Custom bed setups like the one pictured below are more popular now than ever! Read on to see how you can transform your bed to house those big rollers and look good while doing it.
Large wheel-and-tire combos make the difference between an average or truly impressive looking exterior. Although cutting the bed is a quick way to make enough room for upsized rolling stock at the rear, leaving the floor hacked up for an extended period of time subjects air-ride components and other such cargo to excessive amounts of grime and junk that gets kicked up from the road. Prefab wheeltubs are widely available on the aftermarket and can be trimmed to fit any application, but if you're more of a hands-on type of builder, building tailored-fit tubs may work best. Follow along with Ryan and Steve from Cando Specialties and learn how to fab a set of wheeltubs that will help curb the crud.
1. Boat trailer fenders work...
1. Boat trailer fenders work great in this application. They come in many sizes and are made of 1/8-inch-thick steel, which is easy to weld to. The curve of the fender was traced onto 16-gauge sheetmetal. 18-gauge steel is usable, although it will take longer to weld to avoid warpage.
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3. The preferred method to...
3. The preferred method to cut this curve is with a pair of double cuts or air shears. Cutting through the sheetmetal by hand with tin snips is a difficult task, and doing so can possibly distort the metal. Air shears won't distort the metal because they set the sheetmetal between two plates with the blade cutting between the plates, which keeps the metal flat to the blade.
4. Ryan used the shears to...
4. Ryan used the shears to cut on the outside of the line he traced and then finished off the edge precisely with a pair of tin snips.
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6. Next, the parts were test-fitted...
6. Next, the parts were test-fitted to ensure there weren't any large gaps between the fender and cover piece.
7. Over a long period of time,...
7. Over a long period of time, Ryan slowly stitch-welded the parts until they were completely welded with no gaps in the seams. This is a good time to have another project to work on so that you can make a few welds and then let the metal cool while you work on something else. Rushing here will result in a warped wheeltub, so plan to spend a good hour or two on this task.
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9. Once the pieces were fully...
9. Once the pieces were fully welded, Ryan grabbed his trusty Makita angle grinder and a 45-grit flap disc. He sanded the welds with light pressure and made sure not to grind all the way through the welds into the sheetmetal.
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11. On the backside of the...
11. On the backside of the tub, heat markings were visible where the welds have penetrated the sheetmetal. Since most of the welds have been ground down, a few extra spot welds are placed on the underside for added strength.
12. After Ryan sanded the...
12. After Ryan sanded the entire surface with 80-grit DA paper, the wheeltubs were ready to be installed.
13. To prep the bed for the...
13. To prep the bed for the new tubs, the factory wheeltubs were cut out using a die grinder. A plasma cutter or reciprocating saw also works well here, especially if the bed is removed from the truck as shown. Most of the bedfloor is missing from this truck, so Steve just had to make room near the sidewalls for the tubs.
14. The tubs were then trimmed...
14. The tubs were then trimmed on the inside edge to fit around the 8-inch step notch that will penetrate the bedfloor.
15. The finished tub fits...
15. The finished tub fits the bed perfectly and was now ready to be welded in place once the bedfloor is finished.
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