My truck bed is OOS at the preset time, but thought I would share. These portable sideboards/stock racks were made by my Dad and/or Grandpa. The truck was used to haul both grain/livestock and are in pretty bad shape. I plan to copy/rebuild them when I get to that point. The wider sideboards will be reclaimed and made into a tool box.

 

Mine, they were darker (which looked better, really), but I just refinished them to match the light wood work on my old trailer.

 

Beautiful truck and I like the simplicity of your side boards. Here I am at the end of the build and now you guys are making me think about making more stuff! Great set of pics! @Brad, what tires are you running on your Merc?

John

 

7.50 - 16 STA Super Traxion rear
7.50 - 16 STA Transport Highway front

These are taller than original but they allow a little more top end with less RPM. They don't seem to rub anywhere and ride nice, made the steering easier. Got them from Coker through a local dealer.

 

Good old snow tires on the back, or as Grandpa called them, mud grippers. They and your sideboards really make your truck look like it just came out of the 50's. I was contemplating getting snow tires but decided against it.... maybe next time.

 

Those front tires are what Gertie has on her.

The "STA" part stands for Specialty Tires of America. They are located in Indiana, Pa. Been around since 1915, they make and sell only American made tires.

When I found out about them several years ago, I bought the tires for the F-2 directly through them (actually had my local tire shop get them, but there was no mark-up) instead of going through Coker or someone else.

 

Indiana, PA is about two hours from me. I'll have check them out.

 

Abe, I have had the STA tires on Gertie since 2013, and they ride and handle well. These tires are what the old trucks were made to run. Only issue, and it isn't really an issue, is that they are bias-ply, and after sitting for a spell, they feel like Fred Flintstone tires until they warm up.

 

The bias ply I have on my 54 do not do that after sitting for awhile. They are made by excelsior.

 

Looked up Excelsior tires, and from what I saw, unless you are using one of the European type tires, or the vintage racing types, the others are all radial, but made to look like bias ply, and are even sized like the bias-ply. That would explain the lack of
"flat spot" development when your '54 sits for a while.

The STA Super Transports are true bias-ply construction. The 7.50X16 ones on the F-2 are the 8-ply versions.

 

Suggest that you download Chrome from Google. There are lots of changes taking place on the internet these days. Some companies are having trouble keeping up.

 

Your probably right. What I really need is a new computer. Damn thing is an old Dell GX260 from 2003. Have beefed, added memory, dual booted, etc. to keep it plugging along, but it is about on it's last legs. Been running Windows XP drive for about a year now because the Linux HD is so out of date and is at this juncture, very difficult to update with a new kernel. Windows puked on me just this week. Got the dreaded BSOD (blue screen of death), and had to reboot.

Really rather surprising I can still use it online.

 

I used to use Windows computers. I even built my own. Too many problems with Windows. I bought a Mac and have never looked back. Now I have computers that work.

 

I appreciate the side board photos on this thread. Don't know if I'll go that route. Good food for thought.
Like the color of the Foose rocket chemical 53. Tried to find the color name by internet search. No luck.

 

The F3 I sold- Side Boards are all from one piece of wood and bed floor made from Black Walnut.