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I've been trying to do some research, and haven't come up with anything solid. Did the 48-52 F2/3 8ft express beds have a seal between the bed side and the wood floor boards?
I haven't found any reference in the books, and Chuck said he didn't think they had them either. I have read a few threads where people talked about seals being present on their original bed floors, so I'm just curious if there is anything definitive one way or the other. I can see the need for the seal, but it doesn't make sense if it isn't in the Body Catalog.
Yes, mine had what was left of the seal, a bulb shape similar to fender welting. The problem was it was more decorative than useful; the "bulb" covered the gap between the wood and the side of the box but did not seal as in preventing water and crud from getting in. This was t he major reason for rusted out parts in this area. There has to be either room for this area to "breath" and dry out or sealed to keep the water and crud out. I used a caulking (designed for use in expansion joints in buildings) to seal it up, it remains flexible and after curing it can be painted.
I just commented on your build thread about a possible seal. My F2 had bulb like pieces left but, the bed wood had all been replaced with non original sized planks and even extra cross members. So I don't know if it was a salvaged original seal or owner engineered. If anybody figures it out it will be you. You certainly are determined to be as original as possible.
Yeah, my 2wd AZ truck that I intended to be a parts truck, but have never had the heart to pull apart, is sort of a time machine. It has this rope seal along the edges under the wood. Stu
Interesting. Since the same style and material seem to be used on them, it would make you think that it is a factory and not a user added item. Can anyone take some detailed photos and measurements?
Is it rubber or fabric? Does it go around the entire box?
My two pics are of the same section from different angles. That’s the most clearly seen area where the wood is fractured away from the bed wall. It well could be that the rope is more intended as an anti-squeak or anti-abrasion aid rather than water seal. I don’t know whether it is a hollow tube or (now dead) foam type rope. I have no doubt that this is an original 1951 installation at the KC assembly plant. As a practical matter I’d think anything of similar dimensions would do the job, as long as it is collapsible under the edge of the wood. When I get there on mine I’ll probably see what McMaster Carr offers in a hollow rubber tube type material. Stu
Thanks Stu! Is is just a round tube, or is it a bubble kerf seal with the tail?
Anything on this website that looks close? From the photos, something along these lines were my best guess at the moment, assuming it it has a tail to push into the seam.
I’m not gonna be able to pull a piece of the original to study it. The bed of the truck is loaded full of pieces from other trucks. The tube that you found looks like it’d work well. Stu
Here is a pic of the seal which is in a undisturbed box, M3. Your body shop supply will carry this fender welt, mostly used on big trucks, it was rubber. I recently bought some for another project. I choose not to use it, for the reasons described in previous email.
I recently pulled the bed out of my ‘49 and run the boards through the planer. I also considered using a welting material, but in the end I just fit the oak to the bed.
Don, if you are able to get a close up photo of the material, that would be great! Can you tell if it was supposed to be wedged down into the gap and sit flush with the wood, or was the bulb on top and exposed?
As I recall the hollow bulb (what was left of it) sat on top of the wood deck, the skirt portion, I am guessing here, would have/could have been stapled to the edge of the deck board. Then the board would be shoved up tight to the box side and bolted down. There was no evidence of sealant anywhere when I took it apart. So at the end of the day it looks good and keeps the grain from running thru. It does nothing to keep crud and water from running thru and collecting on top of and the side of the metal "angle" below and shortly rusting out the angle and the side of the box. I do not have a picture of the piece. As you have progressed past this point and are assembled my thought would be to use the same type of bulb material and basically "tuck" the skirt portion down into a bead of caulking in the joint; just to hold it in?
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