Making truck bedsides

I'm mulling over the idea of building a trailer and I really like the look of old mid 40s-50s truck boxes.

It looks like something I could replicate pretty easily and should look decent if done right. However, I'm left pondering how thick I would need to go on the sheet metal for it to be fairly rigid without going too thick that I'm adding needless​ weight.

This is kind of what I want to replicate

I figure it's as simple as flat sheet for the sides with an angle bent at the top and a length of tube welded to it. I'd be adding an upright brace tube front and rear and the fenders would be welded on so as to provide additional bracing/ stiffness.

So just how thick would I need to go with the sheet ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YqBjbSjzuk

This should tell you everything you need to know.

Back in the 70's, it was still pretty common around here to see trailers made from the back halves of pickups, often using the original frame and rear axle. They would chop the frame just behind the engine (or maybe where the crash damage ended), bend the two sides in at the front of the bed and weld on a hitch. As a kid, I remember looking under them as they passed to see if I could see the driveshaft yolk spinning in front of the pumpkin.

I haven't seen one on the road in a long time.

In reply to Woody:

It is still common here in the Willamette valley. There are 3 or 4 in my neighborhood one being an early 50's Studebaker bed.

Woody wrote: Back in the 70's, it was still pretty common around here to see trailers made from the back halves of pickups, often using the original frame and rear axle. They would chop the frame just behind the engine (or maybe where the crash damage ended), bend the two sides in at the front of the bed and weld on a hitch. As a kid, I remember looking under them as they passed to see if I could see the driveshaft yolk spinning in front of the pumpkin. I haven't seen one on the road in a long time.

Extremely common out west. Our concrete tool trailer is made from a 58 short bed, fleetside Chevy. We've had people offer up cash for the box.

The day I brought mine home. Squarebody pulling a squarebody made from the same kinda squarebody as the squarebody that's pulling it. Lowered, of course, to match the truck. Combined, it carries almost as much as the truck alone would have carried, had I not molested it.

See how cheap reproduction bed parts are for the box you want. Or just be on the hunt for an old box.

16ga should be PLENTY STRONG and pretty heavy, too. I'll bed those old beds were 18ga or 20ga steel.

In reply to pushrod36:

That's pretty much spot on what I needed, thanks very much. Though I may go to 20ga if the weight difference isn't to much.

Being in Australia, there's not exactly an abundance of the older style truck beds about, and if I were to find one, it would be pretty spendy.

Likewise ordering parts from LMC and similar places will hit pretty hard once shipping and conversion rate kicks in.

Seeing as we're here talking truck beds, any ideas how I could do a poor man's version of bed wear strips? I'm thinking some steel strap over a Staind and sealed plywood base.

Check this Link