Thanks for the info did you cut out the axle hump or just cover it with the trim

 

Hey Schoo,
We didn't cut out the hump just cut around the axle braces
and covered it with trim. Our under bed supports were totally rusted
out so our entire under bed structure is new & was raised high enough to
clear everything but a bit of the axle braces.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

I spent $50 at the lumber store for my bed wood and notched it out with a skill saw. And yes, I am cheap. If and when I paint the truck, I'll upgrade to something pretty.

 

Nothing wrong with being cheap! Our truck is pretty but we use it as a truck.
I spent more on the bed than I wanted to .... would have been cheaper just to
replace the whole bed ..but we wanted to preserve it so that our truck was still from 1950.
It's so hot here in Texas & Oklahoma that pretty bed boards just get roasted -- good call using just treated lumber.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

Be aware that the chemicals in treated lumber can corrode metal. There should be something between the treated lumber and exposed metal ornthe wood is not painted.

 

I was just going to say the same thing! ANY steel that directly contacts that pressure treated wood is going to be dissolved in short order. I'm not being critical of your setup, it looks nice but I would consider using regular "pine" instead of pressure treated. You could easily Thompson water coat the wood a few times before installing it. I jut know from experience that pressure treated wood destroys anything that is not stainless or heavily galvanized

 

I bought a new bed from northern classic for my 49 the old bed was rotted bad I had rebuilt the bed on my 64 I had $1000 in materials cost and maybe 400 hours in labor some time it's better just cut out the whole thing and buy new


My 64' slick
It's easier when the bed sets on top of the wood or wood slides under the sides

 

Would Thompson's protect it enough or would you need paint on the wood to protect the metal?

 

You can buy a 53-56 F100 bed at Mid West Early Ford for $600. I picked mine up at Carlisle to save the freight.

 

We'll see how bad the rust issue is with time. I'm leaving the strips unpainted so they will rust to match the rest of the truck. I've used treated wood back in the 80's in a W00 Power Wagon stepside. The rain and sun leached the chemicals out of the wood and it turned silver/grey like old barn boards. I'm hoping the weather does the same to this one. I bought this bed as a trailer for $150. With a script tailgate!

 

I meant if using regular pine wood instead of pressure treated you could seal it, otherwise I'm not sure. Seems like the OP is ok with the PT wood and has used it before so maybe the contact on the outside is not as critical.

 

56panelford is correct. The wood goes under the body side flanges.


I used Trex to prevent long term rot.


Then covered it with polished aluminum diamond plate.


Because I moved my gas tank out of the cab to the rear I just hinged the center Trex floor board for fill access. Easy . . .

 

That's the later (late 1950 and up) style bed Pete, the 48-early 1950 was originally embossed sheet metal over wood and the bedsides were not smooth. The bed sides and front have a lip that the wood sits on. I have both style beds, but my fenders won't fit the later style.

 

Sorry, got confused. I thought from your first comment that you had a '51+ bed.

 

No problem. I should have put the year in the title.