Adding Sides to My DIY Wooden Truck Bed

Simple, sturdy, and removable. I also add some recessed tie down hooks.

[@davidallen787]

I've known you nearly 35 years. It's always amazed me the skills you have amassed over the years for anything mechanical, etc. Way to go. Beautiful truck, sir.

[@davidallen787]

NPC 862949 - and what makes you think he doesn’t know me!?! LOL

[@h.a.t.5321]

Billy Bob Thornton for narrator was a great touch, I'd love to do this to my truck but I'd like the sides to be removable if desired. Overall looks really good.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

If you go back in the video, you'll see that mine are totally removable, and I've done it several times. Each support post is held fast by a couple of screws, but the notches I put in the outermost boards allow the side panels to slide up and out.

[@seandonovan4210]

Sir, this truck bed is amazing. Thank you for sharing. I plan on building one myself! Also, you have a very calming voice. I enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work!

[@stevedevries2891]

Thank you for posting this video! I just bought a 2004 F-250 with a bed that's been to hell and back. It needs to go. I was looking for options when I found your channel. I think I'll give this a try (or a version of this at least.) Well done. Subscribed.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

You'll notice I haven't posted in a while. I retired and moved, and am in the process of building a new shop. More videos in store!

[@shceZriS]

It looks amazing, way better than most wooden beds.

[@margaretsantiago5875]

I love it bc my truck is wooden flate bed and I wanted idea to finsh my project thank to you I want to do it like your .thank you now I can finsh my project.my truck is 150 dodge ram 1500..

[@edwinbrown3303]

Very cool restoration

[@grandinfinite5921]

Thank you. I have a 4 door 2001 S10. Bed'll need replacing sometime in the future. But, this 4.5 ft by 4.5 ft. Bed doesn't exist anymore. I'm gonna build a bed. Thank you. Your video will be my guide.

[@CChase-rb5fv]

I just bought a Chevy Colorado that I need to build a bed on your very informative

[@anthonystruck666]

Nice thing about the first video being 2 years old, is that the follow up video is already out and I don't have to wait to see how you've finished the bed rails. Lol looks good. I plan to do this on my 04 ram 1500. I'll probably make it easier to remove the side since I haul allot of furniture that just a little wide.

[@davidgagnon2849]

That turned out really, really nice!

[@heymaneyetried6952]

I just picked up a 1972 f250 long bed that I'm going to do this to, awesome video!

[@ChipGwyn]

Love it. Thanks for going through this series, the things to watch out for, etc.. Nicely done!

[@vanbaker184]

Absolutely perfect! loved the whole build video!

[@Treepole]

Woot wood Love it Thinkibg sides for my ram Will look great

[@BruceAUlrich]

Some nice additions. I'm enjoying watching you build onto this.

[@johnwalters6800]

As a machinist I would like to offer an option for the floor tie downs. I would locate 1/2-13 Eyebolts or larger D. to pass thru the floor and then thread them into four each 4 x 4 x 1 chunks of aluminum or thinner pieces of steel with 1/2-13 threaded into the center. Screw holes in the corners to keep the chunks in place. I would do this at four convent locations. Now when I needed the tie downs I would pull the four Eyebolts out of the truck and thread them into the chunks. When not in use only a 1/2 d. hole would show in the floor. Carriage bolts and nuts could be used in place of the screws.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

That sounds great! Where were you when I was building this thing? I will have to give that a try if I need to add more anchors. Thanks for the tip!

[@sirrichardlangfordii7247]

I love the bed of your truck! It's so decorative! I especially like it when you get to see the brake lights sticking through the wood!

[@donsixpack6779]

I love the finish on the wood. Great work!

[@99speedtriple]

Thanks. You gave me some great ideas to get started on my wooden truck bed. Hope mine turns out as good as yours !

[@SquatchNomad]

This is simply amazing. Very inspiring for my '66 GMC pickup. I will be using this as a guide.

[@dannyscobee6530]

Looks great & should serve you well.👍🏻👍🏻

[@nigelthornton7378]

Love it . Trying to justify this on my truck in the UK now

[@mattmadison4731]

Very nice flatbed

[@bamamike0762]

Looks awesome. Just what I was looking for, for my '71 f100.

[@stevenhebert6117]

Wonderful job. Planning on doing something just like this on my 94 GMC Sierra. Love it.

[@waynedyer3475]

Ty. Made my morning. Cup of coffee and watching your work.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Well, your comment made my day. Thank you.

[@mountainviewturning5319]

Great looking truck bed 👍

[@garywhelansr5602]

Best one Ive seen yet great job..

[@paulkelly1702]

Well done sir, well done!

[@mattmadison7676]

Great video thank you for uploading so we could see love the flame kiss and oil stain looks great

[@esc8engn]

I have a new used truck that this project would be PERFECT for. I was thinking about using synthetic decking material though, and metal subframe for stiffness. Your videos really helped me visualize what I'm getting into and make it look not so bad. Thanks!

[@travelcampingblacksmithing786]

Looks good, love the recessed tie downs. On my personal truck I would have the boards tight fitting to be able to camp in if needed though when traveling

[@fishfiction7823]

This is amazing! Exactly the type of bed I am making for my 69 f250 camper special!

[@billywwjd]

Very nice truck bed!

[@davidgreen437]

Dude that is beautiful. I would drive that bad boy with pride.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Thank you sir. You made my day.

[@cushionface09]

Loved it . Looks and functions Great. Got a lot of ideas for the one Im may be doing.THX...

[@maryleejones6574]

Right on great stuff. Thank you.

[@jeffb6506]

Great job!

[@ryan31381]

I just shared this with my Dad. He recently bought a 29 ford that is running but basically just a seat and a hood shroud. Though this would look great on his old car.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Thanks for doing that. It makes my day if someone can get a spark of an idea from me, then do their own thing.

[@Lutzboater]

It looks great.

[@lowxpectations]

i love it, gives me some ideas for my dakota and ranger builds

[@sidvanreenen1908]

Looks great.

[@stephaniespalmer]

Love this. You should show how to add a hinged tail gate. We just bought a 2002 f250 that needs a bed and we are going to custom fit a wood bed, this is exactly what I needed to see how it could look. My husband (general contractor and handyman) I'm sure already has it worked out in his head lol

[@HK-el4xv]

Clean job🌷

[@spindlesworkshop9744]

Awesome looking👍

[@pcdreams1]

love this and I think I can do it. If I can get the damn bed off. LOL

[@CountyGarage207]

Subscribed, awesome video. I will use some of your idea to build my flat bed.

[@greenleader138]

That looks awesome good job! I

[@AlaskaPirates]

Great video

[@budgillett9627]

Absolutely amazing! Beautiful flatbed!

[@brentgroenhuizen617]

Awsome idea

[@zavoina]

Looking good.

[@rchavez5056]

Great job.

[@Skyhausmann]

Damn fine job.

[@YESSLEEP42]

great video!!

[@JoseRodriguez-dw9dv]

Looks nice 🙂

[@patrickrheaume6984]

Great job, and look. I'm going to be doing this soon to my truck, a tail gate for me is essential so that will be part of the build as well, along with more tiedowns around the inside of the bed. Burning the wood as you might know is an old Japanese method of curing wood as well as making it bug proof, it has lasted for over a 1000 years on structures built in Japan.

[@tuesboomer1623]

Love it!

[@mikeherman96]

Well brother i just got a little mazda 2500 and after running across you video im really wanting to do something like your awsome bed but im at the wrong end of winter to be outside doing stuff like that (no garage). But it gives me plenty of time to plan it out. Thank you fer shareing. Mike from michigan.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Thank you Sir!

[@colyejustman8736]

going to try this thanks!

[@wolfrus1809]

Thank god I have a flatbed on my ranger that I got from my uncle and I’ve always hated the look of it I just hated how wood flatbeds look so I was going to get a metal one but those things are worth almost as much as the truck..but seeing how cool this one is I think I’ll just do this

[@andersonsidney69]

great job

[@jeremiahrodriguez8107]

Yooo love it man 👍🏽

[@jimjackson3245]

For further validation still, I'm going to use these videos as a template for the wood bed on my Model T. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

That's awesome! Thank you!

[@terristroh3965]

Very cool!!

[@albertkieffer1755]

realy nice guy

[@jimpintchuk5627]

Awesome truck bed. I’d like ideas for a lightweight tail gate for this.

[@carmendawnallan8871]

👍 I subscribed.You Inspired this,Canadian Gal 🍁 Thanks forSharing.

[@RussellKirstein]

so cool man, im doing this on my truck

[@levibridge9515]

Saw these videos since I was looking for flatbed builds for my 05 f250 longbed. Priced out welding one up vs. buying a manufactured flatbed vs. a wood bed. The wood bed was the cheapest by far. Definitely gonna look into doing this. Any tips or words of advice? What did you decide finally for the gas cap?

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I went through several different designs and nothing worked. But I figured out why. Those old systems have an internal vent that comes up the filler tube and kind of "disappears" at the opening with small holes for venting as you add gas. I had completely dumped that idea, assuming that the really large filler tube would allow the air to escape. Wrong. I actually added a 40 gallon tank recently, and it fills from the top. So I added a small door on the floor of the bed at the rear. But, I made sure I have the venting in place.

[@dougnicoll]

Excellent

[@LDhusky]

Very cool

[@tomservice1404]

Very nice

[@Roboticwurm]

Beautiful. Any chance you'll put some underbody tool boxes below the bed in front of the rear wheels? Boxes made of the same wood with similar steel latches as the tie-downs would look amazing. You'll need the boxes to keep those ratchet straps for your tie-down. hope you'll at least do a matching tailgate? I would love to see that.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I actually did! I filmed it and planned to put it on KZbin, but the whole process was such a disaster. The end result was fine, but I made some many stupid mistakes in the process, there's no way I could publish it. I will eventually re-do it, and put out a video. Send me an email, and I'll send some pictures of the finished product.

[@ppatinka]

@@FranklinWoodWorks2016 I plan on adding storage boxes as well please send even the awful videos to my gmail account ppatinka. thank you

[@jimvernon8307]

Awesome

[@paulsmessyworkshop]

Rob, the sides really add a nice finished look to the bed project. I think it was a good idea to cut all the way through the bed when attaching the tie downs so any water can drain out of the recess. Is this the end of the project or is there more to come?

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

There may be some more, but I want to keep the projects wood-related. I may turn a gear shift knob, I know I'm going to build structure for the bed that will allow me to haul plywood without marring the veneer, and it's even been suggested I build a matching front bumper out of wood. The bumper may be over the top.

[@ruffneck256]

I just baught a 87 f150 with no bed i would like to know how much lumber you used awsome video

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

For the sides, it was just 6 1x6 treated boards and a couple of 2x4 for the vertical pieces. On the original video for the bed itself, I have a materials list in the description below the video.

[@davidcalderwood4131]

What did you do for a tailgate? How do you keep gravel in?

[@gle4068]

Hello Franklin, your wood bed looks like a dream! Just curious, what method did you use to burn your wood. Also was your wood pressure treated prior to the burn treatment?

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I used a big "burning" torch I got at harbor freight. It hooks to a propane tank. I didn't not use treated lumber, I used southern yellow pine. I thought that with the combination of burning and the diesel fuel/oil finish, that I wouldn't have to worry about rot. WRONG!. I recently rebuilt it, same design (the only difference is that I raised it two inches to accommodate a 40 gallon fuel tank), but used treated wood. This one should last a lot longer than two years.

[@gle4068]

@@FranklinWoodWorks2016 I didn't make a flat bed but I added some wood sideboards to a 98 Tacoma. Doesn't serve much of a purpose on such a small pickup but it looks great! Couldn't help but to notice your video while scrolling through youtube for ideas and boy does your flat bed look beautiful! I bet farmers and other drivers can't help but to look at your setup. I'm glad I went with treated wood as you suggested. I'm going to try the burn method when my wet wood dries. Thank you!

[@johnwalters6800]

I need to see if I can purchase a new 2 door pickup without a bed. This truck bed would be perfect. Unfortunately a good 2 door pickup is becoming hard to find. For unknown reasons everyone seems to think they must have 4 door.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I looked for a very long time to find this truck. Oddly enough, I found it just a couple of miles from my house. I know exactly how fortunate I am to found this one. Cosmetically awful, mechanically sound, and the perfect platform for tinkering. I love it!

[@johnwalters6800]

Any ideas for a tail gate. Do you think it is even needed.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

@@johnwalters6800 No plans for a tail gate. Everything I've imagined wouldn't really add asthetically to the truck, and would be difficult structurally for it to have any strength.

[@albertkieffer1755]

how did you do your gass filler

[@frankm8533]

Yup tractor supply hardware by the pound that's all we use is them

[@kmiller7351ify]

Do you have pic on how the fuel neck was mounted and what if anything did you put in back opening?

[@DIYHGP]

OK here’s your leg and your comment turned out great maybe you should do recess the polls before you put on the sides might’ve been easier

[@philjohnston9616]

Great build. Cool idea. Have you had any problem with the anchor points ? Are they reinforced with backing plates underneath ?

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I used massive fender washers. After about a month, I had to go underneath and tighten everything up as the wood settled or compressed. But I'm still really happy with it.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I assumed you were talking about the bed. Were you talking about the sides? If so, were you talking about where the vertical pieces go into the bed?

[@philjohnston9616]

The bed. Us guys tend to winch down pretty hard when tying down.

[@levibridge9515]

How has it held up? What's the heaviest load it has carried?

[@em0p0ny]

How did you finish the wood? How many coats

[@thedeadbeats5847]

,thumbs up

[@TygerBlueEyes]

Nice build. How are you doing man?

[@stuntzombie8747]

Maybe I missed it, but how did you go about securing the gas filler neck?

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

You didn't miss it, because I didn't do it. I've done two videos on it since. They are both very short, and I encourage you to watch them in order. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2qXlJijh7J3ic0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKG7mIOCip2jl8U

[@donkeough3483]

I am currently doing a similar project and noticed your fuel filler neck is below the deck. How well does the fuel flow when filling?

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Horrible! I tried a couple of re-designs, even made a video of one that worked well enough. I think the answer may be raising the floor of the bed another 3 1/2 inches to give the fuel hose enough slope. More clearance for the tires too.

[@donkeough3483]

@@FranklinWoodWorks2016 Thank you for the quick response and honesty. I am looking to keep the current system meaning there will be a notch in the bed. Since I do not want the pipe damaged, it will have to have a wood alcove for lack of a better word. The other option would be 4x6 cross members or 4x4 spacers below the 4x4 cross members. I will have to see how high that makes the bed. I use it to haul dirt and don't want to carry a ladder.

[@dougscheer3194]

I need one done but being disabled disabled I cannot do it on my 2008 Ford Ranger myself

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I'm not disabled myself, so I don't know what that's like. But when I face a challenge, like I don't have a certain tool for the job, I start thinking of ways I can accomplish the task without it. There's almost always a way, even if it involves assistance from others.

[@billywwjd]

Hello just wondering, what did you do for fuel line to the tank?

[@billywwjd]

Thank you.

[@TomMack530]

i am going to do that to my truck but i am going to add a tailgate to mine

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I'd love for you to get back with me once you finish. I'd like to see the tailgate setup.

[@pierrececile9611]

I'm building one on my old 1998 gmc sonoma

[@danielleon-jy3wn]

What kind of wood was used on this job

[@scrhino40]

Looks good. What is the brand and model number of the lights you use on the bed.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

From Amazon, Meerkatt (pack of 6) 4 inch, 4 red and 2 white Clearance Lamp Round Utility Brake Reverse Rear Tail Lamp $38.95

[@scrhino40]

@@FranklinWoodWorks2016 thank you

[@notchcoupeful]

👍👏👏

[@paulb4085]

IM LOOKING AT A 65 C10 AND MIGHT JUST DO THIS TO IT

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Fantastic! I think old trucks look great with wooden beds (unless the stock bed is in great shape).

[@cjpodkowka9767]

What did you do for the gas cap

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

If you'll send me an email, I'll show you some pics and give a detailed explanation.

[@carrion4435]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏