I Can't Believe It!

[grey beard]

Finally got my bed all apart. Before I started the project I noticed that I could not reach the grease zerks on the front spring hangers of the rear axle trhrough the holes in the bed apron just in front of the rear fenders - the bed was too low.

Now that I have the whole thing apart, I am amazed at the design. The box sides and front bulkhead weight all rests on the two outer bed floor boards. The entire floor sits on cross members that rest on the frame. This is all well and good - just like one would imagine, but the box sides and front all sit on top of the outside one inch of the two outermost floor boards. When these boards disappear though time, weather, etc., the sides move down the thickness of the boards - 3/4 inch, in this case. This in turn messes up the alignment of the grease fittings and their access holes just in front of the rear fenders.

Whooda' thunk it . . . . . .

[mikeinkc]

i have not started bed disassembly on my 49 B1C bed yet, but i look at it every time i walk past it and for the life of me have not totally figured out in advance, the process for re-assembly. the wood connects where? the angled side pieces, the bed sides? the crossmembers? it all seems a little "screwed up"! i'll get it figured out when i really get down and dirty with it, but for now i'll just have to stay a little confused! mike in k.c.

[Guest 51plymouthod]

Like Dave, I was fascinated by the engineering of the bed. One can really see how it all comes together when you get the old, rotten wood off. It is interesting, to say the least, that the outer 2 boards and their 6 corresponding bolts thru the frame tie the entire structure of the bed together.

One bonus to replacing the bed is that you can really determine the soundness (or structural problems) rust, collision damage, etc. of your pickup when the wood is all off. I could NOT believe the almost total lack of rust on mine.

My wife came out and got pictures. She said, "I can't believe they drilled those 2 holes in the sides just so you could grease it easier."

Such was the way things were done when a truck was a one-purpose vehicle: work.

[grey beard]

Ken,

If we could get Merle Coggins to show us his picture again of his cross members laying out on the garage floor, the whole mess will make more sense. Someone else showed their freshly painted red box with the two outer boards only installed, bed on the chassis. It's a big "for sure" that those outer boards must be the first two pieces installed. It appears to me that the two outside angle strips sitting on the two outer floor boards atr what holds the total box weight - NOT the floor weight, which is all carried by the cross membvers and the frame, just the weight of the metal box sides and front bulkhead. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. All the wood is out of my floor as we speak (I write, whatever) and I can pick either box corner up off of the frame, where the buokyead and tail gate sit, holding the whole shebang. Amazing, what?

I suppose most of you "pro and show" guys build your bed floors with the box off the frame, sitting on saw horses. This hilligan is going to do it on the chassis. Looks like I might even be able to start with the two outer boards and reach under from standing on the floor, finishing up with the two center boards last. My boards will also be painted black - this is a hauler, not a shower. LOL:) :)

[Merle Coggins]

Which picture are you refering to, Dave? I searched through my home computer and my Photobucket site for pics of my bed area. This is all I came up with. This was just after I removed the bed pieces and all of the rotten wood and etc. Shortly after this I hauled it into the shop to lift off the cab for frame prep and painting.

I know I took some other photos of the cross members before I cut the bolts and removed them from the frame, but they must be in my computor at work. I was kind of supprised too, that the bed sides and front panel just sit on the wood, which is bolted to the cross members. And the large bolts that attach it to the frame only go through 3 of the 4 cross members.

I have found out, through some communication with Mar-K, that they now have reproduction front bed panels for the 48-52 trucks. They've had the front panel for 53 and up trucks for some time, but they just came out with the one for 48-52. I haven't ordered one yet, because my project has been put on temporary hold through the summer. Once spring hit, it was motorcycle season and my truck work time ended. This is all the farther I am now, plus some body work on the cab, fenders, grill, etc, which is almost ready for primer.

[grey beard]

Welllllllll, ebby I'm wrong, but I thought this pic was yours. If not, whomever posted it has my respect. Mine is all apart now, and most of the pieces cleaned and painted with ZeroRust, but the side angle strips that snug up to the sides are spot welded onto the box sides on mine - had to chosel 'em off. I wonder if everyone's angle strips are tacked on or bolted onto the box sides. Any body tellin"

It'll be fun finding the correct spot to drill those 1/2 inch lag bolt holes that go down through the frame on my new undrilled boards . . . . . .

[bach4660]

I think this piece goes the other way

[Merle Coggins]

I think this piece goes the other way

Good one

I figured if I mounted it there it wouldn't get damaged by all the spinning they normally do.

Dave, I remember that picture, but it wasn't mine. I don't remember who posted it. And the side angle strips are spot welded to the bed sides. Mar-K has some good installation instructions posted on their web site for replacing those pieces.

Merle

[Jim Shepard]

That is my photo. One of many I'm darn glad I took! The side angle pieces are welded to the bed sides. I bought the whole kit from Horkey and it was very complete and went together really nice.

This is a shot looking at the underneath of the bed. This is all that was left of mine, but it was enough to see how everything went. Hope this helps...

[grey beard]

Thanks, Jim, for the photo. Did you mig your angle strips to the inside of the box sides? Looks like that's how the factory did it. Also, can you or anyone else tell me if there were originally any bolts through the boards at either the front or rear edges? There have been so many repairs made to mine and so many extra holes drilled that I have trouble deciding what was original and what was shop repair along the way.

Thanks

[Guest 51plymouthod]

Dave:

The only holes in the wood are for the holes for the angle bolt screws and the 3 large holes also in each of the outer two pieces of wood that mount directly to the frame rails.

[grey beard]

Thanks, genrlemen. Those were my very questions. Now I can finish this puzzle. Finally decided to replace the angle strips, since parts of them were missing. My bed original strips were still useable, believe it or not. I have the holes drilled in the two outside boards and am now ready to prime/paint them black. Then I'll have to figure a way to get the bed back up in place to mig the angle strips to the box sides. The rest should be fairly straigtforward.

Again, thanks for the words of wisdom.

These beds need a "how-to" manual written for them - tougher than they look to figure out. JMHO:)

[pflaming]

These trucks hauled grain. To put the sides ON the wood, would (nice pun) guarantee that it would be grain tight even if the wood would shrink a little. This is an unstudied opinion.

BUT, that means the box must be disassempled to put in a new floor! Is that a fair question? Going to go take a closer look at mine.

[Dennis_MN]

I thought Chapter 11 of "History and Restoration Guide" by Don Bunn and Tom Brownell covered it pretty well. Although I haven't had to do it, from my armchair it looked pretty straight forward.

Dennis Sullivan

[grey beard]

Dennis,

One of my bigger challenges was getting nuts and washers on more than fifty bolts, casue I did it on the frame - not recommended. Some of them are doozies . . . JMHO

[grey beard]

Dennis,

My Bunn book on the B series has only 10 chapers. Tell me more about this please.

Thanks

[bkahler]

Dennis,

My Bunn book on the B series has only 10 chapers. Tell me more about this please.

Thanks

Dave, its not in the B series book its in the book that describes all of the dodge trucks from 1918-1971. Chapter 11 is dedicated to rebuilding the bed.

The title is Dodge Pickups History and Restoration Guide 1918-1971.

Well worth buying.

Brad

[Dennis_MN]

Dave, its not in the B series book its in the book that describes all of the dodge trucks from 1918-1971. Chapter 11 is dedicated to rebuilding the bed.

The title is Dodge Pickups History and Restoration Guide 1918-1971.

Well worth buying.

Brad

And it looks like this from the Pilothouse knowledge section

[Young Ed]

And its also out of print so you might have to do a little digging to find one.

[48WingNut]

Amazon.com has a couple. But they want $150! Another one on ebay for a buy it now price of $125.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180113847502&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:middle:us

[Young Ed]

Dang Reg maybe I should have held out for a 2bbl manifold