I am new to the classic truck world and I am confused already.
I have a 53 Ford PU with, what I was told a 70 something stepside bed.
It has squared off side rails ( not angled) and is longer than stock. The frame has been extended for the extra lenth. It also has a small wheel tub.
I want to put the right bed on it and this is where I need your help.
The correct bed has no inner wheel tubs and has an angled rail, Correct???
If so every catalog I look at says 53-79 or something like that.
This can't be right. Somewhere after 56 should be where the wider bed come in Right?HELP.
Thanks

 

Actually, all short narrow beds to '79 are the same as far as bed fenders tailgate and attachments, but. 53-56 trucks have running boards on the cabs which extend to the rear fender and mount the rear fenders one inch lower. The later beds, have a short running board ahead of the fender. So only the 53-56 beds will fit properly and allow you to bolt the running boards to the rear fender. You can make the later beds work by removing the little running board and making a fender extension to bolt the running board to, or lowering the rear fenders by redrilling the fender holes and filling in the upper ones. The front filler plate below the bed side is also different, the later one having the short running board on it. If you buy bed sides, they will go by 53-56 and 57-79. The fender holes are the only difference. The other differences are the filler plates at the front and rear.

There are very few good early beds for sale and a lot of late ones, so it is hard to figure out how best to make up a good early bed. If you can't weld body holes, you can't cheaply use a 57-79 bed. To make a bed from parts is very expensive. A later bed will yield about $200-300 and to buy new bed sides and filler plates is roughly another $400, and that is probably the cheapest way. You are also likely to have to redo the bed wood and strips. If you can bolt and unbolt parts you can redo the entire thing. Redoing the damage the extensions did to your frame, won't be as easy.

Regards,

Alanco

 

Ok now another question.
I just dug out the bed supports that I got with the truck for an original bed.
They are shorter than the ones on the newer bed. With what you are telling me, the only difference in my bed is the wheel well is deeper, because I have little 2"
wheelwells inside my bed. But it seems that from side to side is wider. If so the headboard and tailgate will be different.
Bear with me, I'll catch on soon.

 

None of the beds I'm talking about have a little wheel tub in them. Such a bed was from later than '79, or was from a F-250. All tailgates on F-100 beds are the same width. The F-250 bed had the wheel tub not because it was wider, but because it ran a bigger wheel and wider tire.

Regards,

Alanco

 

I'm not that familiar with later model beds but it sounds like you might have an F-250 bed on there. Is this an F-100 or a larger truck? Many aftermarket F-100 beds are the same from 53-72 because they do not drill the holes in the bed for the fenders.

Vern

 

The bed sides are the same for the F100 from 53 thru 72 except the 57 thru 72 fenders were mounted about 2 inches higher for the redesignd cab starting in 57.

The bed was changed in 73 and lasted to 79. The top rails were flat instead of angled. The bed is about 6 inches wider and a couple of inches taller plus the bed sides did have mini wheel tubs. The tail gates from 53 thru 72 are the same. 73 thru 79 are wider and taller

So it sounds like you have a 73 thru 79 bed.

If your going to replace it try and get one for a 53/56, if you get one for a 57 thru 72 the fenders will be mounted too high and redrilling new holes and filling the old ones in a large flat panel is not my idea of fun

Vern is right about the way some places sell the bed sides with no holes drilled.

The rear fenders are the same from 53 thru 79 except I think it was between the years 73 thru 79 the had the rear mounted fuel tanks fill neck exiting out the left rear fender. I bought a NOS fender a few years ago and it had the templete for the fuel filler neck hole.

The running boards are the same for 53 thru 56 they attach to both the front and rear fenders, The ones for 57 thru 79 are the short ones and attach only to the rear fender and I would think to the bed side some place.

Hope this info helps.

Chuck

 

Once again you guys are right. I talked to the guy I bought it from and he said the bed was from a 78. Wider and longer.
The truck is disassembled if you haven't figured that out by now. I am trying to figure out the puzzle.
Thanks again.
PS Do you know of a bed around the middle Tennessee area for sale?

 

Your info is better than mine, thanks for that. I did not realize that 73-79 beds had the little tubs and the flat top bed rail. As far as the short running board goes, it attaches to the bed side, then goes to the rear fender. On the 53-56, there is a filler plate that goes where the short running board goes on the bed side.

Regards,

Alanco

 

Merc 546 is right on with the info about the 53-72 beds and fenders. However, I believe ther was a gap of a year or two after 72 and the year when Ford started building a step side again. And he is right that it was wider and higher.

If you want to see a '53-'56 truck with a '71 bed on it look at my gallery. Everyone said the fenders and beds were identical from '53-'72 and they are except as stated above the fneders are mounted higher. My body man had trouble getting my running boards to line up with the fenders correctly. When I got the truck home and looked at it, I knew something was wrong. There was too much wheel showing in the rear fenders. I measuered the space between the fenders and the top of the bed rail and checked my old bed sides and .... but it was too late. So, it has to stay that way until I buy a repro bed in several years... will have to save my money....

good luck, abe '54 F-100