Here is a picture of a Ford Dealer brochure I bid on and didn't win. What interested me was the color shot of the bed. The bed wood is painted the body color. This was a topic of discussion a while back here. I look at this as proof. I did have some other color pics but they were not as clear and conclusive as this. SO maybe when I re-do my truck and bed, I paint the boards Meadow Green....

What do you think?

 

People ooh and ahhh over the (not painted) wood bed on mine more than anything else. Correct or not, wood with a natural finish (stained or whatever) just looks cool. It sets our trucks apart from anything modern.

 

Which wood you prefer , paint or some thing like this ?

 

you restoring to stock? then maybe..

like the others, people comment on the bed a lot..

Sam

 

Wood beds and the metal slats were painted body color as original.

 

I think the oak looks better without paint. I am a big fan of original restorations. If I ever redo one of my trucks, it 'll be a clear finish. The beds in this thread look so nice, you want to put your lawn chair in a bag before putting them on the bed....
Jeff

 

I have a dining table cover, felt on one side, vinyl on the other, folded in half, felt side down. stuff slides all over.. for the first time drove to a show yesterday and my wife followed in the suburban so I didn't have to carry anything.. Made it fun to step on the gas.. really roars at full throttle..!

Sam

 

I plan to actually make an oak plywood cover to go over my nice finished planking. I'm going to make the real floor look nice like Denny and Sams, then have a piece of oak plywood with some rails on it and some rubber or felt pads underneath to drop in if I want to carry anything. I guess if you wanted to you could do that and paint the drop in cover truck color so you have both!

 

Naa, that's why I used 3/4" birch plywood ($50/sheet). I don't actually abuse it but I don't want to cringe over using it as a truck. Plenty of gouges already from dump runs...

 

Hey Ross?

Did you cut the plywood into individual planks, or did you just dado the grooves for the rails and leave it a single sheet? Also, if it is one piece do you have any problems getting water to drain.

I'm just thinking for when I do mine!

 

It looks like he cut individual slats from the plywood.

 

If plywood is being used you must seal all faces , edges and ends . If water comes in contact with any exposed wood area you will be in big trouble .

 

Lol! Big trouble! Like a bubble in the otherwise perfect wood.

Sorry...slim

 

Whoa, whoa, guys and girl! Didn't think this thread would draw so much criticism... I can take it, of course, no big deal. It was nothing malicious as it never is here at FTE.

I am not trying to change any one's mind. I am not saying that stock is better than custom. I myself have red oak planks in my bed. I too get a lot of comments on the pretty bed wood. It is one of the things I did myself since I don't do body work nor paint.

I just wanted to share this with anyone that might be interested in a historical way. Or if someone is building a complete stocker now he has the right factual info. I think I would have painted my boards had I known that back then in 1999. Of course I would have had to use old growth yellow pine (that is what Ford used) and that might be hard to get.

The most important thing to remember in all this is that "it is your truck, you can do whatever you want."

I too try to protect my red wood bed. Over the years I put plywood, cardboard, or carpeting or plastic tarps over it when I haul stuff anything mulch, yard waste, lumber, truck parts, or 3/4 ton of soccer field paint. And it has gotten dings and scratches. I painted the skid strips Meadow Green and it looks (looked real nice). Of course some painted has peeled off those galvanized steel strips.

I am not building a show winner. I had an email conversation a while back with a guy in MD that had a '54 Meadow Green F-100 like mine only a 6 cyl. He took it to concours shows and they told him they will start detracting points if his bed is not historically correct. ME? I built a farm truck so it looks like it did when my grandfather had it from 'Dec. '54 to June 1977.

But do what you want to your beds, red oak, painted diamond plate, stainless diamond plate, painted yellow pine, or bed floor and sides sprayed with a tuff type coating...

All our trucks are cool.....

 

Oh ABE you are such a "Rabble Rouser!" LOL!