How to Assemble a Chevy Truck Bed

by Mark Morris

Chevrolet has been making pickup trucks for more than a half century. With room for hauling most household cargo, the pickup truck has been one of the engines of America's farms and small businesses. The main feature that sets the pickup truck apart from other vehicles is the spacious open bed suitable for many types of hauling. When maintaining or restoring a Chevy truck, the bed is one feature that will require attention. Assembly details will vary from model to model, but the general assembly process is the same.

Step 1

Attach one corner of the front panel of the bed to the front edge of one bed side rail. Fasten this joint with the front bed mounting hardware. A hardware kit can be purchased for your specific year and model if the original hardware is not suitable. Fit the bolts through the holes in the joint and tighten them with a socket wrench. Attach the opposite side rail to the opposite end of the bed front panel to complete the main box of the bed.

Step 2

Fit the rear cross into place at the bottom of the bed stake pockets at the rear end of the bed side rails. Attach using the provided bolts that came with the bed, or from a replacement parts supplier. Attach the sill with indented hex head bolts and washers. Use a socket wrench to tighten the bolts into place.

Step 3

Fit the edge boards under the lip of the angle trim along the sides of the bed. Mark the bolt holes from the angle trim onto the top of each bed edge board. For step side beds, with external wheel hubs, this board will be one long piece. For fleetside beds, with wheel wells inside the bed, there will be one front and one rear piece for each edge of the bed. Drill 3/8 inch holes in each spot you marked.

Step 4

Fit a bolt through each hole in the edge boards and fit a washer and nut to the bottom. Thread them on by hand, leaving them loose for adjustment. Fit the remaining bed boards into position, fitting a bolt strip in the joints between boards. Fit the turned down edges of the metal bolt strips into the grooves along the long edges of each board for proper placement. Fit a bolt through the end of each board, and down through the rear sill. Fit each bolt with a washer and nut, leaving them loose.

Step 5

Have a helper or two assist you with lifting the assembled bed onto the frame of the truck. Locate the bed to the frame bolt holes and align them. Fit each hole with a wooden, or rubber spacer, depending on the model of your truck, and thread a bolt through each hole. Fit a washer and nut onto each bolt. Tighten all bed to frame bolts when they are all fitted into place.

Step 6

Insert bolts down through the bolt strips and the frame. Fit each with a washer and nut. Tighten all bed bolts once they are all installed and all boards are aligned. Use an impact driver to tighten the nuts.

Step 7

Fit the fenders onto the bed and align the bolt holes in the fenders, with the bolt holes on the bed. Thread a mounting bolt through each hole and fasten them with a nut and washer. Tighten each bolt with the impact driver.

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