 The first step is to unwrap...  The first step is to unwrap the heavily covered steel flooring and lay out all the parts. Youll immediately notice the craftsmanship and time invested in the manufacture of the floor panels and crossbraces; even the quality of the hardware thats supplied is above the norm. |
 Lay out the planks on a clean...  Lay out the planks on a clean flat surface along with the crossbraces to get a general idea of what lies ahead. |
 Now its as simple as...  Now its as simple as bolting it together. Make sure you align one end of the planks against a straight surface so you end up with a square floor. |
 When you turn it over, you...  When you turn it over, you see exactly why we opted for a steel bed floorits smoooooooth. |
 The next step is to pry open...  The next step is to pry open the boxes from Mar-K. As you can see, wood slats line the box to protect the parts. Protecting the quality of the parts is as important as the quality itself. |
 In addition to noticing that...  In addition to noticing that these bed sides are super straight, youll notice that the fender holes are punched in and all the hardware holes are provided. |
 With all the bed pieces in...  With all the bed pieces in place, go ahead and bolt them together just to get a general idea of what youre working with. Youre going to take it back apart, but the bed floor only takes a few minutes to assemble and reassemble, and seeing the big picture is always helpful. |
 Lay the floor in place. With...  Lay the floor in place. With the floor sitting on the front bed panel and the rear bed cross-filler panel, youre in the ballpark for level markings. Draw a line around the bed sides with a marking pen. The quality of these two companies products complement each other beautifully. |
 After aligning the front bed...  After aligning the front bed panel with the front floor plank bolt holes, do the same with the rear bed panel and the rear floor plank bolt holes. |
 The next task requires you...  The next task requires you to lay one bed side down flat. From the bottom edge of the bed, measure up to your marking, then make any slight adjustments so the measurements are the same at the front and rear of both bed sides. |
 Using a straightedge or a...  Using a straightedge or a long straight piece of steel, trace a line between the two marks on each bed side. |
 The next step requires disassembling...  The next step requires disassembling the bed floor. In addition to marking the front and rear of the bed, you also want to number the planks with a file or a grinder so they stay put through the paint process. This will maintain the same layout from start to finish. Take the plank that lies next to the side youre attaching and lay it on its side across the line drawn on the bed side. Mark through the floor plank holes onto the bed side. IMPORTANT: Dont place the floor plank all the way at the front of the bed side because the front bed panel sits inside the bed sides and takes up about a quarter of an inch. So allow that much room for the front bed panel when you transfer your marks from the bed floor to the bed side. |
 With the hole locations transferred,...  With the hole locations transferred, your next step is to drill all the holes and reassemble the floor and the bed. Allen-head bolts are supplied to connect the bed sides to the outer floor planks. Very clean. |
 Can you guess whats...  Can you guess whats next? Thats right, take it all apart again. You can use fine sandpaper or a scuff pad to rough up the metal for primering. |
 I prefer to use Polyprimer,...  I prefer to use Polyprimer, an amazing product from Pacific Coast Lacquer. This primer requires a catalyst and not only does it dry hard with excellent fill capabilities, but it doesnt swell the bodywork, which can cause shrinkage later. |
 With everything primered,...  With everything primered, I considered some options for subtle changes to the bed. I removed the tailgate chains and hook holes along with the stake pockets, then slightly altered the ends of the bed sides. You can see the difference in the photo from one bed side to the other. |
 After primering and finishing...  After primering and finishing any custom fabrications, assemble the bed. When youre finished with all your body fitting and ready to paint, completely disassemble the bed and wet-sand each part with 400-grit and then 600-grit paper, and its ready for paint. After painting, you can color-sand and buff the bed if you want before the final assembly. You definitely want to paint your bed in pieces so everything gets complete coverage. |
Editors Note: Scott Baker, owner of Baker Restoration, has built a wide variety of vehicles but is most known for his over-the-top Porsches and pickups. Most recently, he built Chers 1956 Ford truck.
The bed can make restoring a classic pickup truck pretty unappetizing to just about any enthusiast. Picture all that rotten wood, rusted nuts and bolts, not to mention 40 years of waves and dents. Arghhhhh!
Fear not, there is an easy way thats very cost-, time-, and frustration-effective. I offer the following recipe for your bed entrée: Start with a large sifter full of Mar-K high-quality repro bed parts, add seven planks of Steve Phipps Fabrication steel bed flooring, and success is a mixing bowl away.
When I decided to go with an all-steel bed repro, I had some initial reservations, but now that Ive worked with the product, Im convinced. Mar-Ks quality is solid, and the company cares about what its doing. The same can be said for Steve Phipps and his floors. If you also opt to go all-steel, make sure you inform Mar-K so it wont attach the side cover strip thats needed for wood beds. When I find companies that do exactly what they say, it makes my job easier, so I want everyone to know about them. Its definitely worth calling to get the complete list of products offered by these companies.