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Bolt-In Bed Wood Install

Chris Hamilton September 29, 2021 OBS Builders Guide

Direct Fit for ’88-’98 Shortbed Chevys Bolt In BedWood Kit

Many of you are in the same position we are in with our 1998 GMC Sierra—a clean but super boring bed that needs some attention and color. We don’t want to do any custom modifying or cutting, and we have no carpentry experience. This build was purpose minded and bolt-on was priority number one. At first, we thought about adding some color using paint or maybe wrapping the Airpod, but when we received wind of a fully bolt-in wood bed floor for ’88-’98 OBS Chevy trucks, plans quickly changed. Bedwood is the company that broke the mold and did the research to create the product. The company claims it’s fully bolt-in and able to be installed in a single afternoon. If that’s true, they have a winner on their hands with this kit!

RetroLinerX kits include the ash bed wood, polished stainless bed strips, polished stainless hardware, aluminum channels and end piece to tie it all together. The wood is pre-finished using H2X exterior wood finish. The contents of the kit are neatly packaged in a single box, eliminating the mishaps and additional costs that often occur with kits requiring multiple packages. In short, RetroLinerX is a complete kit ready to install right out of the box direct bolt-on/OEM replacement with no preparation required by the end user. We ordered a complete Carbon Series (the wood prefinished in black) kit for a 1998 Chevy shortbed to test out the quick install claims, but you are going to have to follow along to see the results. Let’s go!

Bedwood install
After installing our fully bolt-on Ridetech air-ride suspension system, our bed was coated in a tough bedliner making it look clean and new. Unfortunately, all the black makes it boring, so we have a fix.
RetroLinerX is a complete kit ready to install right out of the box direct bolt-on/OEM replacement with no preparation required by the end user.

The first step in this single afternoon project is to remove our Ridetech AirPod system that houses our air compressors, tanks and valves.

Before removing the tank, we have to disconnect the wiring. Labeling everything first is the best way to guarantee its hooked back up correctly.

Finally the bolts holding it all in are removed and the entire AirPod is removed as one. Simple!

The hoses are taped up and protected from getting squished by the wood.

The frames are all pre-cut so we just need to lay them all out and organize them by length. Long ones go vertically and short ones are horizontal with the shortest ones fitting in between the wheel wells.

The frames have soft padding already attached to the rails and pre-drilled holes in the perfect locations in the track.
The horizontal rails are laid out in equal distances with two in the front and back, and two in the middle.

The hardware comes complete so all we need to do is slide the nuts into the horizontal tracks.

The wood all comes pre-cut in the perfect lengths with beveled edges. The end pieces are cut to fit the contour of the factory wheel wells.

The first pieces of wood to go in are the outside boards. We loosely screwed the retainer bolts in. We will tighten them all later when we know it’s right.

By keeping an eye on all the female side screw locations, the next boards can go in.

The metal track fits perfect in the grooves of the wood and line up nicely with the fasteners.

We need to drill a few holes on the side pices for the airline and wiries to come through. After some quick measurements, and a few strips of tape to protect the top, a whole saw made quick work of this dense wood. Be sure to  seal the inside of any holes you may drill. BedWood offers a 2-ounce touch-up kit just for this purpose.
The air hoses and airline are run through the wood and the pices are set into place.
With all the metal strips in place and all the screws loosely locked in, we use a drill on very slow speed to fully tighten the bolts without scratching the painted rails.

Bedwood and Parts also includes this sweet, fully wood end cap piece to finish off the look of this over-the-bedfloor wood kit. They are all pre drilled and the nuts are already set.
What a great look! We highly recommend this kit if you are looking for something quick and clear that’s easy to install with no major mechanical experiences needed.
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