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A while back I started shopping for a bed kit for my 56. Premade kits were out of my price range and while oaks look nice out of the box, it doesn't hold up that great over time. I started contacting decking supply companies and settled on Koa or Tigerwood in 5/4x6"x8'. The wood was under $200. This weekend a friend and I milled out the pieces and installed the kit. The hold down strips were coated in spray can bed liner and new bolts were used since the rusty ones were old.
What you likely have is Gonçalo alves also called (misnomered) "Brazillian Tigerwood"or"Brazillian Koa". It is an attractive, sturdy and durable S American hardwood. The heartwood will fairly quickly darken with age and air exposure to a rich and attractive chocolate brown with darker streaks and the sapwood will stay a contrasting lighter yellowish color. Don't leave anything sitting on it in one place very long when freshly cut or it'll develop a semi-permanent lighter shadow picture. A very good wood choice! Did you put a finish on it?
I think I would use spar varnish. It works very well on the Mahogany and
Teak in the Classic boats I have re done. Once it drys well I have painted
over it without any problems either. It's strong stuff. And easy to work with.
If you don't put something on it, it will weather to a light grey color. 100% pure tung oil is better than linseed oil. Raw linseed does not polymerize it just soaks in and eventually evaporates like using motor oil. Boiled linseed oil is a partially polymerizing oil so would be better than raw, but is a softer finish than tung which is a fully polymerizing (molecules connect to form long, strong, interlocked plastic like chains) oil.
Like the choice of wood. Has nice characteristics even before it has aged. I'd like to see the rest of the truck. Profile from the back looks mad! (in a nice way)
