I am replacing the bed wood and bed strips in my 1954 F100. Does anyone know what the original finish on the bed strips was?
I have seen them painted to match the truck color and was wondering if this was the correct finish. Thank you.

 

I'll let Ilya (aka 51Panelman) weigh in on this question. Every set of steel strips that I've ever seen had no paint on them...just a rusty finish. If they were painted it didn't last too long since the strips take the brunt of the wear and tear of the bed floor. I also noticed on the steel strips that came out of my F2 that the bottoms were just as rusted as the tops...I'm guessing that Ford used bare steel. I prefer the stainless steel replacements.

Dan

 

Thanks Dan, I am going for a stock look; I thought that might be the case.

Would you know anything about the wood bed finish? or lack of finish for the original look.

Dennis

 

From what I have found, the bed wood, which would include the strips was painted the color of the truck. I guess that was basically for ease of manufacturing. That left the underside of the wood untreated.

You won't see that approach very often in restorations...just about everybody varnishes the wood if they replace the bed wood...or they leave it plain if they use their truck to haul stuff around.

The old growth wood available in the 50's was tougher than a lot of the wood from farmed trees today. You can still buy old growth lumber, but you'll have to search for it.

Dan

 

Thanks Dan - I did locate some old growth log-leaf southern yellow pine - I heard that was the original species.
I saw one truck at the Superntionals in May that had painted boards, I think I will go a little off-original an put an oil finish on mine.
Would you happen to know the original thickness of the boards?
Thanks for you help - I will become a Supporter very soon.

 

Standard 1" board measurement...aka 3/4"... ( 1" rough cut then planed), some beds were oak, some were pine. The consensus is that Ford used whatever they could get their hands on and no treatment.
My 49 had a steel floor over some kind of wood that had long dissappeared.

 

Here are the F-100 bed drawings

 

Thanks guys - nice looking trucks you have.

Ford using whatever they could get for a wood species makes a lot of sense. I just finished a great book - Fordlandia about Henry Ford's Brazilian rubber venture. Lots of info in there about the Ford sawmills in the US and Brazil.

Dennis

 

Yes, the bed wood and bed strips were painted the body color. I have seen color vintage pics that proves it. I have seen stock trucks that were in great shape that still have traces of the paint on the wood.

My bed wood is red oak with 3 coats of varnish. Next time I paint my truck I want to paint the boards the body color. My question is: how well does auto paint hold up on wood and could I paint right over my varnished boards.

 

Abe - Great history and restoration on your '54.

I am not sure about auto paint on wood, but painting wood to prevent rot from air moisture usually requires painting all six sides of each board.

I will post some pics of my restored bed as it progresses.

Dennis

 

Wood will move no matter what amount of finish or paint you put on it. If you don't mind refinishing it paint will work fine. All sides and edges after all milling of the wood would be best. A good automotive clear coat will help as they have UV inhibitors, but if exposed to weather they will eventually have to be refinished. And Abe, you should strip the varnish off of the wood before applying paint. You might get away with a good sanding for a while, but eventually it will begin to peel.

 

FoMoCo owned 10's of 1000's of acres of forests, the sawmills and the ships to transport the pine from northern Michigan to Dearborn.

I have yet to see an original 'oak' bed. AFAIK, all were pine. Ditto the insides of panel trucks, and all beds were painted body color originally including the slats.

 

The Ford brochure photo in Abe's gallery showing painted wood and steel strips really clears this up. Thanks.

BTW - My truck is black and I had my strips and bolt heads powder coated for $75.

 

I was shopping for a finish coat for my bed at Home Depot and ran into a factory rep from Behr, who supplies much of HD's paints. This guy wasn't a salesman, but a technical rep. I told him what my application was, and he said flat out, there is nothing that will last on a horizontal wood surface that is going to get wet and be outdoors. His advice was to use a finish that can be easily re-applied periodically, like a tung oil or "danish oil". Of course, I ignored his advice and used a marine varnish... It has held up very well, but my truck isn't outdoors much and only gets wet when I wash it, but gets a lot of abrasion from hauling stuff.

An interesting read here, not directly on topic: Model T Ford Forum: Floorboards

 

I bought a marine sealer and finish from a company recommended by my sawmill - Waterlox in Okio. Will let you know the results