That looks real nice. I like the green stain. Will have to keep this in mind when I go to build my stakes.

 

I Love it, beatiful truck....

 

Okay, I'm going to revive this seriously dead thread. Just got my truck, and I'd like to see what more people have done!

I have a '53 F100, and the stake bed (unknown aftermarket) is not currently attached. And honestly, I'm not sure how to attach it. There's the curve in the frame over the rear axle that I have to deal with; my bed is currently teeter-tottering on this hump. Any pointers for mounting?

 

Here is what I did for mine last year.

 

Mine has heavy wood spacers cut to fill in the curved part of the frame to give a flat surface to mount the bed on. I'll try to remember to uncover mine and snap a photo later today.

 

Another example. Mine has wooden spacers on the front and rear bed
mounting points that raise it just high enough to clear the frame hump
over the rear axle.

 

Looks good, Jim!

I'm running stock stakes on the front and sides of mine, with a piece of oak that ties the back together to help keep it all stable.





Hooker Cut, Devils Elbow, MO

 

When I removed my knapheide bed off my 55 F250, it had a board just resting between the frame and bed that was cut to level it. The board was very thin at the peak of the hump.
I wish I had pictures of it....

 

Here's a shot of mine, originally...





You could make your own from a 4x6 piece of lumber. Just trace out the curve. Do not use pressure treated. The chemical in it will eat the frame.

 

And it tilts !

 

Awesome pictures and tips, guys!!

Merc, what do you suggest I use to keep the lumber from rotting, since I shouldn't used PT wood?

I've also heard of using hockey pucks as spacers (old/cheap trick for body lifts that I guess would apply here). Just drill a hole in the middle for the bolts to pass through. Granted, that wouldn't provide support for the length of the bed/frame, but I don't plan to haul super heavy stuff, so the steel frame of the bed should support the minimal weight just fine. But hockey pucks are dense enough that they don't really compress, and they aren't likely to rot any time soon...

 

Late getting back with photos, mine looks a lot like what has been posted. My 50 F1 started as a pickup and was converted to a flat bed in the late 50s early 60s, so not sure where the wood came from.













Jim...

 

Reviving the thread. 52 F3 6cyl. pictures of her unloading off the truck.
It has steel supports painted same color as the truck.
What would be the correct factory look for the side rails?

 

Well, I think this is an F4 and not an F3, and it's a 51, but that wouldn't matter. The stakes were painted the body color. The stakes were shipped from the plant stacked on the bed. I have an image of that somewhere.







Oh, here's a 52 Merc brochure with the smaller trucks on it. I think the bottom right M3 would be like your F3 bed.

 

You make a stamtement that I'd like to corroborate (just to let you know you are right) and ask a question that I feel semi-qualified to tackle....
It has steel supports painted same color as the truck.
What would be the correct factory look for the side rails?

Yes, you are correct: F1 had wooden uprights, F2+ had steel uprights (the vertical portion of the rack).
The factory published specs in the dealer handbook (kind of a "back of the envelope" cheat sheet for the sales guys to carry while pitching), and a few other spots. I have the 24 page glossy sales brochure from 1948 - so here's that... Sorry, don't have any other years, 1948's my baby.











Magazine advertisement didn't quite match though, they show the top rail matching all the way up to the top of the cab.
June 18th, 1948 Us News Page 29:




My favorite pic is the Edgewater NJ factory taken in 1949, these are all big trucks F2+ size (courtesy of the Bergen County NJ Historical society, someone else shared here before):