I can't really seem to come up with a good flat bed or even custom bed design for my truck.
I've looked at a few various dovetailed beds on various rigs.









The only issue with this is finding a bed. I think all 82 beds in Ontario have rusted back into the earth. I'm going to try and find a bed from some year of Toyota truck, then I can move the mounts around and make it all work.

Opinions?

 

I think you can do the dovetail idea, but instead of starting with a bed, why not start with some sheetmetal and make it exactly to your liking. When my 4runner gets to the bodywork stage, that's what I will be doing. I will cut from the bottom of the B-pillars back so there is no body and start with designing a cage and then a "body" section that will maintain the 'look' of the 4runner but provide clearance for the tires and the like.

 

Because doing the sheet metal wouldn't look like a factory bed which is why I want to do this.

 

What if you built a frame and bent fibreglass bed sides around that? Don't know if it'd work or not, but you'd never have to worry about rust.

 

Well there is http://www.toyotafiberglass.com/.
I'll have to send an e-mail to them about making me a custom bed.

EDIT: Ok, nevermind that. I don't want to spend $2000 on a fiberglass bed.
I know I can buy replacement bed panels so I might go that route.

 

fair enough, just thinking out loud - in text

 

Found an 82 bed for a decent price.
Need to check it out and see if it's worth it.

 

What about building a "flatbed" in the dovetailed shape and then hanging new panels on it?

Aftermarket sheet metal is pretty easy and relativley cheap, you could pick up some bed sides for probably around $200/ea(or go with fiberglass sides from Cory). Build a frame for them out of tubing, throw some diamond plate down on the floor. Then mount the bed panels.

It would probably be the same price or less as dovetailing your bed(assuming you buy a new box). Plus if you got everything to mount, you could rhyno line the box itself(with the sides off). That way the bed would last forever, and you could just replace the sides when they rust off/get beat to hell

 

I wouldn't buy a new box. I've tried to find a used one but they are pretty rotten.
I think I'll be buying a new skins from Cross Canada Parts and building from there.