Greetings from Robert in eastern Iowa. Glad to be part of the FTE group. The last several years I've been wanting to acquire a 1949 F3 like what my grandfather had on the farm in Arkansas. I rode in that truck cab and bed many times as a tike, loving every moment. I missed out on getting that truck and have regretted my lack of foresight ever since. It had been parked for many years in front of the old farmhouse and someone came up and bought it in the late 1990s--grandpa had been gone many years and I had never asked my grandma about buying it. Well, now I have the closest I could find -- my red 1950 F3, in fairly good shape but minus a bed. I'm ecstatic and looking forward to working on it to get it roadworthy! It's going to be fun and with the help of this group I hope I can give some of the same memories to my grandkids that I had.

 

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your 'new' truck! I saw your post in the want/sale thread for an 8' bed. The good news is the long beds and associated parts are all the same for F2-3 48-52, so that might ease your search. If your truck was originally a flatbed and had short running boards (fit only below the cab) you won't have all of the running board brackets to install the full length 'boards. You don't want to leave those behind if you find a donor truck being parted out. And being in Iowa, one would think there's still many of them out there, although you may find they've been used pretty hard. Bed sides are difficult to restore as both sides have to be nice, and they always take a beating. To the best of my knowledge, the long bed sides, front panels and tailgate for 48-52 are not reproduced. They are taller and wider than the F1, so they won't interchange. Bed wood, skid strips, and crossmembers to put them together are available. Good luck with your search. You can post this in the regular 48-56 forum, we'll be happy to meet you. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum41/

 

Welcome to the forum and we hope you enjoy your time here. We have a great group to answer questions and help with problems. We look forwards to your questions and input.

Look in your states chapter and talk with your neighbors.

Rod