Truck bed pictures wanted

[LMBoise]

Finally got the engine running in the ‘48B and am moving on to the truck bed. It is off to the media blaster tomorrow. While it is in really good shape, there are several spots that have been repaired on the fly that I would like to bring back to original. The front stake pockets need help, the rear tailgate latches and the bottom tailgate hinge area. Also, I am sure there are lots of drilled holes in the side that were not there originally. I thought I would weld them up while it is stripped down. Any pictures you have of the bed would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! 

[Los_Control]

Difficult to give advice without photos.

 

 

Just asking what you are starting out with??? .... Anything can be fixed if you are willing to spend the time.

 

Sooo thats the skinny here .... media blasters is not even a option ..... What extra holes do you have?  .... I have several also.

 

[Los_Control]

Also need to ask if you have a low side or a standard bed ...

[B1B Keven]

[JBNeal]

additional information - B-1 fender differences
additional information - tailgate lettering details
additional information - partial bed removal

[LMBoise]

Great pics, exactly what I was looking for. Here is what I am working with. You can see the multiple holes on one side as well as the elongated fender bolt hole. Those should be easy to fix. The panel below the tailgate is pretty bent and pulled away from the side.  It looks like someone tried to weld it in the past. Thanks again!

 

[LMBoise]

More pics

 

[LMBoise]

pic, not sure why they are being inverted. 
 

[Los_Control]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Los_Control

[Los_Control]

Looks fairly decent to work with.

[LMBoise]

You are the master of photo editing. Wish I knew how to do that. 

[LMBoise]

I agree. I think I can get it pretty close. Trying to sort through some of the previous repair work that were more welded on  patches to make it functional versus keeping it original will be the biggest challenge. Thanks for the help!

[ggdad1951]

10 hours ago, LMBoise said:

You are the master of photo editing. Wish I knew how to do that. 

 

saved me the time of doing that! 

[Merle Coggins]

I believe replacement front panels are available through Mar-K, or Hornkey… maybe others. The panel under the tailgate would be fairly simple to fabricate if yours is not repairable, especially if you know of someone with a metal brake. As for the rest of it… I’ve seen worse brought back to life. It’s doable. 

[LMBoise]

Got the bed back from the media blaster.  Amazing what you find when you strip off the paint. The bed is clearly salvageable, but will definitely take some work. Thanks for the Hornkey lead as they do stock replacement stake pockets. I think the rear ones are too far gone to salvage given the radius section that is missing. The front ones have some rust, but I think I can cut that out and weld in a patch. 
 

 

[LMBoise]

Pic 2. 

[Steve-L]

Here’s mine

[JBNeal]

20 hours ago, LMBoise said:

Pic 2. 

Welllllll looks like I learned something today...I thought it was curious that your rear sill did not have the L brackets offered by DCM, nor the bracket mounting holes.  I could not locate these brackets in the factory parts manual either, so I figured Dodge did not offer them as replacement parts back in the day like fenders, tailgate chains, etc.  So I took a look at the Pilot-House Registry and found 2 examples of '48 beds without these brackets, registered in Arizona and in New York, respectively.  My '48 has a build date of June 23, 1948, and it has these L brackets.  So I reckon them brackets were a running change somewhere before June 1948...how'bout that

[LMBoise]

Starting to put my game plan together on restoring the bed.  How does the panel below the tailgate attach to the stake pockets on either side. Mine is welded and bolted. The welding appears to have been done by a previous owner. My guess is bolting to the stake pockets should be sufficient. Thanks. 

[LMBoise]

Interesting on the L brackets. Based on how mine tore apart, looks like that was a needed change. 

[ggdad1951]

4 hours ago, LMBoise said:

Starting to put my game plan together on restoring the bed.  How does the panel below the tailgate attach to the stake pockets on either side. Mine is welded and bolted. The welding appears to have been done by a previous owner. My guess is bolting to the stake pockets should be sufficient. Thanks. 

 

Those L brackets will be what should be used to bolt the back end togther.  They bolt in the from the bottom/inside of the stake pocket and the cross member (rear panel) bolts to that.  See circled bolts (2 are dual duty to hold the hinge on).

 

 

[LMBoise]

Excellent, thanks. Per JBNeal above, it looks like some ‘48 did not have them. They do, however, make a lot of sense. They are pretty expensive to buy, but would seem to be pretty easy to fabricate. 

[ggdad1951]

11 hours ago, LMBoise said:

Excellent, thanks. Per JBNeal above, it looks like some ‘48 did not have them. They do, however, make a lot of sense. They are pretty expensive to buy, but would seem to be pretty easy to fabricate. 

 

They are easy to make.  I have a pair I made out of 3/16" plate for a project I will never complete!  LOL.  Otherwise check around for used.  They should not cost you much.  I can always send you a trace of the ones I made as a template.

[LMBoise]

Making some progress on the bed. Repaired the rear stake pocket, not perfect but getting close. 
 

JBNeal, your log and pics on the partial bed removal has been very helpful. Am I correct there are supposed to be 4 cross members the the wood floor lays down on?