51 F1 does the wood support the sides of the bed?

[Dago Red]

Ripping out the original wood and trim in the bed of the truck, can't tell for sure from looking, are the sides of the bed supported by the wood? if I rip those pieces out am I going to need to put new in there for support? Thanks guys.

Red

[37Mark]

OK, I'll jump in here. I'm pretty sure that there should be some metal crossmembers that support the bed. You should be able to see them from under the truck.

[Dago Red]

There are some other supports but it looks like a lot is resting on the wood. I am thinking about pulling it out and replacing with 3/4" aluminum, as that seems to be the thickness of the wood. Anybody have an opinion on this? Other ideas?

Thanks for the reply Mark. I will take a better look in the morning after I pressure wash the dirt and debris away.

Red

[poncho62]

I used a 1/4 in sheet of steel checker plate......................I use my truck to haul stuff.

[lakota]

There are 4 support bars that the bed is sitting on. One across the front, one across the tail, and two across the center. These cross bars support the wood also. It's what the metal strips between the wood attach to. They are called "cross sills" and you can get them from LMC for $49 each.