ggdad1951 Posted October 20, 2011 Report Posted October 20, 2011 (edited) I was disappointed when I got my Bed strips from Mar-K. They aren't the "original" profile and I did some digging and found out these guys have the "correct" profile for our trucks, so if you are looking for accurate bed strips, check these guys out. http://www.midwestmilitary.net/adpage3.html Edited October 20, 2011 by ggdad1951 Quote
HanksB3B Posted October 21, 2011 Report Posted October 21, 2011 that Mar-K is the best place in the world if you have a Chevy or a Ford Pickup Truck. But if you are a Mopar guy, not only does Bruce Horkey (http://www.horkeyswoodandparts.com) offer the highest quality parts in different grades of metal finish, but his wood working and species selection are unparalleled. As far as I'm concerned Bruce is the most historically well informed person on the planet when it comes to our truck beds. I remember a conversation with Bruce where he questioned the hole placement in my old bedstrips to the sixteenth of an inch. Hank Quote
ggdad1951 Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Posted October 21, 2011 (edited) that Mar-K is the best place in the world if you have a Chevy or a Ford Pickup Truck. But if you are a Mopar guy, not only does Bruce Horkey (http://www.horkeyswoodandparts.com) offer the highest quality parts in different grades of metal finish, but his wood working and species selection are unparalleled. As far as I'm concerned Bruce is the most historically well informed person on the planet when it comes to our truck beds. I remember a conversation with Bruce where he questioned the hole placement in my old bedstrips to the sixteenth of an inch.Hank I'm sure he's a great guy, but the profile he offers isn't the same (at least as mine). They look more along the line as Mar-K strips where the humps on the outside are too large. Those Midwest Military ones look spot on to mine. Edited October 21, 2011 by ggdad1951 Quote
Dave72dt Posted October 21, 2011 Report Posted October 21, 2011 I questioned Mar-K's bolt hole placement on the angle strips I got from them. The second hole from the front was a couple inches too far back according to my originals and threw the bolt pattern off. The rest of the holes were spot on. It's not a big issue since I'll be putting the stainless angles over them which require drilling your own holes but it will be if the bed strips holes are incorrect. Side note, Mar-K isn't 100% on Ford wood either. I had to slot the holes in the frame to get the bed mount bolts to go through on a '52 1-ton pkp. Quote
ggdad1951 Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Posted October 21, 2011 I questioned Mar-K's bolt hole placement on the angle strips I got from them. The second hole from the front was a couple inches too far back according to my originals and threw the bolt pattern off. The rest of the holes were spot on. It's not a big issue since I'll be putting the stainless angles over them which require drilling your own holes but it will be if the bed strips holes are incorrect.Side note, Mar-K isn't 100% on Ford wood either. I had to slot the holes in the frame to get the bed mount bolts to go through on a '52 1-ton pkp. Dave, I'm HOPING my old strips are going to be salvagable, no thru rust and seem sound. I ordered some Mar-K stips and have them, but just might go the MM route to make them look right for the resto. Thoughts? Quote
Dave72dt Posted October 21, 2011 Report Posted October 21, 2011 Biggest problem may be rust pits. While not through the metal, the surface remains uneven and will look old. Filling and sanding is VERY labor intensive if you want them to look new and something I struggled with on your cab floor. How perfect do you need them? Floors aren't perfect. They're presentable, as is, and figuring you'll be putting a mat in, better than needed, and better than when recieved. Bed strips, cleaned, primed and painted would look presentable but not perfect. Other issue is the bolt holes and how rounded and thin they may have become over time. Will they hold a carriage from turning? They are correct and you know they'll fit which is a big plus. Quote
ggdad1951 Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Posted October 21, 2011 Biggest problem may be rust pits. While not through the metal, the surface remains uneven and will look old. Filling and sanding is VERY labor intensive if you want them to look new and something I struggled with on your cab floor. How perfect do you need them? Floors aren't perfect. They're presentable, as is, and figuring you'll be putting a mat in, better than needed, and better than when recieved. Bed strips, cleaned, primed and painted would look presentable but not perfect. Other issue is the bolt holes and how rounded and thin they may have become over time. Will they hold a carriage from turning? They are correct and you know they'll fit which is a big plus. holes aren't rounded at all. I cut all the bolts off instead of trying to turn them knowing they'd just spin. I hear ya on the rust pits tho, they DO have those. Maybe when it's time, I'll bring the old ones and you can look at them and if I need to I can get ones from MM and drop ship them to you. Quote
ggdad1951 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Report Posted October 27, 2011 stopped at Midwest Military yesterday to drop off an old bed strip as a template. They have the dies on site and will do whatever you want. They can go up to 10' long. Don't know if he'd do SS or not. These are the EXACT match for the originals, unlike all the others out there. He also has a limited supply of the correct bed bolts and strip bolt. John is a super nice guy and very knowledgeable about the parts that cross between our trucks and the military Dodges. Quote
Rocket-bob Posted October 28, 2011 Report Posted October 28, 2011 I got my bed wood, strips and side strips from Bed Wood and Parts (Bedwoodandparts.com). They looked just like the original ones and fit well. I went ahead and bought hickory boards too because I wanted the bed to out last me. My only problem has been linking the side strips to the bed side walls. The original ones were riveted to the bed walls and had to be removed with an air chisel. Still trying to find an elegant way to put the new strips on tight to the sides. Quote
Dave72dt Posted October 28, 2011 Report Posted October 28, 2011 I got my bed wood, strips and side strips from Bed Wood and Parts (Bedwoodandparts.com). They looked just like the original ones and fit well. I went ahead and bought hickory boards too because I wanted the bed to out last me. My only problem has been linking the side strips to the bed side walls. The original ones were riveted to the bed walls and had to be removed with an air chisel. Still trying to find an elegant way to put the new strips on tight to the sides. My B3B had the side rails spot welded on soI plug welded new ones on. An O/T 1 ton I did 5 years ago had them riveted on. Owner wanted it to look original so I riveted replacement ones on. Special punch in a heavy duty air hammer, heavy iron backup and two people got the job done. Quote
ggdad1951 Posted November 16, 2011 Author Report Posted November 16, 2011 well, just picked up my fresh made custom truck bed strips from from Midwest Military. 5 strips for $125. you decide which is more accurate from the pics below. I HIGHLY recommend giving John a call there for your bed strips. ORIGINALS MIDWEST MILITARY MAR-K 1 Quote
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