OSCAR THE BUMP

Bed Floor Install • Part 1

Bed Floor Install Part 1

AAS MOST OF YOU HAVE SEEN IN THIS ISSUE, Solomon, our tech editor, picked up a 1972 F-100 now known as Oscar the Bump. Can check out the Intro to Oscar the Bump in this issue (page 42) for a more in-depth breakdown of the concept and plans for the build. After buying the truck, Solomon noticed that the bed floor of the truck had seen better days. Wanting to keep with a factory bed floor and not go with wood or a raised floor, he started to look around for bed floor replacement parts. While on a Ford F-100 Facebook group, Solomon came across a post about a Ford truck guy who redesigned the factory bed floor with all the correct depths and everything—even down to the same metal thickness. The post just happened to be by Joey Montague, the owner of Evolutionary Rides in Brooksville, Florida.

Solomon and Joey got on the phone together and swapped F100 stories while discussing a bed floor for the Oscar project build. Solomon is based out of South Florida and Evolutionary Rides is in central Florida. So, Solomon removed the bed from Oscar and made the trek up to Evolutionary Rides to let Joey work his magic. Once he got there, he saw what a great facility he has, multiple bed floors they are currently working on and more innovations to come. The level of quality and the passion that the guys at Evolutionary Rides put into these floors is unparalleled.

Now is when the fun began. One of the main things Solomon wanted is for the truck to keep the original patina. So, Joey and his team at Evolutionary Rides, started to remove (gently) the factory floor, being careful not to disturb any of the patina. We knew that there was rust in the bed floor of Oscar, but we were hoping that the flanges and mounting surfaces would be in good condition. Unfortunately, some things you just don’t know until you start to dig in. Once the guys at Evolutionary Rides got the original floor out, they found a lot more rust. Being a full fab shop, they removed the rusted-out panels and replaced it with all new sheet metal. Wanting to make sure the bed would be perfectly repaired, they soda blasted all of the inside walls of Oscar so they can be certain that all of the rust was gone.

The bed floor was now ready to be installed, but the factory wheel tubs were too severely damaged and rusted to save. There are a few companies out there that reproduce the wheel tubs, but Solomon decided to go the custom route and enlist the help of Empire Fabrication to create some one-oĢ

tubs to accentuate Oscar’s bed. One thing Solomon knows is not to rush perfection. So, with that said, the guys at Evolutionary Rides could not complete the install of the bed floor since the tubs are a crucial part of the structure.

In the next issue of F-100 Builders Guide, you will see the completed bed floor install in Oscar. In the meantime, you can stay up to date on the build by going following Solomon on Instagram @TheFordEra. If you would like to get a bed floor of your own, Evolutionary Rides creates and ships them all over. Just follow the contact info below and tell them F-100 BG sent ya!

01 Here’s a look at the Evolutionary Rides steel bed floor and corner pans.

03 Although our platform turned out to be quite rusty both top and bottom, it was an easy repair for the talented crew at ER.

06 Time to get to cutting! The last time the rusty factory floor was intact.

02 We loaded up and delivered the bed up to Evolutionary Rides to check out its super tidy operation.

05 The Evolutionary Rides bed floor lines up perfectly to the factory pattern so sections can be replaced or entire floors.

04 The new stamped bed floor is as sturdy as they come, no cheap thin gauge material here, stamped to meet and exceed factory spec.

11 You never really know what you’re getting into with rust repair. After the bedfloor was removed there were some more spots that needed some attention to completely rid Oscar from her current rust cancer diagnosis.

15 Next up, the new side walls were welded in and the bed floor was tested in place for final fitment.

07 The new stamped bed floor is as sturdy as they come, no cheap thin gauge material here, stamped to meet and exceed factory spec.

14 Tear bed panel piece was welded back in almost as if nothing had ever happened.

13 ER also cutout and rebuilt the rear bed panel to exacting specifications.

12 The rusty sidewalls had to go!

08 The Evolutionary Rides bed floor lines up perfectly to the factory pattern so sections can be replaced or entire floors.

09 Time to get to cutting! The last time the rusty factory floor was intact.

10 Rather than just cutting everything up, a tactical approach was take to preserve the factory patina and bedsides so spot welds were drilled out wherever possible and minimal cutting was needed.

18 The inner bed was completely primered and sealed ready for new tubs and final installation.

16 To fully cure Oscar of her rust ailments they decided to soda blast the inner panels and ensure that there would be no future problems.

17 The new floor was sanded so it has a little surface for the primer to bite in to for a nice prime coat.