Thread: Improved bed?

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Originally Posted by stovens

Charlie, it looks very cool the way it is. I like the rounded tube look from the side view and back view. Those tail lights are fantastic. Very cool truck the way it sits now! Also like the front with the new moon tank! The short bed also gives it a jackrabbit ready to run look! One mean lookin little RPU.
All it needs is a hidden set of speakers under those tail light tubes, and a sound track of the batmobile turbine engine winding up! Maybe some hidden flame throwing nossles too!

Yup,I like it too,,Bed looks about right,front end looks good,Proportions are quite suitable I think..

yep i like the length of the bed as the back wheel not in center not bad looking as is,but longer bed just would not look right to much off set to back wheel center . the tubes for you back lites many look better if you ran that part longer to a roll pan and widen the lite pod off set it a wee bit

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

yep i like the length of the bed as the back wheel not in center not bad looking as is,but longer bed just would not look right to much off set to back wheel center . the tubes for you back lites many look better if you ran that part longer to a roll pan and widen the lite pod off set it a wee bit

I'm with you Pat, longer would look bad. The one thing I did learn on this project, is get it outside and stand back and look a proportions. What looks good up close may look like crud back 50 feet. I was lucky that some of it turned out as well as it did, since this was my first total creation. I have considered wideing those lights. The other thing I learned is what looks good to me on Saturday, may not on Tuesday..............

That RPU has attitude. Looks cool the way it is. I love them tail lights also and the bed length is to my likin also. Nice job you have done so far.

Well it's been awhile since I did the mockup on this bed. I started to do the final fit a few weeks ago, and then got sidetracked with Lethal Weapon. So I got back on it this weekend and did the final fit and welding on the rear protion. I still have to do the sides, welding, but I wanted to get a good look at the rear first. I need to take the bed completly off and make some pannels for the front, as stiffners and to give it a finished look between cab and bed aprons. I also need to weld in the trunk front. At the time I originally did it, I was so sick of welding and grinding I just used cabinet ply, and the vibrations are working the screws loose.

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another angle

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I still have some finish work on the rear section, but I wanted to shoot a little rattle can primer on it so I could get a better view of what the finished product would look like.

As I mentioned elsewhere..... I bought a new floor drill press, my christmas present, and tried it out yesterday. It's an import, but Tractor Supply had them marked down on Christmas Eve, so I bought one.

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I need a rear bumper of sorts to ballance the rear end and give it a finished look. Originally I thought some type of nerf bar setup, but I didnt want the top bar to be above the bottom of the tail light buckets. So that was out. I think I will just make a pipe bumper. That's what we would have done years ago to make a push bar.

I cut out some 1/4 bar stock, 2 inches wide and drilled some holes in it.
I'll take some 1 x 1/4 and make a top and bottom, to form an I beam. The curved end will face the front and I'll bend the 1 inch to follow the curve. The other end will be notched for some 2 1/4 I think. I had a piece, but it turned out about 5 inches too short. The story of my life........... I think about 40 inches wide which won't be quite as wide as the bottom of the rear, but will be about as wide as the width of the outside of the tail light buckets.

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Very nice work!!!!! I Like the rear pannel.

Originally Posted by Mike P

Very nice work!!!!! I Like the rear pannel.

Thanks Mike. Metal work, ie sheetmetal, is not my strong point. I had replaced a pass bed side on my 66 and was staring at the old one, fliped it over in my head and thought, Hmmmmmmm that might work.....

Well last week I finished the rear bumper. The pipe I had in mind was 5 inches too short, so I made a trip to the local Ace and bought an 8in nipple which gave me 5 1/2 in with no threads. beveled the ends and now have the 40 in piece I needed. I welded up the brackets with 3/4 x 3/16 top and bottom to simulate an I beam design. After I grabbed another piece of 2 in stock and drilled more holes and added it to the bottom for some character. I thought it looked cool.

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I capped the ends with some thick fender washers, and welded some tabs on to attach it.

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Finished it, primed, painted, and installed it a couple of days ago. Here is the rear shot. The body work is not finished, but I rattle caned it black, until such time as I can take the entire bed off and finish it. Is it just me or does the damed thing look like it's staring at me.

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I don't know............ This one might end up in the scrap pile. Reminds me of a quote " Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!".......

Last pic reminds me of this guy....lol

Nicely done dlof!

it looks damn good..... and definately unique.....wouldnt change anything.....
and you ought to not ever have to worry about gettin rear ended....LOL
Larry

Originally Posted by twoblularry

it looks damn good..... and definately unique.....wouldnt change anything.....
and you ought to not ever have to worry about gettin rear ended....LOL
Larry

Thanks Larry, I hope it does, as I have been hit in the rear 6 or 7 times. Hutchinson Tx?