1936 Pickup Bed Questions

T

Timstruck

Member
I am working on the bed of my stock '36 pickup. I want to put in an aftermarket wood floor with metal strips in between.

I have to replace all three sides as they are quite beat up and the original metal floor is rusted out, but the frame is good.

I am trying to determine if I need to re-install the original metal floor that sits on top of the wooden sub-floor. The metal floor has a small flange that is bent up and is riveted to the sides and front all the way around from the factory about every 5 inches or so and it seems to me that it is needed for structural integrity. Without the metal floor, the front panel has nothing to connect to along it's bottom. As well, both sides are only attached to the metal floor and are not attached at all to the box frame except in the front and back corners.

By the way, I contacted a couple places that make wood kits and they were basically no help at all. One guy told me that almost all pickup beds were wood and that steel is rare. Another guy told me that the side and front panels should have been attached to the box frame, not the floor.


If anyone has done this job, could you please share what you did?

Thanks. Tim
 
I have been working on the same project but with a '40 bed.
I refer you to Joy at Mack-products.com. They have everything you need in their catalogue. Joy and her team went, in my opinion, out of their way to answer my questions. Outstanding customer service.
 
Here is what I did with mine. The wood came from a tree my wife played in when she was a little girl. I had it saw milled, I planed it, cut the grooves and bought stainless strips and bolts from a reputable dealer. Seven coats of urethane and it's all finished. The dogs can't wait for their first ride. The bed is an Anthony bed I got from Oldandtired here on the Fordbarn. It was rusted out on the bottom like you said yours was. I had to replace the entire front panel. I think it turned out great.
 

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v8fordman said:
Here is what I did with mine. The wood came from a tree my wife played in when she was a little girl. I had it saw milled, I planed it, cut the grooves and bought stainless strips and bolts from a reputable dealer. Seven coats of urethane and it's all finished. The dogs can't wait for their first ride. The bed is an Anthony bed I got from Oldandtired here on the Fordbarn. It was rusted out on the bottom like you said yours was. I had to replace the entire front panel. I think it turned out great.
Click to expand...

Dang Jay that’s bloody nice mate. The wood history makes it even greater. Nice work.
Cheers
Tony
 
md8810 said:
I have been working on the same project but with a '40 bed.
I refer you to Joy at Mack-products.com. They have everything you need in their catalogue. Joy and her team went, in my opinion, out of their way to answer my questions. Outstanding customer service.
Click to expand...


I have talked with Joy a few times but only to order the sides and front panels. They arrived today.
 
So, no one answered my main question about whether I should replace the metal floor. I decided today that I should. I think it will help with the structural integrity of the box. The only other option is to somehow fasten the bottom of the sides and front to the wood and that just doesn't seem right.


I appreciate the input.
 
v8fordman said:
Here is what I did with mine. The wood came from a tree my wife played in when she was a little girl. I had it saw milled, I planed it, cut the grooves and bought stainless strips and bolts from a reputable dealer. Seven coats of urethane and it's all finished. The dogs can't wait for their first ride. The bed is an Anthony bed I got from Oldandtired here on the Fordbarn. It was rusted out on the bottom like you said yours was. I had to replace the entire front panel. I think it turned out great.
Click to expand...


Looks super nice! Did you just fasten the boards on top of the metal floor?
 
My understanding:
The factory configuration is a wood sub floor under the metal floor. The metal floor is riveted in place to the side and front panels after the wood is installed on the sub frame. The sub floor supports the metal floor loads.

The ladder like metal sub frame provides the support for the sides and front panels with the cross braces supporting the floor.

The "show deck"configuration without the metal floor: Wood spacers the same thickness, 3/4", as the wood subfloor, replace the subfloor. The spacers are placed on the metal subframe cross pieces. The "show deck" or custom deck boards are placed on the spacers. The front panel can be fastened to the deck boards for rigidity. An end cap is used to cover the end grain of the deck wood at the back. The long metal strips that cover the joints of the deck boards are fastened through the deck board seams and spacers to the metal cross braces. The height of the finish deck is close to that of a stock metal floor.
 
md8810 pretty much nails it as to the construction and structure of the original bed.



I would NOT use a metal floor under the wood as it would tend to hold moisture. The reason the wood floors last so long is they are able to breath from the bottom and sides.


On addition to the common kits I would consider is to use a pair of angled rub strips (aka 30's Chevy PU) to finish the sides of the floor. Most kits just butt the wood to the side. This would require milling a groove for on the outermost boards.
 
Hello,


Here is my '36 Ford pickup "unfinished" bed wood. As stated, there is no metal floor (or sub-floor). The oak wood planks rest on top of wood "struts" that run from side to side of the metal bed frame. The wood "struts" have clearance holes in them that align with the mounting holes in the metal bed frame and align with the carriage bolt holes in the polished stainless steel strips.


I hope this helps some.


Bruce in California
 

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md8810 said:
My understanding:
The factory configuration is a wood sub floor under the metal floor. The metal floor is riveted in place to the side and front panels after the wood is installed on the sub frame. The sub floor supports the metal floor loads.

The ladder like metal sub frame provides the support for the sides and front panels with the cross braces supporting the floor.

The "show deck"configuration without the metal floor: Wood spacers the same thickness, 3/4", as the wood subfloor, replace the subfloor. The spacers are placed on the metal subframe cross pieces. The "show deck" or custom deck boards are placed on the spacers. The front panel can be fastened to the deck boards for rigidity. An end cap is used to cover the end grain of the deck wood at the back. The long metal strips that cover the joints of the deck boards are fastened through the deck board seams and spacers to the metal cross braces. The height of the finish deck is close to that of a stock metal floor.
Click to expand...


Thanks. You mention tying in the bottom of the front panel with the wood and that would be fine I think, but the side panels are close to 6 feet long and there is nothing to fasten them to at the bottom. I suppose you might be able to attach them to the wood floor, but I would think long term with road vibrations, etc., it wouldn't be the best solution. The box frame underneath the bed does not extend the whole width of the finished box so that's not an option to fasten it to either.
 
1936 ford pickup said:
Hello,


Here is my '36 Ford pickup "unfinished" bed wood. As stated, there is no metal floor (or sub-floor). The oak wood planks rest on top of wood "struts" that run from side to side of the metal bed frame. The wood "struts" have clearance holes in them that align with the mounting holes in the metal bed frame and align with the carriage bolt holes in the polished stainless steel strips.


I hope this helps some.


Bruce in California
Click to expand...


Bruce, what did you fasten the sides to at the bottom?
 
Hi Timstruck,


I had just set the bed in place, I have not attached it yet to the metal bed frame. Perhaps someone else here can chime in with the answer you are looking for. Good luck with your project.


Bruce in California
 
Hello,


A couple more photos. I hope these will help some.


Bruce in California.
 

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IMG_0440.jpgI left the original metal floor in place. I replaced all the hardwood planks between the bed floor and the subframe.
To finish the top, I used a piece of plywood, routered slots to add metal rub strips, three coats of stain and polyurethane, then bolted through the rub strips, through the plywood, through the original metal floor into the subframe
 
Not a '36 but I used (matching colored) fender welting on the joint between the bed side and the bed board. May not be stock but I think it finished it off nicely.
 

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