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
Before we get started, check...
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...
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.
The lower edge of the patch...
The lower edge of the patch piece, which is non-existent on the bed as of now, will span from the rounded part of the bedrail down to the side pillar. In order to make things sharp and accurate Sam uses a straightedge to make his mark from corner to corner.
Since the bed has no metal...
Since the bed has no metal where the lower edge of the patch piece will eventually sit, part of this cap will be unsupported and unwelded. For that reason a small amount of extra material will be incorporated, which will fold over the lower edge and create a much stronger doubled edge. Sam traces a line just beneath the lower edge--the metal between the two lines is what will be folded over.
A Beverly Shear was used to...
A Beverly Shear was used to cut the patch piece out. Because Sam traced around the edge of the bed cap he cut on the inside edge of his line. If a Beverly Shear is out of the cards, a pair of tin snips works just fine.
To create the fold, the piece...
To create the fold, the piece was put in a vise and bent over. Once the limits of the vise were met Sam just held it by hand and beat it the rest of the way over.
There's a small area that...
There's a small area that can't be cut until the fold is made, which is just past the fold mark. Once the fold was in place Sam went forward with cutting the piece of metal out.
Because the piece of steel...
Because the piece of steel was scrap metal lying around the shop, it needed to be ground clean before the welding could start--in order to make sure a solid and contaminant-free bond will occur.
Next, Sam ground the edge...
Next, Sam ground the edge of the bed side with an air grinder, outfitted with a 36-grit disc, to prepare the bed for welding.
Before anything was set in...
Before anything was set in stone, Sam made sure the cap fit perfectly. In this case, things were dead on--if they hadn't been, a slight trim here and there with the shear would have done the job.
Before any welding occurred...
Before any welding occurred Sam set the Lincoln ARC welder SP-100, with .023 wire, to Wire Speed 5 and Volts 5, the appropriate settings for a job this size. He then began welding the patch in place.
Instead of welding the piece...
Instead of welding the piece in with one pass, Sam stitch-welded the filler piece. Stitch welding the piece will keep the heat down and prevent any warping.
Once the piece was fully welded...
Once the piece was fully welded in place Sam then came back with his air grinder and ground down the welds.
Can't get any better than...
Can't get any better than that. Cosby said it best: "The proof is in the pudding." Here it's obvious if you follow the steps and take your time the final result will be a perfect patch that mounts flush with the bed.
Finishing off cleaning up...
Finishing off cleaning up the rear of the bedrail includes filling in the stake pocket. Sam used the same process to make the patch, only this time he couldn't hold the patch piece, therefore a magnet did the trick until he could get it tacked in.
From there the piece was welded...
From there the piece was welded in place and ground down just like the bed cap.
Check out how smooth and sleek...
Check out how smooth and sleek the bedrail looks now. Doesn't it seem logical that GM would have done this from the beginning? We think so.