1969 F250 4x4 Highboy 7/9 rubicon

[Fordnatic]

What could cost more on your bed than building an entire flatbed?

[1971ford]

Eric... yeah strapping things down might get annoying, we will see.
Then again... how many times did i use my stock bed. once?
And the flatbed will have a short and tall set of sides, i'll probably have the short set on at all times so i dont have to tie things down.


rjewkes, the filler neck is fine for me, on the stock bed whenever i might decided to swap it back onto the truck i'll cut an access door in the floor, i dont mind doing this at all.
In the flatbed i dont know what i am going to do yet! I'm going to have to figure something out.

BigblueF250,
I thought a picture might help persuade you.
My flatbed is going to be a cross between Dustin's (orange highboy above) and this truck.


Fordnatic,
The deal with not using the old bed is this. The entire chassis and underbody of my truck is restored and very nice looking, and the bed just destroys the nice looks every time i see it. A flatbed isn't going to need a bunch of body work to look nice.
My box bead's sides are very wavy, because i welded the seams and had to rush on the body work to get it drivable. It needs A LOT of time on the body thati dont have right now. I figure $100 atleast in body work materials. Then the inside of the bed is flaky old paint, which would need to be sand blasted. Another $250. I want it bed lined, and dont like roll-ons so i was going to have it line-x'd. That costs $400.
So to make my box bed meet my standards for the truck i'd have to put $750 into it.
Flatbed so far (40 feet of 2x4 .120 tube) is $140. Then It's going to be $50-60 for the pressure treated 2x6's. $40 for brake and reverse lights. The rest of the tubing i will be using i am working off at the shop. So i'll have about $240 into the basic flatbed. Not counting the fuel tanks, tool boxes or hitch. As those would have to be added if i kept the stock bed too. Although it's going be much easier on the flatbed to add them.

After a couple months if i don't like the flatbed I'll pull it off, sell it and put the stock bed back on, i'm not doing anything that isn't bolt on so i can easily put the stock bed back on later.

[1971ford]

Flatbed details in the flatbed build thread in the body section.

Here's the current status of the highboy.



It's getting a set of 35" BFG TA's as soon as i find some dang rims!

[1971ford]

[cheek]

Looks awesome Ryan! Is it very different to drive then before?

[1971ford]

Different regarding the flatbed or wheels?
The flatbed weighs about the same as the bed did so no difference there, although i have shorter sides and no tailgate so now i can look at the face of who tailgates me. So, other than visibility, it drives the same. But if you count the mustang gas tank, then it rides nicer as the tank is behind the rear axle and weighs 150 pounds when full.

If you're asking about the tires, then the best way for me to describe from going to 60 psi with 31's to 25psi in 35's it's like going from semi-truck to lexus.
Although, i'm bumping the psi to 35-40ish tomorrow. It was at 25 because thats what i run in the race truck.
Still though, it's a very nice change.

(not that i would know or anything) but driving onto a curb (not a driveway, but a vertical edged curb) with the 31's is like hitting a brick wall and doing the same with the 35's is almost not noticeable except for the change in altitude
Driving on cracked streets is a heck of a difference as well.

[fomocoguy]

Hey, that looks great! Nice job. The short wood sides are really sharp.

[1971ford]

Thanks!
I still have to work on details though.
I need to sand all the edges off the wood, i'd like to angle the top and bottom of the vertical 2x4's on the sides too.

[averagef250]

Headache rack looks familiar....Where have I seen a design like that before???

Lookin good! I beat up the sides pretty good in use. It was nice to just replace them with new for $20 every 6 months or so

[1971ford]

yeah Dustin i liked your headache rack the best out of all the ones i found, and if it wasn't for your truck i wouldn't have built the flatbed. Had to incorporate some of your old '71 into it!

Yeah the sides only took 15 minutes to make too, so i can trash them and replace them as needed

[Joshpow]

Nice ol truck ryan. You shoulda kept the bump bed on it though!! not partial to flats unless theres dual wheels under them. But none the less you did good again. Just glad you like it man. Keep up the good work.

[1971ford]

so far i haven't looked back at the bump bed. I'm loving the flatbed.
i get several compliments a day on it

[FreakysFords]

Looks good man. I suspect this ting's gonna see some actual off-road time and have to think you'll be happier replacing some lumber instead of a bedside!

[1971ford]

It will indeed!

Have a few trips to the Rubicon planned for this summer with some buddies. We go wheeling about every other weekend. I'm careful with it, as i've put thousands of hours into the truck frame-up but sometimes some trails just look too fun to pass up. I scraped my bedside on the side of a ditch while i was getting a little off camber, didn't hurt the bedside though. No more worry about that!

[FormerMarine1981]

Now you need a 4bt in there!