Got to play in the shop for a while yesterday - did some bending, grinding, welding, more grinding...
All the panels were drawn, transferred to cardboard as prototypes, transferred to CAD files, cut on a plasma table... then bent as needed. The bed has 7 side panels - well, three sides and one rear. We decided to fab the sides that run parallel to the cab - not the "boat tail" sections - in two sections and weld/grind the seam. That allowed us to really match the corners.
At one point, the front sections were going to be curved similar to the cab. But the more we looked at the cardboard on the truck, we decided two shallow bends that matched the cab's body lines would make a cool transition to the more angular bed.
Gettin' bendy:
This gives a better idea of the overall shape of the bed.
There will be a tube and receiver hitch under the license plate - tied to the bumper and frame/reinforced crossmember.
The frame and sides are done. Well, we may add either some flat bar or rod to the wheel openings to sort of trim them out. The deck is drawn and will be cut on the table this week - with cutouts for the spare tire well, gas filler, tie-down holes/hooks, etc. Then, the deck plate and frame will be media blasted and powder coated to match the body/wheels.
The rear wheel openings were drawn to match the front wheel openings - the radius, etc.
This one shows those new body lines - the bends just about mimic the cab's lines.
With some shiny creme powder, they should really show up well.
Next up (after the deck) is the headache rack. This will be a simple tube bent to follow the profile of the cab - up and round the rear window.
Then, sides - these will be (probably) the height of the bottom of the Xtra-Cab window. The sides will be hinged to fold 180 degrees and slide off. Still in the sketch stage on these.
Once ALL of that is in place, I'm going assess how tall Patty is and consider swapping springs. She's a bit tall right now - especially in the back. The new flatbed should weigh about the same as a factory bed. Hoping that weight solves a few problems - stance, ride, and traction.
That's the plan!
