I figured it was about time to get back to sewing together this homebuilt hot rod since I found a couple of spare hours this past weekend. Since all the major fabrication has been completed, all that's left is actually of relatively minor consequence-though each one gets me closer to the road.
Since I did have those few free hours, I assumed I could get the bed mounted and a bed floor cut and installed with the time I had. The Homebuilt Hot Rod's bed looks to be a '27 T, as close as I can figure, which suits me just fine since all it's destined to carry is the fuel tank, battery, and a bit of camera gear. Since this is the case, I knew I didn't have to worry about it being really heavy-duty, which saves me the work of fabricating any extensive floor supports-besides, the rear portion of the framerails will serve that need.
As you'll soon see, I went about this chore in the quickest and easiest fashion, and the whole process took me less than three hours to complete. It may not be the way you might choose to handle the job, but then again, the whole concept behind the build is more to prove that we're all capable of building a hot rod rather than telling you exactly how to do it. So, take a look at how I went about this task, keeping in mind all I'm trying to do is motivate you folks to get out there in the garage and whip together one of these babies yourself-the world needs more hot rods on the road!
The Z'd portion of the rear...
The Z'd portion of the rear framerails worked out to my advantage in this situation. Not only would the raised 'rails allow me to easily fabricate mounting tabs without a lot of unnecessary fabrication, but the 'rails will serve as my floor supports, as well.
I started by lowering the...
I started by lowering the bed into place over the rear 'rails using a bunch of 2x4 wood blocks I keep on hand for situations such as this. I then searched my scrap metal stash (every home hobbyist should have such a collection) and ran across a small pile of angle brackets that I picked up at a local garage sale (I believe they're actually steel fence or gate components).
The next step was to weld...
The next step was to weld the tabs to both the lower bedrails and the sides of the framerails. With all eight welded into place, I then placed the bed onto the chassis, aligning the brackets and inserting a quartet of nuts and bolts. Before tightening everything up, I checked to make sure I was correct in my calculations and that the bed mounted square and level.
One thing I did have to contend...
One thing I did have to contend with was the upper coil spring mounts that protruded above the framerails-I'd have to work around these in order for the floor to sit on the 'rails and not have to fabricate any additional floor supports.
With everything checking out...
With everything checking out positioning wise, I then began thinking about the bed floor. I had a sheet of 3/8-inch plywood handy and figured it'd be adequate for the job since the vehicle would never be carrying that much of a load.
After transferring the markings...
After transferring the markings to the plywood I'd cut to fit the bed, I lowered it into place, checking to make sure it was as level as possible. Next, I loaded up the floor with a bit of weight (I used four nearby jack stands) so the floor was firmly laying on the framerails and crawled underneath to mark the bedsides to locate the same type of angle brackets I'd used to mount the bed to attach the floor to the bed.
There were five more brackets...
There were five more brackets in the heap, so I lucked out in that respect. I welded the remaining brackets to the bed, lining up their top surface to the marks I'd made on the bed using the bottom surface of the plywood, and welded 'em to the bedsides (you can see one here in the lower left of the photo).
There was a gap at the rear...
There was a gap at the rear tailgate opening because the bed itself is channeled over the framerails. I again lucked out by finding a few 1 3/4- inch square by 4-inch-long blocks in my woodpile (being a packrat has its advantages) that worked perfectly for supporting the floor at this gap.
With the floor in place and...
With the floor in place and seemingly sturdy, I crawled back underneath and marked the underside of the floor at the mounting brackets so I could pull out the plywood and drill the mounting holes. Next, it was back to another stash (my hardware stash) where I found an appropriate number of carriage bolts to attach the floor to the bed.
Once the bed floor was bolted...
Once the bed floor was bolted into place (and I still had a bit of time before the better half called me in to get ready to take her out to dinner-it's a balancing act I'm sure we've all hopefully mastered), I figured I had enough time to locate my Tanks Inc. fuel tank.
I lowered the tank into place,...
I lowered the tank into place, making sure it was centered in the bed, and spaced it 3/8-inch away from the front bed wall using a couple of scraps of the 3/8-inch plywood left over from the floor.
The tank is manufactured with...
The tank is manufactured with three predrilled mounting holes located in the bottom tank flanges at either end (making for super easy installation) so all it required was to trace out the holes and drill the plywood floor. The tank comes with mounting reinforcement plates that'll sit on top of the flange, and I'll use some oversized flat washers on the underside to make sure the tank is solidly mounted.
And here's the fruit of that...
And here's the fruit of that afternoon's labor-a new bed floor and a located fuel tank. I figure I'll end up mounting my battery rearward of the fuel tank and between the protruding upper spring mounts.