Well, it's taken a while, but I finally got the wood in the bed of my jailbar tonner pickup. I used some old fir floor joists that came from a building that was torn down. In my furniture/cabinet business I often use salvaged lumber. These floor joists were old growth doug fir that was clear. I had to rebuild all the underpinnings of he bed first and weld in a lot of new steel. Of the six cross members that it would originally have I used 1/4" wall square tubing instead for three of them, and pressure treated wood from power pole cross arms for the rest. The old floor joists were planed to 1 3/16" and I re-used a very nice set of original tonner bed strips that came with the truck. I used 5/16" galvanized carriage bolts for fasteners. When I bought the truck 18 months ago at the Portland Or swap meet the bed had been taken apart and strapped to the frame rails. The engine hat was in it is still there and has compression in the 75-95 range, and a lo of stinky blow by. Fortunately I have a stash of blocks and just had a merc crank turned, so a fresh engine is in the works. It's been 20 years since I sold my red 38 tonner pu so I could afford to keep my place after my divorce. This truck has been an effort to re-create my old truck and it's become that and more. Anyhow, the bed came out pretty well.

 

 

looking good ! looks like nice weather too!!

 

Thanks friends! Just above the old camp trailer in the background if NAS Whidbey in Oak Harbor Wa. I'm 517 Picketts Lane, Olga Wa. 98279 if that helps.I looked at goolge earth a few years back and could see my '37 1 1/2 ton from afar. If it works, feel free to post up what you find.

 

 

I was working on a job today in Leavenworth that has old growth 12X cedar planks on the walls that he found in the barn loft; They had a document from 1927 inside the stack. Your old growth bed floor looks great, as expected!

 

Freakin' AY Mike.... That's so cool! Ravin and I got each thing figured out. The '92 f350 is hooked to the trailking trailer in front of the red shop. The lower property is what we call 'down in the hole', where the sawmill is. Up at the house where the 517 picketts ln address is we see her 96 subaru and my 97 suburban parked at the house. (our daily drivers). I hope I wasn't picking my nose...... Oh and Tedster, I lived out on the North Shore of Orcas for the Mt St Helens eruption. It was a Sunday morning in May?, I was painting copper bottom paint on a boat I had built over the winter, getting ready for the launching. I guess I was about 27. I thought to myself "why are they dynamiting up on Buck Mountain on a Sunday morning?"...

 

That looks great and the Fir will last.
Funny about Mt St Helens, we were camping up on Chehalis Lake (BC) and wondered why they were blasting on a weekend.

 

Nice job JB

 

Turned out real nice GB! I really like that old truck. It's just a simple, honest truck.

 

The bed looks great GB and I expected no less ! I have to ask though...whats up with the '49 DeSoto ?? I own one, that's why I'm asking.

 

I laughed at this because I do stuff like that too. Then people get upset thinking all that stuff is private.

 

The 49 desoto and 48 plymouth are woodie wagons with the wood rotted off. They were beautifully restored show cars from California when they arrived on Orcas Island in the late 70s.. Long story, but last May a couple of buddies got ahold of them ahead of the crusher and gave them to me for my 65th birthday. Both are 99 percent complete including the small stuff and the sheet metal is nice. Floors not so good. They could use a home at this point.

 

GB,
The wood in your bed looks great! You did a nice job! Very nice to reclaim and or make something out of old wood. Fits perfect in your truck. Thanks for posting the pictures!
Regards,
Chris

 

Thank you Chris. A friend saw the truck recently and exclaimed "It's in the perfect state of disrepair". He and I both like our old machinery to still look old, so I took it as a compliment!