Boards in Box

[bambamshere]

Just wondering my truck has kind of that old kind of used look. With scratches and shiny rust because I waxed it this year. Now I'm going to tackle the boards in the back but I am thinking of using old barn wood and putting a coat of clear coat on it. 

 

I know it is my truck but what do you all think. 

[FlashBuddy]

I think it is a fantastic idea. Ol' Roxanne has the original wood which I cherish. The thought of shiny new lumber was and still is quite appealing,  or a bed made from old hockey sticks perhaps could be so cool. But for now, those old original boards are the cat's meow. Being a fickle guy, one never knows what the future may hold. 

[Mike36]

That would look good, but be aware that old barn boards are completely dried out and brittle. You would have to be careful about what you haul, and not drop anything heavy on them.

[bambamshere]

I'm not really thinking of hauling anything with it and if I do I was also thinking of making a plywood inserts for it so if I do nothing happens to it. 

[Desotodav]

I thought about using the old floor boards in my truck bed, but they were too far gone so I ended up making a work bench with them.

I ended up having some Aussie 'Spotted Gum' (hardwood) planks ripped down to the right size and painted them in 2-pack clear. They have lasted for about 6 years, but a couple of those boards are starting to show signs of deterioration so I am thinking of sanding and painting them again. I would eventually like to get rid of all of the (90) screws in the back there, so I might even consider installing new boards with bed strips.

It's funny as I had a fella come up to me after looking at my truck last week and made mention of how all of the screws in the back were facing the same way... I told him that he better not look at the rest of the truck then as he might notice a lot more of the same. Things we do hey!

[ggdad1951]

New boards yes...shiny no....

 

See my thread in my sig line

[bambamshere]

This is probably a stupid question but I'm going to ask it anyways. What is the sig line and where can I find it. 

[pflaming]

I put a 3/4" marine plywood sheet in mine,  bolted the shovel strips down, and stained it deep brown, near black. It already has badges of honor but will last for many years. 

[Don Coatney]

7 hours ago, bambamshere said:

This is probably a stupid question but I'm going to ask it anyways. What is the sig line and where can I find it. 

This is a sig line

 

restored great granddad's B-3-D: were did my money go?  It's now going into TODD and the COE!

 

FEF  ||  TODD Build  ||  COE Project  ||  Building a Wood Bed  || Setting Split Rivets  ||  Caboose Project  ||  Door Lock Mount Rebuild  ||  Rebuilding Control Cables

[bambamshere]

8 hours ago, pflaming said:

I put a 3/4" marine plywood sheet in mine,  bolted the shovel strips down, and stained it deep brown, near black. It already has badges of honor but will last for many years. 

Only problem with plywood is my box is 106 inches log. Which is ober 8 feet long. Yes I know you can get 10 foot plywood but not sure what type. I thought of that. I guess the dodges and the Fargos had different type of wood in them. Not sure of this though. My boards in the middle are 5 1/4inch x 106 inch long and the outer 2 boards are 10 inch wide x 106 inch long. 3/4 inch thick. 

[pflaming]

I chose a light color wood and stained it before  I installed the shovel strips, I then could have stained it with many finishes. I even thought about cutting out space so the strips would be recessed, but did not do that. A hidden benefit of the plywood sheet is that it squares the bed and holds it thusly.

 

whateverm Merry Christmas ! 

[bambamshere]

10 minutes ago, pflaming said:

I chose a light color wood and stained it before  I installed the shovel strips, I then could have stained it with many finishes. I even thought about cutting out space so the strips would be recessed, but did not do that. A hidden benefit of the plywood sheet is that it squares the bed and holds it thusly.

 

whateverm Merry Christmas ! 

Merry Christmas

[greg g]

I have some nice first growth hemlock boards.  These were the vertical siding on my Grandparents house.  It was a two story built in the late 1800's.  The siding went from sill board to eaves.  It is still full length, in widths from four to fourteen inches.It was originally 5 quarter thick but has weathered to a bit thinner,nice brindled gray surface. Been in racked dry storage since 1969 when the house got torn down.

 

Probably be a bit of a nuisence getting it to you.

 

 

 

 

[bambamshere]

1 minute ago, greg g said:

I have some nice first growth hemlock boards.  These were the vertical siding on my Grandparents house.  It was a two story built in the late 1800's.  The siding went from sill board to eaves.  It is still full length, in widths from four to fourteen inches.It was originally 5 quarter thick but has weathered to a bit thinner,nice brindled gray surface. Been in racked dry storage since 1969 when the house got torn down.

 

Probably be a bit of a nuisence getting it to you.

 

 

 

 

Where are you? If it is the states or any country other then Canada not sure how hard it would be. Because border would probably complain about bugs. Bells and whistles would go off. I could just see it. Invasive species bing bing bing. You would get called I would get called. All for one bug thats not native to Canada. Lmao

 

But it sounds fun. 

[ggdad1951]

17 hours ago, bambamshere said:

This is probably a stupid question but I'm going to ask it anyways. What is the sig line and where can I find it. 

Do you view on your phone or computer?  Phone has no sig lines unless you go full site.  Computers they are on the bottom of the post.  Don posted mine for ya.

[bambamshere]

Oh ok I have been using my phone but will be on computer tonight.

[greg g]

I am in Central NY just outside Syracuse.

[bambamshere]

Ok so I sourced some boards for the back of my box that I like and I can afford right now.

 

Now I got a shop manual finally for my truck. The problem is the only thing that isn't in it is the exact dimensions of the boards in the back of the truck. Does anyone know the exact measurements of the boards in the back of a 1956 Fargo 1Ton. I have a guy that will cut them thats why I need the measurements

 

Thanks in advance

Edited February 24, 2018 by bambamshere

[jmooner3]

Huge wealth of knowledge here on the site.  I am just starting to strip my bed cut a huge piece of rusty rot out and welded in patches… Here’s some of what I found on the site.

http://p15-d24.com/topic/46331-ol-blue-build/

 

Dodge Bed

http://p15-d24.com/topic/42386-bed-wood-for-12-ton/?tab=comments#comment-450847

 

There are 6 boards all total, plus 5 metal skid strips and 2 side angles.  (This is different than other makes of trucks in the same era such a Chevy’s that used 7 boards in their beds).

    Depth =¾  inches.    All the wood is the same thickness

    Length = 78 inches, some people cut to length of  77 7/8 inches, so that the boards don’t actually touch the front or back of the bed, thus preventing some of the rust and rot that previous beds experienced.  If you have a different length bed,  then adjust the board length accordingly.

    Rabbit = ½ inch wide X 3/16 inch deep, if you want the metal skid strips just a little above the wood. That way anything in the bed rests on the runners and not on your beautifully finished wood.   Otherwise, ½ inch wide X ¼ inchdeep for Mar-K skid strips to lay flush with the bed wood. If your skids aren’t from Mar-K then set the depth accordingly.  All interior boards (B) will be rabbitted on both left and right sides.  The two exterior boards (A) only have rabbit on side facing the interior.

    (A) Width, Outer Boards = 7 ¾ inch.   Two outer boards can be as wide as 8 inch for a tighter fit, or shave ¼ for more flexibility in getting everything to look straight..  Your skid strip spacing allows for some adjustment.  Remember, you can cut to 8 inch wide and then trim later if you need more room.

    (B) Width, Inner Boards = 7 11/16 – 7 3/8 inch.  The four inner boards are same width.  A wider size of 7 11/16,  gives the skid strips more to hold only to and make for a tighter fit, but do not allow for as much variance.  The smaller size keeps things a bit looser for adjustment purposes.  The main criterion seems to be that all boards look straight and parallel when finished.

    ( C) Spacing= ½ inch.  Space between boards (to allow for skid strips and bolts) is the same between all boards.  Some people will trim the outside boards by 1/8 inch so the wood doesn’t actually touch the bedsides and create rot.

    Skid Strip bolts = 8 1/8 inch.  Distance between bolt holes for skid strips is 8 1/8 inch center to center for inside boards.  Outside skid strip bolts have the center hole 8 ¼ or 8 3/8 inch from the bed side.  If your holes are different then wood spacing will need to be adjusted.

    Other things to watch for.  Put anti squeak between the frame and bed crossmembers.  Some people use a small nylon washer between the wood and support frames to slightly raise the wood and keep it dry when in direct contact with the metal frame. Otherwise, water doesn't dry out where the wood is in continual contact with metal.

    Dimensions for the hold down bolts on the outer boards.  I don’t have this information.  Can someone supply this. There are 3 holds for bolts, 2 to bolt to the frame and 1 to bolt to a cross member. There are no holes in the 4 inner boards as they are held in place by the skid strips.

 

ONLY, location to get the RIGHT bed strips is from Midwest Military (https://midwestmilitary.com/) where they have their own dies to make the strips.  Mar-K and Horkey all use Chevy/Ford strips in their kits.

 

TRuck Box repair thread

http://p15-d24.com/topic/28007-truck-box-floor-repair-thread/

 

Mark K -

http://www.mar-k.com/_assets/images/instructions/bed_wood_dimensions.pdf