My F-2 previously had a homemade wood flatbed on it, but it was heavily damaged in a fire and has since been completely removed. I've been trying to decide what kind of bed to replace it with once the rest of the truck is finished. I want to stay with a flatbed, but I want to go with something a little more "professional" looking than another homemade wooden bed. Whatever I end up with is going to get used like a truck bed, so a pretty stained and varnished bed floor would be a waste anyway. Original Ford stake beds are too hard to find and I'd be afraid of actually using it, so I'm thinking about going with a new commercial stake bed. One of the country's largest truck equipment and truck bed dealers is based in my home town, so that will make shipping and pickup convenient. I'm also enamored by the idea of bolting it down, wiring the lights, and calling it done. I've got enough other stuff to do to it without restoring or fabricating a bed. Any opinions about how this particular bed would look on a '51?



I like the bed a lot. It's powdercoated so it would be durable and the trailer hitch receiver and wiring are already installed. I just can't decide how it would look on an old truck.

This F-2 has passed across eBay a couple times recently:





I kinda like the look of this truck, but the aluminum beds are pretty spendy plus I think it's a little too "showy" for my build. Otherwise, the truck is very, very similar to what I have in mind if that gives you any idea of where I want to go with it. Color and tire size are about what I have planned. About the only major differences are that my truck will have correct original stake bed type short running boards and it will sit about 4 inches higher due to the 4x4 conversion. Any other ideas?

 

The bed seems to be want you're looking for, I say go for it. The only thing is make sure of the weight. It looks like a heavy duty bed. The more it weighs the less you'll be able to haul. Also, if it weight a lot it's going to affect your mileage, if you're concerned about that.

It looks like a nice bed and being a local manufacturer is an added plus.

 

Did anyone notice the hood moldings on the F3?

 

The inner spears are on the wrong sides?

 

Yup. Kind of throws off the look.

 

I use 4 inch alum. channel and 1/4 inch alum. diamond plate for my 1 ton 55. I saved the rear bumper with Ford script. Both were not that costly and it dropped a lot of weight.

 

Now that you mentioned it, it kind of makes your eyes go crossed eyed

 

BOR, There are a lot of advantages to wood, if you accept they won't look brand new very long. (I wouldn't have thought about their flammability, tho!)

Personal opinion, any purely flatbed looks homemade, you need to have stakesides on them to "finish" them. A nice set of sideboards transforms a plain flatbed immediately. They don't need to be as tall as the cab, in fact that looks too "farmer" for my taste. But some nicely stained and finished sideboards will be what people's eyes are drawn to. They stay looking good, too.

 

Thanks for the thoughts and replies. I've thought about the weight, but haven't called them to see exactly what it weighs yet. Anybody know what a fully trimmed original 8 foot express bed would have weighed? I'm thinking that this bed may be a little heavier, but not by more than a couple hundred pounds. Maybe before I pull the trigger I should get the rest of the truck weighed without a bed, add the weight of the bed I want, and then compare to documented curb weight. I may change my mind after that and go with aluminum.

This bed comes with short 4" high stamped steel sideboards, but they don't have them on in the picture. I agree that a flatbed without sideboards looks funny. I don't think it would be very useful, either. Who wants to strap down every little thing you haul just to make sure it doesn't slide off the side when you go around a corner? I would imiagine that once the bed is on the truck, I'll build some nice sideboards for it. I've got an old original tailgate that is beat to hell except for the center section where the Ford script is. I've even thought about fabbing up a tailgate and incorporating that stamped Ford script.

 

BOR,i dont think that that deck would be much if any heavier than my 50 merc m-68's 8 foot express box.it has a a steel plate welded in on top of the original floor plus all the heavy bracing for the pump box,and the PTO.

 

If the company that makes the bed is local to you, could you see if they could make some minor changes with it, to make it a little more period-looking? The bed itself is fine, but the way it's trimmed, with the headache rack and lighting, gives it a modern look, and that may be that the little detail that bothers you about it, if I'm reading your concerns correctly.

Just a thought.

 

Ditto what 52 Merc says. I find the blend of old and new a little too severe for me. The curved style to my flatdeck is what attracted me to it. Petey Shoes deck also has a real period look to it. But of course each to their own.

 

Ditto three, get the local guys to build a nice light custom job.