Hello, I recently purchased a 1949 F5 dually that is fully restored with a wood flatbed. The truck does not have stake sides and I would like to go ahead and have a carpenter make stakes for the bed. My questions are the following:
- What type of wood would the stakes have been made of in 1949?
- The truck cab is blue; what color would the original stakes have been painted?
- Does anyone have suggestions as to how to make the stakes look orignal but also have the maximum flexibility to configure them in different ways (for example, have them fold down or fold halfway down)?

Thank you very much in advance. - NDP

1949 F5
1979 F250
1996 Bronco

 

Welcome to the board.

I have a F-4 with a flatbed I bought some years ago. I have been doing a drawing of the flatbed and have the bed pretty much drawn up but I haven't gotten to the stake sides yet. It's a long process and things take me away from working on finishing the drawing.

Ford used the cheapest wood possible, most likely pine or maybe yellow pine. My flatbed was complete with all of the hardware but the wood was fairly rotted away. I hope to have the stake sides and hardware drawn up some day. The truck is in winter storage and is kind of hard to get to right now.

 

Thank you, that's very helpful and your website is very informative. Are you going to paint the wood of the stakes when you build it or just stain them for a natural wood look?

 

I think I'll just finish the wood with a clear spar varnish type of product. I would assume from the factory they were just hosed down with black paint, or whatever way was cheapest.

 

Actually, the original stakes were metal. The stakes and all of the side boards were painted the same color as the truck. They may have used wood for the F1-F3's, but on the F5 & F6 they were metal. Also the species of wood varied depending on where the truck was built as they used 'local' wood.

 

Thanks for all of the input on stakes. When you finish your truck do you plan to have stakes going all the way up or only half way (I am looking for examples of one or two foot high ones as well. Also, does anyone know where to find the metal/chrome runners that go along the floor of the wood bed to make things slide better and not destroy the wood bed? Thank you.

 

Our monastery has a 1949 F5 that has the original metal stakes. They have been painted over several times but are in good shape. If you want to see it I have a few pictures in my gallery. If you want a specific picture let me know.

Ephrem

 

Sorry, don't know why I missed this post. I think the original stakes were like 47", maybe Ephrem can verify that, which would make the sides about 43" above the bed, top rail above the cab. I am making my stakes 36", so the sides will be 32" above the bed, making the top rail just below the top of the rear window. I have 10 of the 20 stakes cut, I planed a bunch of oak for the sideboards, and am in the process of cutting some of those boards to size. When I get a section finished I will post a picture.

 

Here are the diagrams. Stu

 

Sorry for bringing an old thread CPR...but to the OP, did anyone give you a source for new steel stakes for your flatbed? I have four but I would really like t put stakes around the entire bed.