Making bed sides

[Willowbilly3]

I am getting closer to doing the bedsides. I have a couple ideas but would like to hear how some of you have done it. Here are the options I have pondered.
I have a pair of 37 bedsides I could hack up, mine will be around 38" long. Not my first choice but still in the play.
More likley is this: Brake some new sheet metal to roughly the Ford contour and weld square tubing along the top to replicate the profile. I want to use some stake pockets from an original bed and I have a 40s script tailgate I want to narrow down to use.
I also have a couple ideas on side treatment. Roll a bead and follow the tire contour or maybe use the rest of the spare tire cover I made front fenders from and cut it in half, then weld those into the bedsides inverted to make the shape of the tire. I also need some ideas on fenders to match the spare tire ring fronts. I would like some bobbed A fenders but they always bobbed the back and that sucks, I want to bob the front and roll them foreward.
I also plan to have all my fenders easy to remove.

 

[donsrods]

We did it pretty much as you describe when we built the bed for my Dodge. First we built a framework out of 1 x 2 tubing, then we bent up some 18 gauge sheet metal to the basic shape of a bed. For the top we just bent it on the angle of the stake pockets and then bent it one more time down to form a lip. We used Model A stake pockets that we shortened to fit, and then put a bead around the perimeter to mimic what Ford did.

Dan originally made this bed for his roadster pickup, but went to a Brookville bed instead, so I inherited it, and we shorted it to fit my Dodge. I have a louvered top cover for it so you won't see the framework or any of the stuff inside the bed.

Don

 

[Willowbilly3]

I also thought about making the back a little swoopy like a Coupe Express, that would match the lines if my tub but would kind of rule out using stock stake pockets. One thing I will need to deal with is my top links and shocks will have to come on the outside of the bedsides. And I also want all the room I can get on the inside so I can haul stuff.

 

[Bonehead]

I used round tube for the top, and built mine from scratch.

 

[Bonehead]

tied right to the frame

 

[Willowbilly3]

Hey Bonehead, how do the shocks work that far inboard? I am trying to preserv or conserve my bed space since I want this little truck to be a parts runner too

 

[Bonehead]

The original shocks pictured are no more, I bent them, with axle wrap. But the thing is, that is were they have to be, because everything else is covered with tire.
I think they are okay there, probably not ideal.

 

[Willowbilly3]

The original shocks pictured are no more, I bent them, with axle wrap. But the thing is, that is were they have to be, because everything else is covered with tire.
I think they are okay there, probably not ideal.

Thanks, I can see you wouldn't move them out much.lol I think if you had a fairly stiff sway bar you would be ok.
I think I am going to do some frame surgery so mine aren't outside the bed.
Heavy sigh, this engineereing as you go is slow stuff.