If there's one truck that crosses over into each realm of truck trends, it's an Advance Design Chevy. Whether a guy wants a stock restored truck, a hot rodded truck, a true radical custom, a pro street, or something to put up on a set of poles 30 feet in the air as a shop sign, the Advance Design Chevy is game for all. Even the cell phone company, Cricket, has its trademark neon green Advance Design Chevy plastered all over its ad campaigns. It's one of the most versatile trucks in the custom classic truck marketplace simply because it appeals to all ages, all minds, and all hot rodders. For that reason it's also one of the most popular to modify.
Just like all trucks, the amount of modifications go on and on, and you see a lot of the same modifications on each truck around the country. Things such as disc brake conversions, gas tank relocations, shaved door handles, one-piece windows, molded roll pans, and more are staples in a common ground for a truck build. Well the AD Chevy is no different. It churns up the same ideas across the board, evokes the same creative thinking, yet still has one key job all to its own.
One distinct modification to an AD Chevy is the bedrails. Now sure, the first thing that probably comes to mind is filling stake pockets, but there's one other area that's a little further back, the bed caps. At the rear of the bed things just seem to ... stop. It's like the designers got lazy and decided to leave it at that! I mean have you ever looked at one? At the end there's just an exposed hole due to the fact that the outer bedrail has been given a round appearance for a cleaner look, but no one bothered to think about finishing things off in the rear for a clean look. It's because of this that one of the basics in building an AD bed should be to cap things off.
Sure you see a lot of trucks that have done this, but you see even more that have foregone this customization. The worst part about it is the fact that it's so simple to do. By simply creating a small tear-drop-shaped patch and welded it in you finish off what the designer's forgot to do. Check out how easy it is as we follow along with Sam Head as he caps the bed of his '53 Chevy. By the way, whether it's an AD bed with flat rails or angled rails the process is the same. CCT
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Before we get started, check out this rear shot of the brand new Brothers bed side. As you can see, the rail is completely exposed with no cap whatsoever, which will soon be a thing of the past. | 
The first step in making the tear-drop-shaped bed cap was for Sam Head to trace around the edge of the cap onto a piece of 20-gauge steel. |