Custom Truck Bed Build Options

[Simpleman (shanz3n5)]

This guy lives in So Cal and is selling his custom truck bed.

He spent SO much time and money on it, but is moving on to something new.

Will be a great deal for the right buyer.

Let me know if you would like his contact information.

It is sized for his Chevy 2500, Long 8' truck bed.

I think it is still available.

If nothing else you might get some ideas after looking at the pictures.




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This is John....the owner of the bed in Stans post , post #12. I believe you tried to contact me through facebook. I couldnt respond at the time, and cant locate the message. The bed is or will be up for sale. If you are serious and want more info try fb again or email me @ shanz3n5@gmail.com. I havent figured out my cost or sale price yet but it will be a steal for the new owner.

 

[pawleyk]

Trucking along on this build. I went aluminum, 3"x0.25" angle for the perimeter frame and boxed for the bed to frame mounts, 2x2x0.120" square tube for the stringers and bulkhead.

1/8" sheet for the inner fenders, body work, and boxes.

I've got some springs coming to be installed on the rear four bed mounts to allow for some flex in a sort of semi-floating design.

This is as far as I've gotten so far, but this weekend will be two additional stringers sandwiching the center mounting brackets (closest to the camper tie-downs), some stops on the bulkhead for the camper to sit against, and the rear bed-sides/tailights.

Probably won't get any boxes or the upper, folding bedsides done before Northwest Overland Rally next week, but the concept will be pretty clear and the bed will certainly be useable (and legal).

I just used 3/4" marine ply set into the perimeter frame as a bed floor. It's just bolted to the stringers, so it's easily removable for access to repair items (fuel pump and tank specifically) below the bed, which is a huge plus for me. I ordered some roll-on rubber from Amazon that I'll completely coat the ply with to seal it up from the elements and give the camper a bit more "squish and stick" sitting on the bed. My hope is that it sits well enough that I can eliminates the large heavy stall mat I've been using.

Its an ongoing learning experience working with the aluminum. This is definitely the most complicated fabrication project I've taken on, compounded by working with a new, more difficult material. It's fun though and other than being slow I'm pretty happy and confident in the results. I'm impressed with how well the brake I built works and I'm looking forward to making more use of it.



https://www.facebook.com/kp.pawley/media_set?set=a.10209348950458024.1073741874.1151373766&type=1&l=6ab7ca048f

 

[pawleyk]

Added the backup lights to the bumper (I won't have room for them on the bed), two additional stringers boxing in the center frame mounts, and a slide-out ladder.

 

[pawleyk]

Got the bedsides and tailights finished up just in time for NW Overland Rally this year..

I also got all the hardware installed, including the floater springs on the rear four mounts.

Front boxes are next, but I think I'll take a break and go mountain biking this weekend..

 

[allanb]

awesome build. Exactly what I would like to have done. Keep the pics coming!

 

[pawleyk]

awesome build. Exactly what I would like to have done. Keep the pics coming!

Thanks,

It's at a bit of an "awkward teenage" phase right now, but once I get the boxes fabbed up I think it will look pretty slick.

 

[pawleyk]

A bit more progress, got the front saddle boxes fabbed up and mounted- now I'm waiting on hardware to get them finished. I'll start cutting and assembling the small, rear boxes today.

I also threw the truck up on the forklift with the camper loaded to make sure everything flexed where it was supposed to and nothing snapped.. so far so good.

 

[norcalhusky]

This is great! Would love something along the same lines myself...

 

[allanb]

good on ya pawleyk. Coming right along!

 

[pawleyk]

A little more progress. Got the boxes built and installed. Bed sides this weekend, then off to powder next week!

 

[hebegebe]

You are a master fabricator Great design and execution! Do you have any idea of finished weight?


Sent from my iPhone using Wander The West

 

[pawleyk]

You are a master fabricator Great design and execution! Do you have any idea of finished weight?


Sent from my iPhone using Wander The West

Thank you!

Honestly, there's probably a bit more "too dumb to know better" than "master" in my fabrication style.. It is coming together and has been a fun project, but up close it's definitely more prototype than finished product. I essentially used this project to figure out how to fab aluminum, so there has been a bit of a learning curve.

I do like the design aspect and hope I get the chance for more aluminum projects in the future.

My goal weight was under 400lbs, and I think I should be pretty well under that. Probably around 300 or so. Maybe less. I'll weigh the truck on the way to powdercoat, and then again on the way back without the bed and boxes to get a pretty close finished weight.

 

[MotoDave]

I like what you're doing with this bed design a lot, its giving me all kinds of bad ideas.

Every great fabricator learned their craft by doing what you're doing, keep up the good work.

 

[pawleyk]

Hey guys,

I'm sure my bed will hold up just fine to having the camper tied down to it, but it keeps gnawing at me. I'd hate to have it start cracking out at the frame mounts and see my house topple off with the bed attached.

Any clever ideas for connecting the camper straight to the frame? I'm not really interested in going the Torklift route, I don't want anything hanging off the sides and bottom that way.

Maybe just steel brackets to the frame and then chain/turnbuckles?

If the camper were attached straight to the frame, all the bed would be doing is holding itself together and the cargo in the boxes..

 

[UHAULER]

I was thinking of doing a similar flatbed. One Idea I had was to use a torklift or similar bracket that goes through the back side of the boxes and to have a turnbuckle inside the box in each corner. I think with your fab skills you could come up with a strong bracket that extends from the frame to each corner of the bed.

 

[pawleyk]

Loaded the Grandby into the bed for a quick trip down Barlow Rd. to test things out before powdercoating..

I can stuff a lot of gear into those bed sides!

 

[pawleyk]

Just a shot on the way home with Mt. Hood in the background. The bed's off the truck now and at the Powdercoaters.

Should get it back next week with a silver color as closely matched to the truck as possible.

 

[hebegebe]

Bitchen!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Wander The West

 

[pawleyk]

Sorry I haven't had any updates for a while. Things got a little crazy at the end there..

We've been on the road two months now and are having a great time!

So far we've had the truck over some fairly gnarly stuff (a front wheel has come off the ground several times). I can see the bed flexing down the side between the main boxes and the fenders whenever we cross a deep arroyo, wash, or ledge. It's definitely designed to do that, but I was sure nervous the first few times.

We crossed the mountians in Northern Baja on the Baja 1000 course at the end of the race, which was an experience, but super rough.

I've had the camper off the bed three times since we started out and done very thurough inspections of all the joints and welds. So far no cracks!

It has been really nice to store all my tools and spare parts in locking, water/dust proof boxes outside of our camper. Our camp chairs, shower tent, hi-lift jack, winch, a genuine Oregon pitch log, shovel, spare dry bag, 10qt oil recovery pan, and all four camper jacks store under the camper eves behind the folding bedsides.

The bedsides fold flat along the body, or will catch at a 90 making a great light work bench or sideboard to hold serving dishes when we have guests in camp.

Sorry no pics yet, I did get it powdercoated and I took lots of good ones in camp. We're currently on yet another remote (and free!) beach in Baja so I'll load up pics as soon as I get good enough internet.

 

[pawleyk]

Oh, and the completed bed with all the boxes weighs right around 300lbs.

Totally loaded we're at about 8850 with my wife and I in the truck, full tanks of fuel and water and a fridge full of beer..