Flare Side Bed - Let's Take One Apart!

[Bronco638]

I took the opportunity to double check the squareness of the bed by loosening all of the fasteners involved (there's a lot). But, this allows for the flooring pieces to be placed in their proper orientation. Again, if you have a helper, things go a little faster. I did this by myself.

Mar-K is adamant that the bed be checked for squareness and all of the flooring be installed to ensure the 1/2" spacing between boards. This is to check that when all fasteners are tight, the flooring will be in proper alignment (esp. with the bed strips). So, I did that last night so that I could ensure that the holes drilled, thru the flooring that supports the bed sides, are in the correct location. I was able to get the left/driver side marked but ran out of time to do the right/passenger side. So, I should be able to finish that tonight.

As for the Thud-in-my-Lap, I've decided to buy a parts truck; 1980 F-100 Short bed Style side w/302 & SROD. I already have a 4.9/AOD combo for this truck but would prefer a small block V8 and manual transmission. I can sell the Big 6 and the slushbox. The asking price for the truck is worth it for the drivetrain alone. I would be stupid not to go get this thing. But, I needed to ensure that the local government wouldn't harass me about it sitting in the driveway for the summer. I also needed to find a spot to park my '11 Ranger while the F-100 is in the driveway. Now, I just need to drive to central Illinois to get it. Once I pull all of the goodies off of it, it'll be parted out (or scrapped).

[Gary Lewis]

Sounds like you are going about the bed very methodically, which I like.  Best to make SURE everything lines up before drilling holes.

As for the thud, I hope everything works out!  That driveline is a great combo and while I admire the 300, the 302 with a manual has more charisma.  

[Bronco638]

Gary Lewis wrote

Sounds like you are going about the bed very methodically, which I like.
Best to make SURE everything lines up before drilling holes.

Yeah, nothing worse than going to install the flooring and find out the gaps are incorrect (too wide or too narrow). There is some 'fudge' factor built in with the stainless steel strips that go between the boards but I'd prefer not to have to 'fudge'.

So, I got the holes drilled:



I opted to use a 3/8" paddle (spade) bit even though the fasteners are 5/16". That will provide a little flexibility due to the condition of the bed (i.e. 40+ years old). I'll need to go back and sand around each hole and use some of the stain (in the sample container) to seal all of the holes before staining the rest of the boards.

Gary Lewis wrote

As for the thud, I hope everything works out!  That driveline is a great
combo and while I admire the 300, the 302 with a manual has more charisma.  

I'm a big fan of the 300/6. In another galaxy, I drove from Connecticut to Florida in an '87 Bricknose towing a McLaren M6 Can-Am car on an open trailer. Not only did it tow just was well as my '89 Bricknose with a 302, it got better fuel economy. That sealed it.

However, after cutting my teeth on early Mustangs and GT-350s, there's nothing better than the sound of a small block Ford with dual exhaust (esp. with no mufflers and 3" pipes), unless it's a flat head Ford. I also like a manual gearbox...

[Bronco638]

Alright, let's get back to this. After spending Wednesday and Thursday evenings helping a family friend purchase a nice '10 Escape, I'm back to staining the bed flooring. The weather couldn't have been better, sunny, warm/hot and breezy. I think I got pretty lucky because a front came thru, from the South, that's brought hotter temps and more humidity. Supposed to be north of 90* all week.

Anyway, there's not much exciting about pictures of boards being stained. That said, I opted to spend Friday evening staining the holes, both for the eight bed-to-frame bolts and the bedside-to-flooring carriage bolts. That took longer than I expected but is necessary to ensure all of the wood is protected.



This was typical of the way I stained the flooring.

I went with Benjamin-Moore Woodluxe stain. I also considered Sherwin-Williams. The Woodluxe is not cheap at $65/gallon. There are no smaller sizes either (pints or quarts). It is a deck stain so I guess B-M is expecting you to be staining a large area (fair enough). And, there's no way you'll use an entire gallon unless you and four friends are refurbishing your beds. However, all paint stores sell sample sizes. So, I opted for six sample containers. I used 4 3/4 containers which leaves an un-opened container for future touch-ups/repairs/maintenance. I did this mostly because I opted to go with a solid color stain which meant I had 3500 colors from which to choose. If you decide on a transparent, semi-transparent or semi-solid stain, you are limited to 75 colors. I thought it would be nice to find a color that would go with the patina of my truck. The color I chose (with the help of my wife, who does graphic design) is called Studio Clay. For those old enough to remember automotive design studios with the wooden bucks and piles of clay, you'll recognize this color. It's brown-ish/grey with a hint of pink. I would have preferred a semi-solid stain that showed some of the grain but I couldn't find a color that went with the patina.

Due to space constraints (and the size of my sawhorses), I stained everything in two batches. First was the two boards with the 1/2" holes for the bed-to-frame bolts as well as the two boards that slide under the bedsides. Batch 2 was the three middle boards (as shown above). After an initial pass of applying stain with a brush (on Batch 1), I opted to switch to a four inch foam roller. Not only did the stain go on much more quickly, the finish was nicer. You will need to use a brush to apply stain to the areas where the bed strips lock down the flooring boards though. A light sand with 220 grit between Coats 1 & 2 and Coats 2 & 3 knocks off any 'boogers' (as the salesperson at the paint store so eloquently put it). Also, because the stain is water based, it raises the grain slightly, especially after the first coat. A light sand will take care of that as well.

The conditions were so good for this, the first board in the batch was mostly dry by the time the last board was coated. The directions do say to wait 3-4 hours between coats. It took all weekend to stain so I took care of other things on the To-Do list in the interim. That said, I can begin re-assembly. And, I'm fetching the parts truck on Wednesday.

[Bronco638]

So, not much progress this week. In addition to driving to central Illinois and back, it's been quite hot and humid. You don't realize how much the weather takes out of you even if you're aware of what it can do to you. Just a couple of hours, working in the shade no less, can still make you more tired than you realize, even if you're staying hydrated.

Anyway, I installed the two outer boards, the ones under the bedsides:



I purposely left all of the fasteners loose so that the bed/floor has some ability to move/shift so that everything fits and is (relatively) square. At this point I noticed that the fuel filler hose was sitting a little high and would contact the underside of the bed floor. So, I made a necessary adjustment to the hose and it now has plenty of clearance (the filler neck is not yet attached to the left flare).



I also put in the rest of the flooring and cleaned up the bed strips. They are just laying in place, for now. I knew I was missing a small amount of hardware and finally had an opportunity to take inventory of what I needed. Until that arrives, here's where things stand:



Yes, those are the original bed strips. All I did to them was to wash them with Simple Green and water. Only one seems to have some wear/damage (but not bad enough to warrant replacement). I'll probably give them a once over with Nevr Dull before bolting them down.

Here's my '81 F-100 parts truck (from central Illinois):



My local wrecking yard seems to think it's worth $200 complete with running 300/6 and rebuilt AOD. F them! I'll most likely part it out after I remove what I need (if you are interested in parts, let me know). That said, the likelihood that I keep it past August 1, 2024 is pretty low. If no one shows any interest in parts, I'll cut it up and take it to the scrap collector. And, I do mean cut it up (Have Sawzall, Will travel). So, if you want patch panels, I'm willing to cut pieces off of the truck.

I am hoping to have the bed finished on my Flare Side this weekend. Then, it's on to stripping the parts truck.

[Bronco638]

Much progress was achieved, both on the Flare Side and the parts truck.

The bed on the Flare Side is 90% complete. The flooring is completely installed and all fasteners are tight. The flares are mounted on the bed sides. The fuel filler neck & hose are installed and do not touch the underside of the flooring. The remaining steps are to clean up the side steps and associated supports and re-install them. That should be pretty straight forward.



It's interesting but the color of the flooring stain changes under different lights. In the garage, under the LED work lights, it has more of a pinkish hue. Outside in natural light, it's more grey.

The flares are on and most of the work done to them was inside the wheel wells. I cleaned up and painted the metal brackets that secure the flare to the bedside. Those wheels are from the parts truck. I really like the way they look. I do have the center caps but kind of like the way they look without them. I need to get some nicer lug nuts and replace the broken wheel studs. I also have a set of American Racing 'wagon wheels' that were original equipment on this truck. It's going to be hard to decide which ones to use...




The steering column is the one from the parts truck. It doesn't have the automatic shift lever.



Here's some shots from under the bed. Looks pretty nice down here, too.





And, a close up of the fuel filler hose. I might use an Adel clamp to secure the filler hose, mid-way, so it doesn't vibrate against the underside of the bed floor.



All-in-all not a terrible job but it took some time and patience. I cannot imagine having to re-construct portions (or all) of the bed itself. That would have easily doubled the length of the project.

As for the parts truck, the following have been removed;

steering column

steering box

door cards

portions of the dash

driveshaft

Z-bar clutch linkage

pedal cluster

power steering pump

alternator

front fascia

transmission tunnel cover

The drivetrain is almost ready to be removed. I still need to disconnect the speedo cable and remove the shifter arm.

[Gary Lewis]

That is really looking GOOD!  

I know what you mean about the color of things.  I took pics of the gauges on Big Blue the other day and what I got under LED lighting was a far cry from what my eyes saw.  So I took the gauges outside in direct sunlight and then in just daylight and got different pics, but still a long ways from what I was seeing.

And I like the bullet hole wheels.  Those are what I have on Dad's truck and what I just bought for my SiL's truck.  They look good and very "period correct".

But what is an Adel clamp?

[Bronco638]

Gary Lewis wrote

That is really looking GOOD!  

Thanks very much. It came out much better than expected. I won't want to put anything in the bed, ...ever (which was not my intention).

Gary Lewis wrote

I know what you mean about the color of things.  I took pics of the gauges
on Big Blue the other day and what I got under LED lighting was a far cry
from what my eyes saw.  So I took the gauges outside in direct sunlight and
then in just daylight and got different pics, but still a long ways from
what I was seeing.

My wife does some graphic design. She warned me that the light source could have drastic effects on the perceived color of the stain. She was right. I still am happy with the color choice though.

Gary Lewis wrote

And I like the bullet hole wheels.  Those are what I have on Dad's truck and
what I just bought for my SiL's truck.  They look good and very "period correct".

I didn't realize how nice these would fit with my truck. And, it appears that they'll polish up very nicely. They're kind of dull right now but I can see that a little elbow grease will change their appearance dramatically.

Gary Lewis wrote

But what is an Adel clamp?

This is what I refer to as an Adel clamp. They come in various sizes. I think some people call them cable clamps, too. Conveniently, there's a bed strip carriage bolt just on the back side of the filler hose. I may use that to secure the clamp to keep the hose from vibrating against the bottom of the bed floor and top of the frame.

[Gary Lewis]

I just call that a "padded clamp", but I'm glad to learn that it is an Adel clamp.  

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

I just call that a "padded clamp", but I'm glad to learn that it is an Adel clamp.  

I call them "Cushion Clamps"

[grumpin]

I've always referred to those as Adel clamps. What I learned to call them as a young aircraft mechanic.

[Bronco638]

Gary Lewis wrote

I just call that a "padded clamp", but I'm glad to learn that it is an Adel clamp.  

I think it might be something similar to Vaseline, where the Brand Name becomes the common term (also Q-Tips).

Rembrant wrote

I just call that a "padded clamp", but I'm glad to learn that it is an Adel clamp.  

I call them "Cushion Clamps"

Paddle bits / Spade bits....

Cory, did I see that you posted something about BBK headers on one of your Flare Side pickups? I now have a 302/SROD to go into my truck and would like some shortie headers for it. However, it seems like the mechanical clutch linkage makes that difficult. Do you have any insight? Thanks.

grumpin wrote

I've always referred to those as Adel clamps. What I learned to call them as a young aircraft mechanic.

Based on "young aircraft mechanic" and your avatar, thanks very much for all of your efforts Dane. I appreciate you.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Kleenex, bandaids, aspirin, heroin.....

Dane is spot on (as are you!)
Have a look in Aircraft Spruce or likely even McMaster-Carr.

I ran into a similar situation when looking for place bolts for Jonathan's diesel flywheel.

[grumpin]

grumpin wrote

I've always referred to those as Adel clamps. What I learned to call them as a young aircraft mechanic.

Based on "young aircraft mechanic" and your avatar, thanks very much for all of your efforts Dane. I appreciate you.

Thank you! I actually made a career out of what I did in the Marine Corps.