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Pickup Bed Wood
We will no longer be offering support for this page
please be sure to measure bed wear strip widths to ensure all measurements will
work correctly as there are a few different widths being sold now.
If you are looking to make your own boards, you will need dimensions. From 1947 to early 1951, there were 9 boards making up the bed, from late 1951 -1972 Stepside's used 8 boards, the 1960-1972 Fleetside used 12 boards. The boards were nominally 1" thick (making them a measured 3/4" thick). The width of the boards varied depending on position. The tables below show the width of each board and its relative position.
| 1947 to Early 1951 - 9 Boards | ||||||||
| 4 1/4" | 5" | 5 1/2" | 5 1/2" | 6 3/8" | 5 1/2" | 5 1/2" | 5" | 4 1/4" |
| Late 1951 to 1953 - 8 Boards | |||||||
| 4 1/4" | 7 1/4" | 5" | 7 1/4" | 7 1/4" | 5" | 7 1/4" | 4 1/4" |
| Late 1954 to 1957 - 8 Boards | |||||||
| 4 1/4" | 7 1/4" | 5" | 7 1/4" | 7 1/4" | 5" | 7 1/4" | 4 1/4" |
| Late 1958 to 1959 - 8 Boards Stepside | |||||||
| 4 1/4" | 7 1/4" | 5" | 7 1/4" | 7 1/4" | 5" | 7 1/4" | 4 1/4" |
Late
1958 to 1959 Fleetside - 12 Boards
|
| Late 1960 to 1972 Stepside - 8 Boards | |||||||
| 3 1/8" | 7 7/16" | 7 7/16" | 5 7/16" | 5 7/16" | 7 7/16" | 7 7/16" | 3 1/8" |
Late
1960 to 1972 Fleetside - 12 Boards
|
* = One board in front of wheelwell, one board behind
The lengths of the boards depended on several factors, ton rating and wheelbase. The table below summarizes board lengths for the AD pickups and later model pickups.
| Board Lengths | ||
| 1947-1953 | 1/2 T Short Bed | 77" |
| 1947-1953 | 3/4,1 T Long Bed | 85 3/4" |
| 1954-1959 | 1/2 T Short Bed | 77 1/8" |
| 1954-1957 | 1/2,3/4 T Long Bed | 89" |
| 1957-1959 2nd Series | 1/2, 3/4 T Long Bed | 97" |
| 1954-1959 | 1 T | 107 1/4" |
| 1960-1966 | 1/2, 3/4 T Short Bed Step Side | 77 1/8" |
| 1960-1966 | 1/2, 3/4 T Long Bed Step Side | 97" |
| 1960-1966 | 1/2, 3/4 T Short Bed Fleet Side | 77 1/8" |
| 1960-1966 | 1/2, 3/4 T Long Bed Fleet Side | 97" |
| 1967-1972 | 1/2, 3/4 T Short Bed Step Side | 77 1/8" |
| 1967-1972 | 1/2, 3/4 T Long Bed Step Side | 97" |
| 1967-1972 | 1/2, 3/4 T Short Bed Fleet Side | 77 1/8" |
| 1967-1972 | 1/2, 3/4 T Long Bed Fleet Side | 97" |
| 1967-1972 | 1/2, 3/4 T Longhorn Bed Fleet Side | 103" |
The individual boards are held down by steel strips ("wear strips") which sit in grooves cut into each board. You will note from the drawing below that the outer edges of the wear strip came down lower than the middle of the wear strip. This explains the somewhat unusual groove pattern of the wood (see below for dimensions.)
 |
Dimensions A. 3/4" (board thickness) B. 1/4" C. 3/16" D. 7/16" E. 1/8" |
The two outside boards had grooves only on their inside edges. All the other boards had grooves running down both sides. The drawing below shows how the boards were grooved. The shallower the inside groove is, the higher the wear strips will ride above the bed wood. Originally, the top protrusions of the wear strips were just slightly higher than the bed wood. Some prefer to alter this dimension to raise or lower. If making your own bed wood and using new bed strips you should measure your new wear strips for precision cutting measurements. Cuts should also take into account that different woods and there coatings will allow wood to swell and shrink at different rates. We also highly recommend that you add a groove running every 1' of board length from the C dimension to the outside edge of the D dimension allowing for the flow of water off the inset groove to allow trapped water in the groove easier drainage than only at ends of boards to greatly preserve the life of the boards.
Long Wheelbase Fleetside Bed Wood
Short Wheelbase Fleetside
1967-72
SWB Fleetside Bed Wood Holes Locations
The reason for the unusual design is wood
movement due to moisture content change. A six inch wide board can easily change
width cross grain by 1/16" - 1/8" due to seasonal humidity changes.
The groove design allows the boards to float without buckling while still being
firmly held to the steel supports underneath during the expansion and
contraction of the wood.
The beds may change width by over an inch between
dry winter conditions in storage and humid spring & summer conditions.
For people who are making bed wood please note: different species of wood
move different amounts in response to humidity (moisture content) changes. It is
important to allow clearance between the hold down bolts and the wood so that
movement can occur. If you're working dry wood in a heated shop (shrunk
condition) more expansion room should be allowed than if you're working air dried
wood in the humid part of summer with no heat in the shop (expanded condition).
Varnish or polyurethane does not prevent this natural wood movement but may slow
it down some, so If you don't varnish or seal both the upper and lower surfaces
of the boards, they will change moisture content faster on the unsealed surface
causing cupping of the wood. Interestingly, the wood changes little along the
grain (lengthwise) so it is not necessary to allow for much change in length. To
decrease your chances of cupping you should select all wood from heartwood. This
can be identified by examining rings of growth on the ends of the boards. The
ones that have the center set of rings from the heart of the tree, if heartwood
is not available be sure to groove the boards with the curve of the grain going
up. Doing this ensures that center of board will rise rather than dip thus
standing water will not occur and will instead run off helping to prevent
retention of excess moisture.
A Special Thanks goes out to the many that have provided information in the creation of this page!!! Dave, Ed, Eric, Jeff, Paul, Saul, Tim& Rob