Pennsylvanian spends 100 hours of labor crafting a truck bed cap like nothing on the market
- Man created a custom bed cover for his Dodge truck
- The bed is hand-made in a retro style to complete the 1960s look
- It took hundreds of hours for the bed to be crafted
Published on Feb 17, 2025 at 8:52 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Feb 18, 2025 at 3:45 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
A man from Pennsylvania has spent hundreds of hours crafting a very special truck bed for his 1969 Dodge Camper Special pickup truck.
Charlie Pitcher is an expert welder, and he has made a very cool aluminum truck bed topper, unlike anything that money can buy right now.
Rather than be bought in and assembled, Pitcher has crafted the bed cover himself, making it a full-on custom part for his Dodge truck.
Including the cost of materials and equipment, Pitcher paid less than $1,500 to build the bed cover and install it on the truck.
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The pickup bed is built entirely from scratch
Not a single part of this bed cover was pre-made, with Pitcher hand-making everything custom for his cars.
Pitcher made the bed entirely from scratch.
The American started with four pieces of two-inch angle iron, two pieces of 1.5-inch C-channel, and two pieces of two-by-3-inch angle iron.
Pitcher also shared the build process on his YouTube channel.
The YouTuber also used a piece of bar stock and a scrap plate to start the process.
The YouTuber bent and shaped it all himself, allowing him to give the cover his desired look.
The bed sits above Pitcher’s 1969 Dodge D200 Camper Special truck.
The bed also fits the first-generation Cummins trucks Pitcher is famous for restoring.
Pitcher used three-pane, crank-out Volkswagen Bus windows, which he purchased for a bargain price.
The finished project reveals Pitcher’s dedication to the Dodge
The outer shell of the bed was molded into place, and dome-head rivets give it a very retro look.
It helps the cover to look as if it was always designed for the truck and really did come from the 1960s.
The barn doors and Lexan windows complete the vintage look.
Pitcher was even able to reuse the original Dodge taillights. These are now mounted above the doors on the top of the cover.
Adding this cover to the bed adds extra functionality to the truck.
For one, any luggage or cargo stowed in the bed is now protected from possible thieves.
Plus, the bed is now much more suitable for conversion as a camper. Keeping the worst of the weather out and allowing for much more comfortable sleeping conditions.
As far as improvements to old pickups go, this truck has had one of the best.
Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
