No bed floor discussion
- Thread starter SmokeShow
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I won't even pretend to know what I'm talking about here...But I would tend to think, looking at all of the tubing and bracing that you're gonna have in there to hold things rigid, you will end up running a tonneu cover and aluminum floor pan. That is what sticks out in my mind as the best bet. Aero dynamics seem to tend to play more of a roll at high speeds than weight, in my simple mind. Good luck, I'm looking forward to seeing how this all turns out!
I dont plan on covering it , but you never know . I have to get it together and make a few passes and go from there , if there is an aero problem i am shure you will feel it . If the truck itself was more aero i could see it being a bigger worry , but with the front end the way it is and the height I think the back end is the least of our aero worry's , i could be way off and know nothing on the subject of aero dynamics , I may need to start reading into it though !
The amount of tubing you see in those pics is 50 ft of 1x1 square tubing , thin walled , the weight is .75 lbs per foot that measurement came off my own scale ( 6ft piece weighed 4.5 lbs ) the total so far is 37 lbs I will keep an acurate count of feet used , I plan on needing another 30 ft to finish so another 22.5 lbs , bringing the total to 62 total weight , savings is still 188 lbs ( center of bed weighed 250 ) and could a bit lighter if i didnt want to mount the fuel cell behind the axle , it requires another 12ft of tubing . How much does your fiberglass bed weigh ? I really like the way it looks and one day may switch if i had the $$ .
but 180 lbs loss , for 70 bucks worth of steel and some time seems pretty good to me , for a race only truck anyway .
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some well placed flat stock (wouldn't imagine it'd need to be very thick at all) welded to the insides of the bedsides will go a LONG way in adding stiffness to any areas that you find to be flimsy and don't want to run a bazillion braces to the frame for. 
Keep up the good work. I love how you take constructive criticism as just that, helpful. It's nice to not see someone get all defensive and snotty about what they are doing. You take into account what others are saying, using your own sense and gonna try it out with full acceptance of doing it differently if it doesn't work out. You don't find that a lot on these boards and I like it! Kudos bud! :beer
Keep up the good work. I love how you take constructive criticism as just that, helpful. It's nice to not see someone get all defensive and snotty about what they are doing. You take into account what others are saying, using your own sense and gonna try it out with full acceptance of doing it differently if it doesn't work out. You don't find that a lot on these boards and I like it! Kudos bud! :beer
This may be a little off, but how much could you save putting on a 1/2 ton hood? Will it even fit? Also could possibly help with aerodynamics.
some well placed flat stock (wouldn't imagine it'd need to be very thick at all) welded to the insides of the bedsides will go a LONG way in adding stiffness to any areas that you find to be flimsy and don't want to run a bazillion braces to the frame for.
Keep up the good work. I love how you take constructive criticism as just that, helpful. It's nice to not see someone get all defensive and snotty about what they are doing. You take into account what others are saying, using your own sense and gonna try it out with full acceptance of doing it differently if it doesn't work out. You don't find that a lot on these boards and I like it! Kudos bud! :beer
Good idea on the flat bar bracing , if it was welded vertical it would be pretty strong even being thin . Thanks Mitch I try to be open minded, though tuff sometimes, I just want the same thing the great Ricky Bobby wants ................ "I just want to go fast "
1/2 ton hood will fit , don't know the weight difference though , I am going to swap out the whole front clip one day for fiberglass , just don't have they money right now , 1300 bucks is the cost
for a 1 peice lift off grill, hood , fenders, ect . Thats pretty expensive until i know what the weight reduction would be per dollar spent, at a minimum i am hoping to have the money for a glass bumper this year (280.00), the same company offers fiberglass doors that are bolt on with lexan glass that would be cool too.
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cant honestly say what the glass bed weighs ,but like i said by the time it was braced and had metal top installed ,no floor and all with zuits fasteners for super fast take of the net weight savings was around 150 lbs.could have been a bit more .we weigh with ag scales and they arnt as accurate as say track scales...i cant remeber exactly how much the bed was but it wasnt too aweful exspensive.decided not to go with the cut bed for 2 reasons,one we could always put it back on and sell a working truck,2nd the guy who did the work didnt feel it would net the savings of the glass setup.i will be watching your thread and depending on your savings may try this for my new race truck...
any how best of luck and keep us all posted...j
any how best of luck and keep us all posted...j
X2! Thats why I like this board so much! Everyone working together to make our trucks go fast!
I really admire what Trent is doing! Thanks Jess for your input.
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Yeah, I meant to weld the "skinny" side of the flat stock to the panel needing stiffening. I forgot to clarify that but it sounds like you were under that assumption.
$1300 for the glass front clip is a great deal cheaper than a metal front clip can be purchased for! I'da given you that for your metal pieces. Too late now though - don't need em now.
C-ya
$1300 for the glass front clip is a great deal cheaper than a metal front clip can be purchased for! I'da given you that for your metal pieces. Too late now though - don't need em now.
C-ya
Another thing you can do is to use sheet metal to add shear to the framework. It is lightweight, and can be spot welded to add a little stiffness without too much weld weight. It may also be a quick way to "tub" the inside if you wanted to clean up the appearance or smooth out the aerodynamics of the finished "bed".
Just a thought....
Just a thought....
I'm just going to start taking the bed off the truck for races. Pull off the street tires, stack them 2x2 behind the truck, remove 6 bolts and have a friend help me set the bed on the tires.:rofl:
Pretty much done , 2 more bars from the rear upper support to the frame extension i built to mount the fuel cell and a few things and that's it , i will tally up the tubing , but I have enough left over that i think i stayed were i needed to be for weight .
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Please I changed one little thing. There is nothing from stopping you from changing it back :witch: