I am not near my grandpa's '46 1 ton today (I live in Lincoln NE and the truck is in South Dakota) and wondering what the frame width under the bed area is? Going to check out a Ford Script bed tomorrow and would like to know the measurement. Tried Mr Google but could find no dimension info for the 1 ton. Thanks!

 

I'm about a hundred yards away from my fleet, but I think I am correct at 34". That would be outside the rails. I have a script bed from my '59 f350 on my '47 2 ton. Perfect drop on fit. My '37 1 1/2 ton had a tapered frame so this bed would have needed to be modified. I can check when I get out there in an hour or so. Drinking coffee withe the missus right now.

 

Thanks, GB! I was hoping it might be 34". The Ford Script bed I am going to look at is on a late 40's 1 1/2 ton Chevy truck. Fortunately, the guy who has it doesn't want to mix the Ford bed and the Chevy truck so have the chance to get it from him.

 

34" was made the SAE standard in '39 or '40. All truck frames up until the mid '70s will have a 34" frame width. Trucks from about 10,000 gross up still do.
Mark

 

Thanks, Mark! Appreciate the additional info.

 

And I confirmed that on a tonner frame down in the lower field. The correct bed for a one ton is 8' long, not sure of width. The bed for a 1 1/2 ton is wider and 9' long, unless it's the 157" truck and then it would be 12'.

 

Thanks for checking! I think the one I will be looking at is 9' long but also think it may have been shortened from an original 12' bed. The metal on the frame is reported to be in excellent condition so will see when I get there. I can shorten this one to 8' to be more correct to the 1 ton length. I know the stake pockets may not be in the correct place but a little engineering and welding/grinding can take care of that. Not sure of the width but my grandpa's original box was made almost completely of wood and seemed over width for the truck when it was in good condition. Too rotted now to be able to save. Do you know the type of wood that was original to the 40's eras beds? No wood on this script frame.

 

Often yellow pine, which is tougher than the pine we see today. It is pitchy and dense. I use douglas fir but I'm in that country for it. Most people and the kits use red oak, but it's a very poor wood for outdoor use. White oak is great, so is elm. Locust might be the very best and really, if someone in your area saws old beams from factories and warehouses into planks, the old growth wood is way more durable than the wide grain stuff of any species milled today. Maybe I need to offer salvaged old growth bedwood kits. Free shipping. ( Like all free shippers, it's figured into the price).

 

Thanks again! Nice to learn from the expert! I am still thinking about trying to make it to your place in mid to late July. Will be in Portland OR for a wedding on July 16 and hope to maybe come that way after. Maybe think about what one of your "kits" might cost if the buyer picks it up. Let's say a 7' x 8 or 9' Ford script bed.

 

I'll cut you a sweet deal. FTE'ers get the discount. A six pack of IPAs can help a lot.

 

Pretty sure I can find a way to get several six packs on the ferry!

 

Sometimes the ATF has bomb sniffing dogs in the ferry line going from car to car, but haven't seen any beer sniffing dogs so far....Love to see you!

 

Got this Ford Script bed frame out of Missouri on Monday. It appears to have been shortened at one time from a 12' bed to about 9 1/2'. Appears I can make an 8' bed out of it for my grandpa's '46 1 ton and have the stake pockets correct for an 8 footer. This frame is wider than a Ford Script frame that might have come on a 1 ton but my grandpa's truck had an oversized wooden bed on it when I got it. Have stripped off all of the old bolts that secured the boards to the frame and straightened a few bent areas. Overall in great condition for its age. Took it to get media blasted today. Will get it back next week.

 

That's a great looking bed. So it's wider than factory and I know full well why your grandpa ran a wide bed. I've been in business for almost 40 years. You can put a bigger load on it. Bigger load = Bigger profit. While the judge at the Pebble Beach Concourse d'elegance may take points off for an over factory width bed, None of us will. Great score!

 

Thanks, GB. I am happy to have been able to get it. Had to unbolt it off of an old Chevy truck. You are correct, my grandpa would have wanted a big bed and grain/livestock box to haul as much as he could. Maybe too much sometimes...but none of the springs are broken so he must have taken it easy when it was loaded heavy.