi yall im in the process of re doing my wood on my 65 sb how difficult is it?also is there other options besides wood? Please help.

[Figuarus]

What are you asking exactly?

Difficulty in installing the oak strips? alternatives to boards?

I used 5/8 plywood because I was missing the rail strips. came out ok I think.



Obviously I still need to finish it with a cap on the end. (I also left the plywood out too long before I used it for this project, hence the slight bowing)

There are people that have used Trex Decking boards, and some that have gone with steel floors from the 75-87 trucks.

It al depends on your resources and the time you want to invest.

[bpmcgee]

66,

It's a pretty easy job once the old material is removed. In terms of materials -- you can put anything imaginable there.

B

[Enduro55]

Just put in new strips and oak wood from mar - k easy to do

[jbgroby]

Replacing your bed wood is somewhat easy, but it will need to be lifted off the frame (makes the job easier). This will also give you a chance to address any other issues you need to such as painting the rear frame, check and replace any cross rails you need, etc.

I chose to go factory original using plain pine supplied by Mar-K. Their products are first rate and well proven. I followed their recommendation to paint the board black using 2 coats of POR-15 then a top coat of BEHR Exterior Grade Semi-gloss black. (See pictures).

I like it.

[GWs62]

Agreed. It's not too difficult. It just depends on how much money and time you want to put into it.

[1966FLEETSIDE]

Thx so much good info.jbgroby you did an awsome job what does wood retail for$ do you have a link for mark

[1966FLEETSIDE]

By the way i found link to mar-k thx

[trexcompany]

Trex decking is noted in the previous post as an option, but the Trex warranty would not cover this type of application. Thanks Trex Customer Experience Team.

[jbgroby]

http://www.mar-k.com/index.aspx

This is a link from Mar-K on wood finishing

http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finish_testing_ii.aspx

[jbgroby]

http://www.mar-k.com/final_summary.aspx

[The1960APE]

They really aren't that hard, and the more work you put into the finish the more gratifying the end result!

[idreama300]

Originally Posted by The1960APE

They really aren't that hard, and the more work you put into the finish the more gratifying the end result!

Beautiful work. That came out amazing!

[The1960APE]

Originally Posted by idreama300

Beautiful work. That came out amazing!

Thanks, It needs a good cleaning and final buff but it is kinda neat how it goes with the rust!
Check out the build thread, there are a few things going on that are unique!

[forestb]

Be careful when deciding that finish to put on it if you are doing wood planks if you are going to keep the truck outside. I used a marine varnish and it tarted pealing in a couple of months. I am now in the middle of refinishing it with a POR product but I am getting bubbles in it and have to sand those down. I would do it a lot differently if I had not already purchased the wood.

[Figuarus]

Originally Posted by forestb

Be careful when deciding that finish to put on it if you are doing wood planks if you are going to keep the truck outside. I used a marine varnish and it tarted pealing in a couple of months. I am now in the middle of refinishing it with a POR product but I am getting bubbles in it and have to sand those down. I would do it a lot differently if I had not already purchased the wood.

I second this. Mar-k wrote up a test about different sealers/finishes. they did a final report in june of 2010.

http://www.mar-k.com/june_2010_update.aspx

in the end, paint is the best option, but obviously not as pretty.

[DLW]

The finish that jbgroby did was one of the most resilient finishes using pine in the Mar-K test. I may do this exact same wood and finish as my truck doesn't sit in a garage and will be exposed to the elements year round.

[Praxiss454]

Originally Posted by DLW

The finish that jbgroby did was one of the most resilient finishes using pine in the Mar-K test. I may do this exact same wood and finish as my truck doesn't sit in a garage and will be exposed to the elements year round.

I'm looking to go that route in the next couple of weeks here if I can carve out the time to cut some HD common boards into the right shape. The part about that that was confusing to me was the POR-15. Isn't that a metal rust preventative? Why would you put it on wood?

[The1960APE]

I have used a high quality Spar poly on several occasions with great results, I did the wood slab seats on a small fishing boat that stayed uncovered on the water for 3 years until I sold it, it looked the same as the day I applied it when it left home!

[jbgroby]

Originally Posted by Praxiss454

I'm looking to go that route in the next couple of weeks here if I can carve out the time to cut some HD common boards into the right shape. The part about that that was confusing to me was the POR-15. Isn't that a metal rust preventative? Why would you put it on wood?

The kiln dried pine absorbs the POR-15 into the grain a touch and then hardens, once you top coat, once you top coat it with paint to protect it from UV light (sun) it becomes near bullet proof😉.

[forestb]

They have many different products. The transparent (emphasis on transparent) coating that worked the best in the mar-k test was a "POR-15 Pelucid" which they no longer sell. When I called por-15 they told me that the product they substituted it with is POR-15® 2K Urethane. That is what I am going to try. So far it looks good with no stain and no undercoat. Except for some bubbles that I have to sand back because I applied it when the whether was to hot and humid.

[Clyde65]

I did the Mar-k thing as well but used Oak. Looks great after a couple years under a carport in the Texas heat

[Willie 66]

I used a couple coats of spar varnish over pine. No stain, but I like the natural look a lot. Mine is garage kept since my DD won't fit in the garage and the HOA would have a fit if I left it in the driveway. The boards and finish don't cost much, it's mostly the time and patience it takes to finish properly. My crossmembers were all rotted, and I was lacking bed strips and hardware, so mine actually ended up costing a lot...