My Flatbed Project

admin

I read Fuzzydogs thread and it reminded me I should post my POS 1985 F-350 truck project.  I have always wanted a flatbed and decided this was my chance.  My son thought me taking the bed off was interesting so he took a bunch of pictures.My favorite is the "boss" out there telling me what to do (Atleast she wasn't telling me where to go!). Attached Images
Reply:I thought I took more pictures of some actual welds, but only found a few.  I read about many flatbeds being over built, I don't think thats the case here, though my design was kinda dectated by what I could find at the scrap yard.  I wish I could have found something a little better for the main rails, I had a hard time not burning through when welding the 2"x2" cross supports on them. Attached Images
Reply:Have you try looking at JC Whitney online to see if the sell the bed's preformed sheet metal?? I believe something like LMC online they also sell sheet metal body replacement parts.. Some auto parts stores now also sell sheet metal body parts.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Originally Posted by specterHave you try looking at JC Whitney online to see if the sell the bed's preformed sheet metal?? I believe something like LMC online they also sell sheet metal body replacement parts.. Some auto parts stores now also sell sheet metal body parts.
Reply:Now theres a tousand and two uses for pallet racking.  Hey if it will support 3-4K worth of pallet material spaning 9', it should work ok as long as you don't abuse it..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:That crappy looking weld on the satke pocket is a vertical up? and actually is pretty good for me.  I still struggle with vertical welds.  The heavy duty brackets I fabracated bolt to the rear of the frame and I welded (welds not shown) to the back "bumper".  The bed is held down by 3 large u-bolts on each rail and by these large brackets in the back. Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWNow theres a tousand and two uses for pallet racking.  Hey if it will support 3-4K worth of pallet material spaning 9', it should work ok as long as you don't abuse it.
Reply:A few pictures of the mostly finished bed.  I have since added expaned metal to protect the rear windows.  I still need to add stake pockets for the back and also want to find some 3-4" stock too cover the side stake pockets and give it a more "finished" look.A side note:  The first time I got a load of wood from a friend, the leaf springs went down and didn't come all the way back up, so I ended up getting new ones put on ($450.00, more then I spent on the flatbed). Attached Images
Reply:Is now when I mention it's easier to do springs BEFORE you put the body on? $450's not bad. I just got a quote for about $550 for materials to do my rear springs after we get done playing with all this snow. They have to be done, the fronts are iffy. I'm not sure if I'll replace them, have an extra leaf added, or put this project on hold till next year yet.I figure to replace the bed at the same time since it's a lot easier to cut everything off from up top. I'm hoping to find a nice utility body that doesn't need too much rust work underneath and do all that while the body sits there seperate..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWIs now when I mention it's easier to do springs BEFORE you put the body on? $450's not bad. I just got a quote for about $550 for materials to do my rear springs after we get done playing with all this snow. They have to be done, the fronts are iffy. I'm not sure if I'll replace them, have an extra leaf added, or put this project on hold till next year yet.I figure to replace the bed at the same time since it's a lot easier to cut everything off from up top. I'm hoping to find a nice utility body that doesn't need too much rust work underneath and do all that while the body sits there seperate.
Reply:We just got done moving a flat bed from one chassis to another because the one truck had motor issues this fall. With it all apart, I asked the owner if he wanted to do the springs since we had it all apart and it was simple then. The old truck just had new rear springs done last fall. He hemmed and hawed for a day or so and then made the right decision to swap the springs. In the end we swapped springs, shackels, all the tires. Parts from truck A migrated to truck B and vise versa. The only thing we had to cut were the U bolts on the "new" chassis and the spring hangers that were questionable. For 4 hrs work for 2 guys (including waiting for him to get back with the new parts) and $100 in parts he got a whole "new" heavier rear suspension..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Thanks for posting up - nice to see what others have done.Since I'm going to be hauling a fairly large camper and height is an issue, I'm going without the large frame rails. I read another build where the fabber used 2 different sizes of cross rails (to bring them level) bolted directly to the frame and then built the deck by welding onto those.  I intend to do something similar.