2011 Flatbed Build

I'm going to put 63" chevy springs under the truck. So I'll be using the ruffstuff ideal swap kit and a set of skyjacker lift springs for a 1500 silverado. That will hold up my heavy ass and flex for days.

I'll figure out the shock hoops and shock lengths once I get the springs installed.

 

nice. sounds like a solid setup.

 

It's a tried and true method that's been done countless times, well, not so on 2nd gens. I only know of a handful of 2nd gens running 63's.

The trick will be the placement of the spring hangers. I have a feeling I'm going to have to modify my sliders to make the front hanger work. The bolt on sliders might just be come weld on by the time this is all said and done.

 

Thanks for the shoutout! I'll be around when you need an upgraded one! Rig is sweet!

 

This is a sweet setup an similar to what I was planning on making.

 

Thanks. Make sure you document your build when you get started.


I figured this picture should be in the bed build thread. Now to figure out the new shocks and bumps.

 

Also, I have an issue with the UHMW deck expanding on me. It turns out I should have added a row of fasteners down the middle of the deck. If you look at the back end of the bed in the picture above you can see the deck bulged above the steel. We haven't had a hot day yet, but sitting out in the sun on a 65 degree day resulted in the deck buckling up nearly 2" in the middle.

So my options are to weld in a center support and through bolt the deck, or just cut the deck down the middle so it can expand and contract. I'd rather not cut the UHMW though.

When I add the upper shock towers I'll have to weld on the bed, so I'll probably just pull it off and add the center support.

 

Problem is it was probably cut to size when it was colder. Just wait and see how much that deck expand when you get up in the 90's.

 

Exactly. If I let it go and we hit a 90+ degree day I'll have some real issues. So I have to remedy the problem before it warms up. Hell, I'll have to wait for a 40 degree day so the material will relax enough for the holes to even line up.

 

I have had expansion issues with just about every thermoplastic I have dealt with. The temps that manufacturers say the tolerances fit into have always been wrong. My opinion. Get a sheet of aluminum and line-x that thing.

BTW, saw your PM and will get you a file tonight.

 

You can screw that shit down all you want but it expands so much in the heat it will start to tear. Then when you get any sort of cold whether its going to shrink like crazy and tear so more. I would do what zscott said and get a sheet of aluminum and line-x or some rubberized coating.

 

Thanks bud.

I wanted to stay away from aluminum, but I may not have a choice. I wonder how the guys that line their dump truck beds with this stuff deal with this issue.

 

My biggest question is boat decks. I messed with marine board (HDPE) for a few things including the first defelctors for my roof racks. Somehow they get that stuff to lay flat and not swell on a boat deck that is constantly going through hot and cold temp changes but I can't get a tiny piece to stay still without giant slots vs. holes. Even then it still wanted to bow.

 

This ^^^^

I've gone through the same expansion and contraction issues on fishing boats many, many times. It's frustrating; since it looks great in the winter time - but when ambient temperatures rise in the summer, the material buckles and deflects between the fasteners. Most of the builders that play with the material up here tend to mount it in small strips. Which, I believe serves to mitigate the propensity of a large surface area to buckle, and it replaceable if it develops any cracking.

I know I've seen "clips" (for lack of a better term) that were made out of stainless angle. Essentially, they just held the edges of the material - and had room for expansion/contraction. I'd imagine if the entire decking was relatively free-floating, that the material would have room to expand/contract.

I tend to agree with the sheet of aluminum comment. You'd have to pay attention to any corrosion/dissimilar metals issues, but given the level of detail that you devoted to the entirety of this build, I'm sure that you could figure it out.

Did you ever consider building your flatbed utilizing a c-channel sub-frame? I was following a flat bed build over on Welding Web, where several "experts" weighed in and gave their opinions on using square tubing vs. c-channel. Of course, the build was being done on a Ford F-550; I'd imagine that our trucks will never even come close to the stress and hauling weights of a rig like that. The main points seemed to be the fact that square tube tends to love to twist, where as c-channel is much more resistant to rotational force, and the possibility of water entering the tubing, freezing and expanding/cracking. Again, way overkill for our trucks, but an interesting read nonetheless.


http://weldingweb.com/showthread.ph...tion-and-fabrication&highlight=f-550+flat+bed

 

I had square tube on the brain when I decided to build the bed, so channel didn't come up. I'll let my new chevy 63's compensate for the rear frame rails not flexing as much as they used too.

I really hate to do it, but for the time being I'm just going to cut a strip out of the center of the bed. That will allow it to move as much as it wants. Stepping in the middle of that area will result in some deflection, but it won't keep me from carrying gear back there. It's a shame too, as I went to a lot of trouble to find a sheet that I could put down in one piece.

This will keep me from having to remove the bed as well.

 

Second on the clip or channel idea to make the plastic free float. Just like a bottom of a drawer.

I have chevy leaves in with my packs. Great results, but the different widths look a little strange. Would like to go with a full swap but haven't seen the 63" swap on a 2nd gen. You gonna put it here or have you created another thread for that?

 

Check out the last couple pages of my build thread. I'll compose all the pics into one post once I get everything finished.

 

I don't know exactly how you have mounted the sheets, but could you slot your holes for the fasteners? I don't have UHMW experience, but that is one of the only ways to keep wood from expanding or cracking due to expansion and shrinkage.

 

no one likes shrinkage...


sorry.. im no help.

 

Slotting the holes under the tie down rails would help, but I would have to make the slots wider than the rail.

I'm having a "growing" problem actually.