Question about building sideboards for my '54 F-100:

I do not want the first board to touch or rub the flare of the bed side. What is the dimension of the stakes that go into the stake pockets? Should the stakes be friction fit or do they go down until they hit something? I do want to be able to remove them when I want to? I am planning on using red oak boards.

Thanks!

 

There are cross members at the post socket bottoms, so the posts will bottom out and repeat dimensionally. I would get a board the right size and drop it into the socket, then take some dimensions. I wouldn't want a friction fit, personally as that would scuff the paint away over time. Once I had the dimensions, I would sketch and mock up one side, then copy to the other. Basically, I would build it off dimensions from the truck.

The ones I have seen that I like the best are two longitudinal boards, with the bottom one sitting just above the flare side and longer than the top board. On an F100, with only two post sockets, one I saw used a middle vertical board to join the longitudinals together.

I think the stakes look cool on a resto-style truck. They look like they would be handy too.

 

I’m with Randy Jack; you are going to have to have the bed in place to mock up the side boards.

brian...