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Posted

kind of has that Pergo flooring look.

 

i like the patina and new floor look together. nice job!

Posted

Hey guys, I enjoyed reading your comments. The bed is made from 3/4 thick solid poplar boards. I work in a woodworking shop. The poplar was readily available and our finish department was spraying that color the day I had it milled out so it looked good to me. My Dad edge glued it and it took us several hours to assemble the bed and sides. We made it the right width in case we decide to add the metal strips. We have since added 4 small tie downs to the bed. I dont know how people secured anything in these old trucks without tie downs.

Posted

Hey guys, I enjoyed reading your comments. The bed is made from 3/4 thick solid poplar boards. I work in a woodworking shop. The poplar was readily available and our finish department was spraying that color the day I had it milled out so it looked good to me. My Dad edge glued it and it took us several hours to assemble the bed and sides. We made it the right width in case we decide to add the metal strips. We have since added 4 small tie downs to the bed. I dont know how people secured anything in these old trucks without tie downs.

I've been actually using my '47 for well over 30 years and have tried a number of tie-down configurations. I carry everything from 3 dirt bikes, to tarped dirt, to kettle drums (don't ask), and large radial engines in the bed of the WC-15 (same as the low-side later beds). I've found the best tie-down support to be the permanent loops used on the 1941 WC-1 bed sides. Later models such as the Power Wagons have an open-hook that I don't like. The government-spec military does get it right now and then.

Posted

The floor looks very nice, make sure you keep a finish on poplar though.  Does not last long in the weather with out a finish. 

Posted

Are you keeping the original paint? The metal floor strips were once called shovel strips to keep grain scoupe shovels from digging into the wood. That's a great looking floor.

Posted

Shovels: Tim is correct, but note that I clarified my statement, I.e., grain shovels which were wide, some maybe three shovel strips wide. As an aside, shoveling grain requires a different technique than shoveling manure, actually manure and dung are not the same. Plymouthy possibly knows more about the latter than the former, but then I've been known to be mistaken before which is different than being wrong!

Posted

As Todd mentioned Poplar does not generally do well in exterior applications. You will have to be very diligent in keeping the finish up otherwise it will get blue spot fungus and start to rot. Hopefully you have plenty of finish on the underside.

 

Jeff

Posted

Who me??? Are you suggesting I stir the pot on occasion?

 

Geez, just because I know Jack Adams...

yes on occasion...but this time.....that would be me....at least this time around it is....now where did I put the "eye of newt"

Posted

Hey guys, I never knew the strips were called "shovel strips" Thats interesting. 

The truck had been painted years ago and had some pin striping. The body and paint was in pretty bad condition. 

This has been a labor of love as we could never recoup or money or time from this project.

Feels good taking a old truck from another time and breathing life back into it. 

  • Like 1
Posted

Shovel strips? Makes sense, keeps a shovel from digging in to the wood of the bed. 

 

What kind of wood was typically installed at the factory?

 

The restorers of my '42 pickup truck got themselves a log of California Black Oak, took it down to the local sawmill and had it cut into boards which were then installed in the bed with shovel strips:

 

42d7_zps3qdvdsrb.jpg

Posted

original in mine was Southern Yellow Pine.  I put in white oak..and painted it BLACK....AND left it ruff sawn as was stock.

Posted

original in mine was Southern Yellow Pine.  I put in white oak..and painted it BLACK....AND left it ruff sawn as was stock.

Yes you are correct. The original was a rough cut and was painted black. Most restores go for the oak with a high gloss finish but this is not correct. If you take your truck to an AACA judging event the high gloss oak will have major points deducted from your truck. They have changed their judging rule book and have noted that the finish should be flat black on the older trucks.

So beware is going to an AACA event and being judged. Local shows it does not matter.

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

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