Flatbed Mounting

[69 C10 LWB]

I’ve got a question for all the flat bed owners out there. I’m getting close to putting the bed back on my 65 C30. The bed had wood strips between the truck frame and the bed frame. Everything I’ve seen says don’t use wood. The wood looks to be original to the truck or at the very least an old replacement. The wood seems to have served this truck well for a long time. I also understand wood expands and contracts and can cause the bolts to come loose if I don’t keep an eye on it. This truck is not going to be a work truck or even a daily driver just a toy.

My question for everyone is should I just replace the wood with new or fab up some steel spacers since the frame isn’t flat?

[Captainfab]

A wood cushion used to be the way to mount a bed on a truck, but for quite a number of years now most truck beds are mounted directly metal to metal. Some people may add a 1/4" or less rubber between the two. Either way, the rear most mount of the bed to truck frame should be bolted directly thru the truck frame. The rest can be u-bolts if desired.

[LostMy65]

I used Pressure Treated wood to mount my service box. Maybe after a couple years I guess the wood would be fully dry and one could tighten things down a little more.
The back of the box bolted directly to the frame, the front is where I used PT.

[69 C10 LWB]

The bed originally had a 1X3 across the top of the frame and a 2X6 cut at an angle in the front and a 2X4 cut at an angle in the back. The bolts were 2 long pieces of threaded rod welded together on either side of the frame on all 4 corners. I’ve been considering a different bed so I hate to sink a bunch of money into this one adding steel to make it fit the frame. The wood served the truck well for a lot of years so I’m thinking of just replacing the wood for now until I decide if I’m keeping this bed or doing something else.

[LostMy65]

I would have no concern with using PT wood. Torque it down tight, and it should easily outlast your lifespan.