How do I Build a Flatbed on a Ford 1967 F 100 Truck?

Replace your 1967 Ford pickup truck bed with a flatbed.

Your 1967 Ford F100 is well-suited for mounting a stake-side or utility flatbed on the rear section of the truck frame. Your carpentry skills combine with a basic design to construct the flatbed on the frame once the pickup bed is removed. Whether your F100 had a long bed or short box, you build the flatbed and and include accessory taillights that hook up to the original wiring. Compile the materials and set out a pair of sawhorses to build a flatbed for your 1967 Ford F100 truck.

Things You'll Need

• Builder's square
• Circular saw
• Electric drill
• 5/8-inch drill bit
• Drill bit extension
• 1-inch flat wood bit
• 5/8-inch machine bolts with machine nuts
• Socket and ratchet
• 2 1/2-inch-by-12-inch engineered wood headers
• 3/8-inch drill bit
• 3/8-inch lag screws with washers
• 2-inch-by-4-inch lumber

Instructions

Flatbed Frame

1. Measure the width from the outside of one rear tire to the outside of the opposite tire. Measure and mark 4-inch by 6-inch pieces of header lumber to this length as the front and back supports. Square your marks on both sides and both edges of each piece with a builder's square. Cut the supports to length with a circular saw.

2. Measure the distance from the upper surface of the truck frame to the top of the rear tires and add 3 inches for tire clearance at the underside of the flatbed. Cut four lengths of random 4-inch thick header lumber 16 inches long as spacer blocks.

3. Refer to your tire clearance measurement. Rip-cut the spacer blocks so the combined height of the blocks and the 6-inch wide support beams totals your tire clearance measurement.

4. Center each spacer on the front and rear sections of the truck frame atop the holes where the pickup bed bolts were removed. Attach a drill bit extension to a 5/8-inch drill bit. Drill vertical holes in each spacer that align with the bolt holes using an electric drill.

5. Position the front and back supports perpendicular atop the spacers. Drill 5/8-inch vertical holes through each that align with the holes you drilled in the spacers. Drill 1-inch diameter countersinks for bolt heads at each hole on the top of the supports using a flat wood bit.

6. Attach the front and back supports and spacers to the frame using 5/8-inch machine bolts with machine nuts that you thread onto each bolt from below the truck frame. Tighten the nuts with a socket and ratchet.

Flatbed Deck

1. Mark a layout atop the support beams for 2 1/2-inch-by-12-inch engineered wood header as full-length decking for the flatbed. A typical layout starts at each end of the span, finishing with a ripped filler piece in the center of the flatbed.

2. Measure and cut the pieces of decking to length, allowing the desired overhang at the rear of the bed. Rip the center filler piece to width.

3. Position the decking atop the front and back supports one at a time. Drill two pilot holes, evenly spaced, in the face of each for 3/8-inch lag screws. The pilot holes should be 2 inches from each edge to ensure against splitting out the side of a piece. Drill 1-inch countersinks at each hole for the lag heads and washers.

4. Attach the decking atop the front and back supports using 3/8-inch lag screws with washers at each pilot hole. Tighten the lags with a socket and ratchet.

5. Measure and cut a piece of 2-inch-by-4-inch lumber as an end piece that spans the width of the flatbed. Drill pilot holes as before and attach the end piece to the decking with 3/8-inch lag screws and washers.

Tips & Warnings

• Inspect all bolted connections for structural integrity and test-drive the truck in a confined area before using the flatbed.

• Steel beams can be used as the main supports if desired.

• Install tie-down hooks along the sides of the flatbed.

• Build a full-height bulkhead with a rear window cutout and attach it using angle brackets and lag bolts.

• Do not attempt to construct and install a flatbed without knowledge and experience regarding wood construction, bolted connections and truck suspension systems.

• Major changes to your vehicle must comply with local road regulations.

• Taillights, backup lights and brake lights must be included.

• Altering the use of a vehicle may require a special safety inspection and licensing.

• Do not use power tools or torches in proximity to the truck's gasoline tank or filler tube.

References

• Outdoor Wire, Inc: Flatbed Jeep Pickup
• Canadian Wood Council: Heavy Connections / Lag Screws
• Timber Frame Engineering Council: Moment Resistance of Bolted Timber Connections with Perpendicular to Grain Reinforcements

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Ford Trucks: Ford Flatbed Plans
• Car Domain: Luke's 1971 Ford Flatbed F100