BEDWOOD FOR PROJECT RAVEN

Rusty Bed Nevermore

“THE RAVEN” FROM Edgar Allan

Poe was his most popular literary creation, although it did not bring him much financial success. Over the years, this poem has been reprinted, parodied and illustrated countless times, making it a cultural icon. Critical opinion has always been divided, but it nevertheless remains one of the most famous poems ever written. Reading a statement like that is motivating in ways most people can’t comprehend. But if you’re a truck guy like I am, I bet you can instantly relate.

Do we build these trucks to make big profits and retirement funds? Certainly not. But I bet you would get excited to build a truck that impacted an audience and was the topic of conversation throughout the entire industry. The pride you get from appreciation and admiration can easily outweigh the feeling of seeing big digits in your bank account, but we can’t lose money either, right? Sometimes, to the criticism of others, you sacrifice hidden details to save on labor costs, but when you have a budget in mind you stick to it. These details can always be revisited when we’re ready.

In this case, should we rebuild the bed floor on project Raven or cover it up with a wood bed? We plan to rock the patina for a while and paint it later on, so mounting the wood on top may actually look pretty cool anyway. This decision would hurt us financially if we planned to sell it for as much profit as possible, but we’re building a reliable driver on a budget. This is the right choice for us and gives us something to address when were ready for paint. So, let’s get to it!

01 The floor of our 1965 Chevy C10 is rusty, but it has no holes and it’s very solid. So, we asked the crew at Overpower Customs in Lake Park, Florida, to drop in the wood and mount it as-is.

02 Our kit from Bedwood and Parts is predesigned and engineered specifically for this body style. They take their wood floors seriously and the quality shows. The wood we chose is called Padauk for its moderately heavy, strong and stiff properties along with its exceptional stability. Padauk wood has a very unique reddish-orange coloration that will look amazing with the forced patina.

04 First step is to lay the wood out and see if any trimming is needed.

03 Channels in the wood allow the hold-down braces to grip the wood while these threaded clamps keep it locked down.

06 With the panels in place, Ryan Batista from Overpower Customs traces the edges on the bed floor so he knows where to drill holes.

05 Our truck has bolt heads in the bed corners, so a small notch is needed for clearance and alignment.

07 The fuel filler is now coming through the bed after installing the Performance Online fuel cell. Finding its center is key to drilling the wood in the proper location.

08 With a T-square, Ryan can guarantee the mounting holes are drilled straight and even for the braces, paying mind to the fuel tank and body braces.

10 Now that all the prep work is complete, it’s time to mount everything. The threaded tiedowns are slid onto the braces.

09 After measuring three times, he is confident with the location and the hole saw locked in the drill. So much pressure!