The Ford research center wants $35.00 hour to research anything. So don't bother. I think the people here can do better.

 

Are you restoring this truck? I think originally the bed wood was painted to match the body.
The white oak I used when I did my 54 in 1971 started to rot about 5 yrs ago, Just Cuprinoled both sides once, abused the bed and has always been outside.

 

GLR: I am restoring the truck. And I have learned that the bed wood was painted the same as the body. After much consideration, I have decided not to paint the wood. My thought is that very, very few people are going to appreciate the fact that the wood was painted when the truck rolled off the assembly line. I am toying with the idea of using the body paint sort of like a stain, wiping it off so the grain shows and then putting a clear finish over it. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Ford used the most commonly available appropriate regional wood species at whichever assembly plant the truck was built in. My truck came out of Long Beach, CA. I know that the original wood was white oak.

 

My '50 F-1 that grandpa bought new had a steel liner on top of the wood clear back in the 60s. It is possible that grandpa put it in , but I am pretty sure dad told me it came that way. Anybody know if this could be true?

 

Now I am beginning to wonder if I want wood or steel. The wood is there but how to seal it so it will last?

 

I just saw a technique for staining oak used on a home improvement show. They were looking for an ebony/zebra wood effect so they took some steel wool and let it sit outside in a bucket with a little bit of water in the bottom...a rusty pad with rusty water was the goal. Once the rust had developed in the steel wool/water they added vinegar. They took this mixture an wiped the oak boards liberally and voila they had a very nice looking ebony stain. I guess the combination of the oxide, the acid, and the tannins in the wood all came together to produce a very nice black stain in the oak. There have been discussions in the past about how to make oak look like ebony...hope someone finds this useful.

 

Sealing the wood is relatively easy...maintaining that seal is what can be difficult. There are the tried and true products like the marine spar varnishes and there are some newer polyurethanes out there. A buddy used a product from POR15 that is made for wood. I have used clear coat on wood as well, HOK UC35 to be exact. When I have my bed finished I intend to cover the floor of the bed with a rubber mat to keep the sun off it. For us here in SoCal the sunlight is the biggest killer of finishes.

 

Same here is East Texas.

 

An old yankee expression goes something like this..." A fence post made of granite lasts one year longer than one made of locust". See if a local mill has some, or go the ipe route. I'm gonna paint my original bed wood when I finally paint the truck. Not because I'm a restoration purist, but it's practical and I like to be different. Besides I have spent the last 40 years building cabinets and furniture from fancy wood and frankly, I'm sick of looking at it. It reminds me of work........

 

Before I started in restoring my old truck, it was my daily driver from the mid seventies to the mid nineties. The old oak bed was shot, so used plywood ripped the right width to use with the metal strips. I'd hit it with linseed oil diluted with turpentine it a couple of times a year. When I took the bed apart to begin the restoration, that plywood still had a lot of useful life left in it.

 

Going along with staining, a friend of mine made a lot of outdoor furniture. He liked to use a mixture of turpentine and boiled linseed oil. I don't see why mixing a little bit of oil paint in wouldn't work.

Yes, GB, that locust is tough. I know a guy in NY that builds decks out of locust. Looks good and lasts.

 

Just want to follow this since I'll be redoing my bed wood soon.

 

Just so y'all know, locust wood is a mild yellow when cut. So maybe paint or stain combo wood help unless the locust matches the truck paint scheme.

 

Has anyone ever used composite decking? It's probably too expensive but it will never rot or need refinishing...

 

I looked at a home made flat bed made of composite decking on an F-1 last year. Other than I don't like flat beds on the smaller F series, it looked just OK, The seller said the bed had been exposed for several years. Had the rest of the truck been to my liking I would have installed a steel bed with wood decking.