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I have a 48 F4 and the grill is original. They indeed have red stripes. Only the early ones were a different color and the chrome was an option. I'll try and attach a picture of mine.
The F4 is looking very nice! The pin striping on the grill would really set it off. Is that a reproduction bed? I noticed that there was no Ford script on the back panel and the corner bracing is a little different than my original.
Beautiful truck!
Mark
tip49: I'm not sure about pin stripping on the side widow posts.
49fordv8f4: You are correct, the bed was made using blueprints created by Bob on this board. Here's his website (Welcome to Fat Fendered Trucks). The owner of the '48 I'm restoring provided a copy of the blueprints to his brother, who owns a metal shop, and he made the bed. As you noticed, there are some differences between an original bed and this one but it's real close.
NOTE: From the beginning of the 48 production to mid July, the grille was painted Tucson tan with stainless steel grille bars moldings. Mid July to the end of 48 production the grille was painted aluminum (Argent) with 2 red strips.
(page 21, Don Bumm-48 F-Series book)
SD40 - The rims on the '48 are indeed from a '70s Dodge motorhome as 49fordv8f4 has stated. When I first started working on the truck I found the following link on the "widow maker" rims and knew I didn't want to mess with them.
The link has a lot of great information and will help you find the rims and tire size for a good fit.
48 Steel - Thank you for that information, it's very helpful.
bobbytnm & FourtyNiner - thank you for the encouraging words. I've been working on the truck 11 years now and I'm ready to have it done. I look back at pictures from when I first started and it's hard to believe how far the truck has come.
