1940 Pickup Seat Base

[kirkf]

I'm cutting up a new piece of wood for the seat base on my pickup.
(Someone on facebook was nice enough to measure theirs up and send some great pictures)

The base has a routered bottom edge, which I assume is for the material to be stapled, but it also shows they routered the point where the adjustment holes go.
I cant figure out why this would be, unless the original bases had a steal insert in that spot.
I've looked at Mart's video on youtube, and his didn't have metal there, and neither does the original in the pictures i've got.

Anyone have any ideas?

Kirk

 

[GaryU.]

You've got it, metal plate in that spot!

 

[Kube]

Might this photo help?

 

[38bill]

My '38 seat base has a thin metal piece inset over the adjusting holes.

 

[Lawson Cox]

There should be a thin metal plate where the adjusting pins fit in. I don't think mine ever had the plate.

 

[Kube]

My authentic seat base had no telltale signs of a metal plate having ever been installed.

 

[kirkf]

It would be nice to find a picture that showed that metal plate.
Here are two examples of what I assume are original wood bases showing the adjustment pin area.

I've also attached a drawing in case anyone else needs to reproduce the wood base.

Kirk

 

[kirkf]

My '38 seat base has a thin metal piece inset over the adjusting holes.

Are those slot head screws holding that plate in place?

Kirk

 

[38bill]

They are nailed on. My seat base was complete and original to the truck. I made a new base and reused the metal pieces. The photo I posted shows the metal plate installed.

Unless you are planning to have the truck judged you probably don't even need the plates. With new wood and the fact that you probably will not be changing the seat location once you start driving the truck its not really needed.

 

[Model51]

The metal plate is part no. 50-815376. The attached image comes from the Ford Hardware and Trim catalogue. I don't have the exact dimensions but I would assume the holes are 3/4" diameter so maybe it's about 1 1/4" wide by 4" long overall?

It appears to be attached with tacks and if there is no recessed slot, once it falls off, it would be hard to see where it had been attached to the plywood.

I haven't seen this part on the couple of original seat plywood frames I've encountered, but all of them were in rough shape. The plate makes sense to for protecting the plywood from the contact wear of the locating pins (on the seat frame for pickups and gas tank for big trucks).

 

[expavr]

The metal plate is part no. 50-815376. The attached image comes from the Ford Hardware and Trim catalogue. I don't have the exact dimensions but I would assume the holes are 3/4" diameter so maybe it's about 1 1/4" wide by 4" long overall?

It appears to be attached with tacks and if there is no recessed slot, once it falls off, it would be hard to see where it had been attached to the plywood.

I haven't seen this part on the couple of original seat plywood frames I've encountered, but all of them were in rough shape. The plate makes sense to for protecting the plywood from the contact wear of the locating pins (on the seat frame for pickups and gas tank for big trucks).

There were no plates nor nail holes showing evidence of them ever being there on the OEM Tonner seats, although that area was routed out in such a way that the installation of the plates might be possible. Maybe a dealer option? In the big trucks the seat sits directly on the gas tank which would be a reason to not have a metal plate rubbing against the tank surface in my opinion. I put a 3/16" thick piece of rubber between seat frame and tank in an attempt to minimize surface wear on both pieces.
The screws attaching the hinge that holds the back to the seat are slotted. That can be seen by enlarging the detail of them in the seat photo.

 

[Mart]

My 41 pu has the original seat base but no metal plates. It sure could have used some, though, the holes are quite badly worn.

 

[Model51]

Parts like this are what make research interesting. Obviously Ford made a part starting with the Model 50 pickup, hence the part number starting with 50- and the application listed in the hardware book is for 50-810 and 67-810, so it for commercial closed cabs (810), as used on the pickup for 1935 and 1936. It makes sense not to have it on the big truck gas tank. Maybe some suppliers included the wear plate and others didn't so some survive with the plates and others don't? A plywood seat bottom with or without the wear plates are both good to me.

 

[38bill]

Kirk asked me for dimensions so I thought I would add them to this thread. This is what was on my original 1939 seat base. Yours may be different.

 

[TJ]

My original seat in my '41 pickup did not have the metal plate and no signs of it ever having the plate.

 

[kirkf]

Here is an updated drawing that includes the details on the steel plate (Thanx Bill!)
Holes are adjusted to match the spacing for a 1940 Pickup.

Ford would have made this out of individual boards (No plywood was used in 1940) but other than that I think we've nailed it!

Ignore my dubious CAD skills, I'm just an amateur.

Thanx Everyone!

Kirk

 

[Kube]

Here is an updated drawing that includes the details on the steel plate (Thanx Bill!)
Holes are adjusted to match the spacing for a 1940 Pickup.

Ford would have made this out of individual boards (No plywood was used in 1940) but other than that I think we've nailed it!

Ignore my dubious CAD skills, I'm just an amateur.

Thanx Everyone!

Kirk

Plywood was most certainly utilized in 1940.

I did a bit of research last night and find no reference to that plate for 1940. My guess? It was removed from production in an earlier year.

 

[38bill]

Plywood was most certainly utilized in 1940.

I did a bit of research last night and find no reference to that plate for 1940. My guess? It was removed from production in an earlier year.

My original '38 seat base is plywood.

 

[kirkf]

My original '38 seat base is plywood.

That's something I would have never suspected. Plywood only started becoming commercially available around 1928, and the idea that Henry Ford would take a piece of expensive plywood, and then cut out and discard most of it for the seat base of a commercial truck would have seemed unlikely.

Particularly when you look at the dimensions of the piece. Its comprised of boards less than 4" wide. I would have thought they were just scrap boards put together with an interlocking wood joint.

But that's the fun of researching this stuff so we can learn something new along the way.

Kirk