You may be right I may be crazy but because it's an F3 I figured I better try.
I have never done body work so be easy but if you see I'm really screwing this up PLEASE tell me - I don't want to do it again and the budget will not let me send it out to be done. First panel is on -still needs more work.

 

It looks much better than what you started with! LOL You're doing well, I'd say.

Can't you leave the posts on, and weld from the other side behind them? It would save a lot of welding.

 

Hi Ross- what post? the stake beds are rusted thru -I left the two that I hope are salvageable. I'm the 2nd owner and the farmer that had it hauled fertilizer and bulls in this thing. Then it sat in a barn on the last farm in Chicago for 20 years before I bought it.

 

Stake pockets, that's what I meant. That style usually is rusted out.

My bed was in similar shape. I feel your pain!

 

Ross did you make your new pockets or find someone that sells them? The bestpart of this is most of it is covered by the fenders and bed wood.

 

Might want to consider having the whole box sandblasted. About the only way to stop the rust, especially in hard to reach spots. Makes welding much more pleasant as well.
Keep after it....you will succeed.

 

By the looks you can't make it worse. Take your time, body work is not that hard.

 

looks just like the rot that is on my F3's bed. the places it is rotted out at, are all (mostly) flat and single thickness with access behind it. best kind of stuff to get your experience with body work. hands-on experience will teach you very fast!

 

Your not afraid to try, and In my book that's way cool, plus your saving the embossed section of the panel, wich is way better than having to settle, for flat panels. You've got some good tips from some real pro's above, so Im sure youll be ok with it. I wish you the best of luck, and look forward to more pics as they come.

 

Not sure the condition of your tailgate, but a decent looking one is on eBay currently for the f3/2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-1952-Ford-F3-Tailgate-Fits-3-4-to-1-ton-Pickup-54-wide-/251291495026?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a8223ea72&vxp=mtr

 

Thanks all - I will post pics as I go but it will be slow as work is going nuts and I don't get much time to work on it. The tail gate only has some small area near hinge that is bad. Besides I think my wife would shoot me if I spent the bucks on a good looking rear end even if it is a gate.

 

Dave, I think the stake pockets on mine were the only part even remotely cherry. Mine are also the later straight style, so repros are available. But overall, my bed was so bad I did some things to make it structurally sound, and just had it painted. If I ever decide to make it a show truck, I'll just buy a new bed.

 

If the 48 -50 F-1 stake pockets are the same as the F-2/3 pockets LMC has them

 

F1 Dude-everyone tells me they are smaller than the F3 so it looks like I,m going to learn how to bend metal in ways I never dreamed of. I guess I will just say it will be an experience and hopefully a successful fun one.

 

Yep, F3 stake pockets are not reproduced, and I've looked. I'm going to use a piece of mandrel bent tube to at least get close to the right shape (just for the bottom bit), cut the appropriate shape out of it to use as a patch and keep shaping from there.