Bed strip interchange

[Mertz]

I’m ready to order the metal bed strips for my truck. I’m finding some good prices but shipping is $60 to $100. Does anyone know a source close to Spokane or west coast which might reduce shipping cost or maybe Seattle where I could pick them up?  It seems Chevy strips are easier to find. Are they interchangeable with my 40 Plymouth?

[Dave72dt]

I doubt they'll interchange.  However, finding undrilled strips the correct length or longer may be available and specs for grooves for the strips can be matched to the strips if making your own boards.

[Young Ed]

I'll channel my inner GGDad here and tell you the only matching original ones come from Midwest military. However I'm running strips from Mar-k and I believe Roberts in my trucks. Just watch the width and make sure the bed still comes out to the proper width. My turkey truck thread should have some posts from building mine. I originally came out an inch or so wide because of the strips and had to widen the groves for them. 

[Mertz]

I don’t have a way of punching square holes so the unpunched will be a no go. Mar-k is $60 for shipping and a good price for the strips. The pdf they use for fitting the strips to the make and year shows the unpolished ss at $17.50 but on line that is about the price of unpainted steel which I will be using. I will check out Midwest military. 

[Mertz]

 

This what I found on Midwest military but they show holes for carriage bolts and don’t tell you the length or width and I don’t believe they weigh 25lbs. I also don’t need the edge strips. Mine have carriage bolts between cross members and screw holes at the cross members. 

[Young Ed]

It's pretty easy to drill a round hole and file it square. I did many of them on my 47.

[Veemoney]

I would give Midwest a call and see if he would sell just what you need and also confirm length and the type of holes available.

 

My 47 has carbon steel strips with the combination of carriage bolts and screw holes like yours and I assume they are original to the truck but I'm no expert. I do like the ability to screw the strips down to the cross braces first and then install the remaining carriage bolts and wood screws are cheaper than carriage bolts. I installed the wood with the steel sides and bed front still sitting on the truck and just removed the tailgate to slide the wood in place. I installed a ratchet strap to pull the bed sides together at the tailgate section and then took my final measurements prior to cutting the kerf and drilling holes in the wood.

[Mertz]

I put everything together on saw horses for initial setup then moved everything over to the truck. I undersized the bed mounting bolts so I could make adjustments when it was on the truck. I used 2x4s on the frame to support the bed sides so I could install the first bed boards on each side which then rested on the frame. It was a one man operation and it worked out fine. I have done everything on this truck including removal and installation with my 72 year old body. Remember what early philosophers said, give me a fulcrum and I will move the world. Aug 12, 2024 at 3:42:44 PM.pdfAug 12, 2024 at 3:42:44 PM.pdfAug 12, 2024 at 3:42:44 PM.pdf

[ggdad1951]

4 hours ago, Mertz said:

I put everything together on saw horses for initial setup then moved everything over to the truck. I undersized the bed mounting bolts so I could make adjustments when it was on the truck. I used 2x4s on the frame to support the bed sides so I could install the first bed boards on each side which then rested on the frame. It was a one man operation and it worked out fine. I have done everything on this truck including removal and installation with my 72 year old body. Remember what early philosophers said, give me a fulcrum and I will move the world. Aug 12, 2024 at 3:42:44 PM.pdfAug 12, 2024 at 3:42:44 PM.pdfAug 12, 2024 at 3:42:44 PM.pdf

 

Call Midwest.  I had mine custom made for my 1 ton (they didn't have the hole pattern).  Good people who want things right.

[nkeiser]

I ordered from Mar-K. They were the correct length, and the bolts were in the right spots for my long bed.

[Young Ed]

2 hours ago, nkeiser said:

I ordered from Mar-K. They were the correct length, and the bolts were in the right spots for my long bed.

And 99.9% of people won't know the difference. Like I said just do the math to make sure the width comes out right and you'll be golden

[Mertz]

Midwest has them but can’t quote me a shipping price. 

[Los_Control]

I just fixed the ones I had ..... someone might spot the repairs .... just depends which trophy you are reaching for.

[Young Ed]

1 hour ago, Los_Control said:

I just fixed the ones I had ..... someone might spot the repairs .... just depends which trophy you are reaching for.

You had some that good?? I think out of all the trucks we have you could maybe patch together one strip

[Los_Control]

I'm just saying they clean up nice. .... If you're not to specific.

I had to weld 4 patches on 3 of these .....

 

 

The same strips will be fine once bolted down ... a little love and some seam sealer .... naturally my plywood bed throws me out of the race for a trophy ..... I plan to use my truck and a little dirt on it is just fine.

 

Thats why I say, depends on if looking for a trophy. Sometimes you can just fix what you have and be happy.

If you want to show it .... the ridges on the bed strips are different between a Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet ..... The judges will spot this and mark you down.

 

If you really do not care, then nobody else will either.

 

[Mertz]

I would definitely use those. They fit well with my farm truck look. The front ends of mine are rusted off. I don’t care about different ridges as long as the holes are the same, length is 78” and are 1 1/2” wide. 

[JBNeal]

additional information - salvageable bed strips

 

additional information - bed strip comparison

[Mertz]

Every picture I see of the bed strips has a square hole on the tailgate end. Mine has a hole for a screw. There are screw holes at the 4 cross members and square holes in between. I can put screws in the square holes but it would not look right. 
 

I just saw the issue. Mine are wood cross members and all the pictures show steel cross members. I will recontact Midwest and see if theirs are made for wood. 

Edited August 15 by Mertz

[Young Ed]

49 minutes ago, Mertz said:

Every picture I see of the bed strips has a square hole on the tailgate end. Mine has a hole for a screw. There are screw holes at the 4 cross members and square holes in between. I can put screws in the square holes but it would not look right. 
 

I just saw the issue. Mine are wood cross members and all the pictures show steel cross members. I will recontact Midwest and see if theirs are made for wood. 

That's another good point. Most of the guys on here have pilot house trucks which have the steel cross members. It's possible there was a change when they went to them from the wood ones. I did mine with all carriage bolts but I don't know if it's correct. 

[Veemoney]

Here is my 47 when I started replacing the wood. I believe these are the stock strips with screws that line up to the wood cross braces if you put them in correctly. If they don't line up flip them around there in backwards. You can see on the old plywood bed where I pulled the first metal strip the plywood was not cut for the kerfs. 

 

[B1B Keven]

They say $40 shipping?

 

https://dcmclassics.com/bed-parts/279-bp-199-78-5-steel-bed-strips-78-39-53.html#/year-1939_1947

[Merle Coggins]

The problem with shipping these is that they have to go general freight due to the length. They can't be shipped normal UPS, FedEx, etc. Hence the elevated shipping cost. 

[ggdad1951]

take a leisurely drive to MN, stop and see the sights, meet the locals....I'm sure it'd be cheaper than the shipping 

[PT Moe]

$40.00 isn't bad to ship 6 1/2 ft bed strips. I had DCM ship a bumper and some other stuff to Maine and it wasn't too bad.

My truck is a '41 Plymouth with wood crossmembers. My strips where too far gone to save but they had countersunk holes for screws into the wood and square holes for the bolts in-between with a washer on the underside of the wood. I think I got my strips from Vic's and a stainless bolt kit from DCM.