Wondering what these trucks look like with a topper on them Preferably the early bed style and 4x4. Anyone have any photos?

 

One of the most popular camper shells back then was the Alaskan, it could be cranked up to nearly twice its height.

There's an FTE member who has a 1963 "wrong bed" 4WD with one, he lives in Nanaimo, a city on Vancouver Island NE of Victoria.

 

Canopy, not camper, right?

I've got an original canopy stored in a warehouse a few miles away. It is built special for a 1966 F250 4x4 so it fits the "wrong bed". It's a Timberline brand topper.

Here's an old picture of their signage. They were located in Colorado back in the day.

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en...40CsAQoioIdTAK

.

 

If you click on this link you can see another style of topper that was used on my red truck for years. Old fella still had the topper but I chose not to take it. He might still have it as he was just using it to store his lawn mowers underneath it with the topper up on some sawhorses.

Ford Truck Picture by TA455HO | 916831 | Ford-Trucks.com

.

 

I wouldn't mind and old school canopy like that. Are these "wrong" beds the same dimensionally as the newer beds? I'm assuming any 8' topper that fit an early Ford should fit mine.

 

No, not the same. Even the 1966 2WD styleside bed is enough different dimensionally than the 1966 F250 4x4, the older styleside bed, that a given topper designed for one won't fit well on the other. The older beds are narrower and that really throws off the look if the canopy isn't fairly close on width. I mean, give one a whirl and see what you think, but they don't generally look very good in my opinion.

I need to go pick up the Timberline. It is truly made to fit and should look awesome. Came from my friends Arcadian blue truck and he doesn't want it any more. It's a sharp looking topper and he keeps everything in very nice shape so even though it is antique it looks very nice. I saw it about a month ago.

Here's what the bed of his truck looks like



.

 

I was looking on Craigslist one day and found a Brahma camper shell. I was amazed at how easy the person, I bought it from, parted with it. These were made in Texas. Joie Chitwood used one to do rollover stunts, back in the day. They are very well made and sturdy.

 

TA, do you mind if I use that photo in a craigs list wanted add? I think that old style would look pretty good on my rig.

 

That would be fine by me if you used that photo in a Craigslist want ad.

Chad

.

 

Here's one back when my 66 was healthy. My dad took a 6 foot long cap that was kinda of tall and lowered it, He took the part that he cut and added it to the back to accommodate the 8 foot bed. It's actually still on the bed in my driveway. It keeps the wood in the bed from rotting while the bed waits for it's turn to enter the garage.

 

This is mine years ago.

 

I've been thinking about one of these. They have a vintage look and apparently they will build one the way you want it. If you can get smaller windows it would kinda look correct for the 60's. Classic Aluminum Series Truck Cap : A.R.E. Truck Caps and Tonneau Covers

 

Here's one that came on my '64. Not quite vintage but close enough for me.

 

I went and picked up my canopy that has been stored away for at least 10 years. A little short for my 1999 Dodge Ram, but this one is made to fit a wrong bed specifically. It is sitting backwards so it will be easy to lift off of this bed and onto my wrong bed.

You can see it was a bit dirty from sitting but not bad and it cleaned right up.










The wood paneling on the inside is in surprisingly good shape, too.



Lights on either end. I might change these internals to battery operated LED and that way not have to have any wiring.



Almost looks like some stains in this last picture but it's just the side window divider and the sunshine reflecting off of stuff.

Chad

.

 

In my first post I asked if you had indeed meant canopy instead of camper because the Alaskan is a camper, not a canopy. They are still in business making the Alaskan models. They are a local Washington state company in Winlock, WA - so the Alaskan was hugely popular and very common around here since I can remember. They have been in business over 60 years.

A canopy is just a shell whereas a camper typically has comforts inside like one or more beds, possibly a commode and maybe a place to keep your food cold. The canopy doesn't have much in the way of any comforts other than protection from the elements.

Here's is Alaskan's web site. Some fun older pictures in their history section.

Alaskan Campers

Alaskan Campers History ? Alaskan Campers

Chad

.