A newbie told me about an idea someone on DTR had to put lead in the bed of their truck. It seems like it would be quite an improvement over the low-tech, antiquated concrete bedliner BOMB. A quarter-inch sheet molded over the entire floor would leave all of the bed's cubic feet intact, and would double as a handy fall-out shelter in the event of thermonuclear problems. Of course, the main reason for this mod would be to give a nice, soft ride to your rig when you're driving empty.

What do y'all think?

 

I think hoss has got some serious competition now. Seems like it would be easier to repair than concrete also. I say it's a good idea.

 

I still can't beleive someone actully poured wet concrete into thier truck bed. I still consider it a hoax untill pics are posted somewhere.

If you were **** enough, you cauld probably take your time and form the lead over the entire floor pattern, paint it, and nobody would know but us.

What do you think this will do to your fuel econmy? Too bad you wern't around here about 6 years ago. The school district where I worked bought out an old hospital years ago, and about 6 years ago, they finished the last of the remodeling. They saved the operating rooms for last. There was an xray room that was covered floor to celing with 1/4 inch sheets of lead. It was under the sheetrock, but was an interesting sight to see. Took several large men to remove it. I bet they would have gave it to your if you'd volenteer to take the celing down. Oh well, too late now.

 

Yeah - I would have jumped on that sheet lead in a heartbeat!

We used to have quarter-inch virgin sheet lead in the shop; it's not cheap but well worth it, especially for an awesome mod like this. You touched on another fringe benefit - the "sleeper" factor... no one would know you were running a LedBed, until they rode in the cab with an empty bed and experienced the cushy ride firsthand; or maybe during a thermonuclear event, watching you dive under the AAM (be sure to use the parking brake!)

Anyway, it's fairly easy to form sheet lead over irregular surfaces, and if you waited to spray the polyurethane coating until after the lead was installed - no one would be the wiser.

Fuel economy is a wash - don't forget, what goes up must come down! So the extra fuel used climbing hills would be saved while you coast down the other side... think of it as a huge rectangular flat flywheel that doesn't spin.
It just stores Potential Energy instead of Kinetic Energy....

 

A few years back.. OK a lot of years back... A friend had an El Camino with a big block in it.. Talk about not hooking up.. Figured it needed more weight in the back so we drove to the beach, took the access pannel off the top of the tailgate and filled the tail gate with beach sand.. Did a great job and had [eople scratching their heads.. one minute the thing would not hook up an hour later it was hooking!!..

Gerry

 

And one year later the tail gate fell of from rusting out.

 

just drive around with a trailer all the time it will ride like a caddy then.lol. i dont mind the rough ride when im empty i just listen to the stacks and have a smile on my face the whole time.

 

What, our trucks ride rough?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

no but people always want that caddy ride, but i say why.

 

For the sake of your health, it's important to retain the rough ride. This continuously stresses your organ attachments thus increasing their strength (sorta like lifting weights to build muscles). Soft riding vehicles allow organ attachments to weaken and eventually drop off.

 

now thats funny

 

I definitley do not want my organ to drop off.

I've had other 2500 sized trucks and ridden in others, and this one rides the smoothest I've ever been in.

 

man hole covers work great to plus theyre free!

 

And if your in the alignment and front end parts business, they are extremely profitibale.

 

thanks charlie, i just spit coffee on my keyboard reading your reply


if you formed the bedsides with lead as well, you could possibly purchase a surplus reactor, and plumb the steam that is generated back down the stacks into the engine as a form of exhaust brake since as xlr8r noteably pointed out, you will need some manner of slowing down when descending a hill.