This bed design only works if the structure underneath does the hard part. Once the bed is split lengthwise and hinged, the upper section has to resist twist, carry the bedside and tailgate loads, and still stay light enough to package on the truck. The fix is a ribbed aluminum floor with stitched stiffening ribs that act like a lattice under the skin, plus a multi-piece lower structure that keys together with tabs and slots for accurate assembly. Under the bed, the center section handles more than one job. It provides driveshaft clearance, mounting points for the nitrous bottles, and a rear center section that also serves as the Aeromotive fuel tank mount and skid plate. The air tanks are measured and modeled before final cutting so the whole layout works as one system. That is the difference between a wild idea and a bed that actually opens, fits, and survives on the truck.
The episode opens with a quick unboxing tied directly to the final CAD work on the truck. As the team refined the layout, they realized the air-supply tanks would sit in a very visible location, so appearance mattered as much as function. They initially considered machining custom tanks, but after finding Flow Air Ride's off-the-shelf units, they decided those pieces offered the right combination of finish and packaging.
Flow Air Ride was founded by Mike Alexander, whose background in the mini-truck scene gave the team confidence in the company's familiarity with airbags and air-management systems. Once unboxed, the tanks appeared to use a spun-aluminum main body with billet end caps and billet mounting hardware. A notable feature was the pattern of tapped 1/4-20 holes in the end caps, which allows the mounting bracket to be clocked in different positions. That adjustability ensures the pre-drilled drain hole can always be oriented downward regardless of how the tank is installed. The tanks also include a pressure-relief valve set at 225 PSI, providing a safety margin if a compressor were to overrun and continue pressurizing the system.
After measuring the tanks, the plan was to model them and send the dimensions to Matt for a final packaging check. The goal was to confirm spacing and allocation within the bed structure before exporting the parts for cutting on the Torchmate plasma table. That step marked the transition from digital layout to physical fabrication.
By this point, the team had already completed a large cut the previous night and spent considerable time prepping parts. One key intersection piece, full of tabs and slots, was ready for fit-up. The design relied on those interlocking features to key the structure together accurately if the tolerances were correct. The immediate task was to assemble and tack that section, then continue cleaning and preparing the remaining pieces so the larger bed-support structure could be built out.
A major portion of the discussion centered on the truck bed and how the upper structure would be built. The original bed had been removed, including the old wood floor, and the team debated how much of that rough, weathered character should remain in the finished truck. Although the exterior would retain dents, rust, and patina, the underlying structure was being engineered carefully.
Matt explained that the gray sheet in the CAD model would be aluminum, chosen specifically to avoid adding unnecessary weight. That aluminum sheet would attach to the upper bed structure and tailgate assembly, with the upper hinge portions bolting into that unit. Gale immediately focused on torsional stiffness, questioning whether an 1/8-inch aluminum plate alone could resist twisting. Matt agreed it could not, and pointed to the reinforcing strategy: a series of stiffening ribs stitched to the backside of the panel to create a lattice. Gale described it as a kind of poor man's honeycomb. The wood bed floor would sit above this reinforced aluminum structure, while the bedsides would attach to the aluminum through a flange with staggered holes. The concept was to hide substantial engineering beneath a surface that still looked period-correct and worn.
The bed-floor conversation evolved into a design philosophy for the whole truck. Rather than replacing the weathered wood with something obviously new and polished, the team considered using rough reclaimed plywood or similarly distressed material on top. The idea was that, with the bed closed and the hood shut, the truck would present as an old, dented, rusty machine. Then, when opened, it would reveal highly detailed fabricated structure underneath.
That contrast was intentional. Gale liked the idea of a vehicle that does not reveal everything at once, but instead rewards repeated inspection. The rough exterior and simple-looking bed floor would act almost as misdirection, while the underside and hidden assemblies would show the real craftsmanship. The reclaimed wood would preserve the truck's visual honesty, while the finished underside would deliver the technical surprise.
Matt then walked through the center bed-support assembly in detail. Part of the structure interfaces directly with the Roadster Shop chassis using three factory-aligned slots visible in the scan data. He designed a three-piece arrangement: two side pieces that bolt to the frame and a center section that bridges them. That center section provides driveshaft clearance and also incorporates mounts for the nitrous bottles.
The center piece is designed to drop in from above and bolt down through captured nuts located underneath small wing-like tabs. In total, eight bolts secure that section. A similar strategy is used at the rear, where the structure follows the contour of the frame and establishes alignment before holes are drilled. The fuel tank package also fits into this area. The tank is an Aeromotive aluminum unit, and the lower mount doubles as a skid plate, meaning it both supports and protects the tank. Additional straps, to be drawn later, would pass over the tank to hold it securely in place.
The CAD review also covered several remaining systems. A compact Braille lithium-ion battery was planned for one rear corner of the structure. Gale referenced the same company's batteries used on the Freightliner Cascadia project at Pikes Peak and noted the selected unit's 3,100 cold-cranking-amp rating. The compact form factor made it attractive because achieving similar output with conventional lead-acid batteries would require two or even three much larger units. Its placement would also help settle the truck's tendency to lift the front under acceleration.
The nitrous system would use two bottles mounted within the bed structure, while the air tanks would sit within or just above the frame cross-section to avoid dragging them when the truck is laid out. Gale preferred keeping the air tanks slightly above frame level if possible. Additional brackets would later be added to support the lower flange so it would not flap. Matt also planned to revise a logo pad angle by roughly five to six degrees so it would better match the surrounding surfaces.
Exhaust routing remained in progress. The system would dip under the cab just before the bed, and header completion was still pending. The visible tubing in the model represented a 4-inch section, though Gale noted the collector might transition from 3.5 or 4 inches depending on final packaging. Because the truck has no turbocharger to naturally quiet the exhaust, the plan included a V-band-mounted muffler to take the sharp peaks off the sound rather than heavily silence it.
After the CAD review, attention shifted to the fabricated parts already coming together in the shop. Gale highlighted Eric's work, making a point that his praise was based on quality rather than family ties. Eric explained that the assemblies were only clamped together at that stage because final mounting plates would be fitted on the frame to account for any discrepancies between CAD, scan data, and the actual truck.
Viewed from the rear, the center section showed cutouts for the nitrous bottles and a driveshaft tunnel. The backside ribs used tabs and slots to create stiffness, and Gale appreciated that the team had gone beyond a simpler two-piece construction. Eric explained that plasma-cutting on the Torchmate requires different tolerance strategies than laser cutting. Because plasma has a larger kerf and slows in sharp corners due to stepper-motor behavior, the parts need corner reliefs and small ear-shaped features to maintain fit. He typically cuts test coupons in new material to dial in the tolerances. Even with those constraints, the half-inch-tall rib features and interlocking geometry made the tacked assembly extremely rigid; he said they could shake the whole table with it while it was only tack-welded.
The next major step would be taking the assemblies to Empire Fab for trial fitting on the actual chassis. That was important because the tubs were being built there, and the team wanted to marry the CAD-built structure to the scanned body and frame in real conditions rather than assume everything would align perfectly back at the shop. Doing the fit-up on the truck, with the bed and cab present, would give them a better chance of getting all the gaps and relationships correct.
The conversation also returned briefly to workmanship standards. Eric emphasized that even hidden parts would be finished properly. He did not want to rush unseen pieces simply because they would be covered later. Gale connected that mindset to his own family's perfectionism in construction work: even when wiring, plumbing, or framing would disappear behind finished surfaces, it still had to be square, straight, and executed correctly. That philosophy clearly carries into the truck build.
The episode closes with completion of the rear center lower assembly, which serves as the fuel-tank mount and skid structure. Built upside down on the table, it was then positioned in space to show where it would land relative to the rear axle and chassis. Once the rear differential and wheels are in place, the final spread and clearances will be confirmed.
The moment of truth was the first test fit of the Aeromotive fuel tank into the new structure, and it dropped in cleanly. With that confirmed, the remaining fabrication for the area consisted of the rear outer sections, similar to the side wings already built, through which the hinges would pass. Two top straps still needed to be made to cinch the tank down, with rubber isolators added to prevent metal-on-metal contact.
With those pieces nearly complete, the project was clearly entering crunch time. The truck, LockJaw, was scheduled to debut in the AMSOIL booth at the SEMA Show in November, so the team was balancing detailed engineering, careful fabrication, and an increasingly tight deadline.