installing a 46 bed on a 40 pickup

C

Clete

Junior Member
I own a 1940 Ford 1/2 ton pick up with a 1945 Chevrolet bed and rear fenders on it, installed by a previous owners.
I recently purchased a nice 1946 Ford bed with rear fenders. I am aware the bed is 3" wider and has different cross members. What will be required to fit to my 1940 truck ?
Can the sub frame be made to fit?
Can the 46 fenders be used with the 40 running boards?
If this is workable please provide needed details. This is a fun truck not a show truck.. Thanks. Clete
 
I did this job. Unfortunately I sold it a little while ago so can't take any pictures.

Front panel was narrowed 3" down near one side. quite simple.

Tailgate narrowed 1-1/2" each side between the outer panels and the outer lips. Again not too difficult.

Crossmembers, including rear crossmember narrowed 3" wherever convenient.

Sub frame fits the shape of the rails (close enough anyway)

Fenders needed moving forward about 2". Let your running boards dictate.

The fender mounting studs are not easy to remove. I kept them where they were and just used normal bolts further forward. Cutting each stud out with a piece of rectangular metal and welding the rectangle back in the other way round to move the stud forward would be better, but not an easy task. It depends how good your metal finishing skills are.

Not sure if fenders will fit closely to 40 running boards because mine had modified later running boards.

Can't say about the original type bed floor because mine did not have one.

The sub rail and side panel will need modifying to suit the fuel filler if in the original location (at the back)

The fender will not have the dent for the spare.

The spare tyre bracket will be on the wrong side. and the wrong shape to go on then other side.

The depth of the filler panels between the bottom of the side panels and the running board will not be the same as either 40 or later. I made some to suit. Not difficult.

Only an expert or purist would be able to tell it is not the right bed. A casual onlooker will not notice anything wrong.

That's about it.

Mart.
 
You know Clete, I don't know squat about the answer for your question, and I should probably have just kept my mouth shut on this one. And I have no idea if my info has any bearing on the answer you need, but are you aware that a 1940 1/2-ton chassis is an entirely different chassis than the one under a 1946 1/2 ton? DD
 
Done the same thing as mart did.

I did find a way to get the fender mounting studs off and re use them. On the is
Inside of the bed, take a grinder or a file and smooth off the large head of the stud. 2 small spot welds will show up. Center punch them and drill them out slowly
Hammer and a thin chisel with a little patience and they will come off. Clean them up and weld them back on with a mig welder using the holes you drilled .

For 42 to 47 fenders on a 38 to 41 you can buy the lower patch panel to change the bottoms to match the running boards.
You also have to cut a hole for the filler neck if you use late fenders on a early chassis

The bed side and sub rail also needs notched for the fill neck.
 
Good call on the mounting studs, Skid. I never thought of that. It sounds like an easier solution.
 
Mart and Skidmarks....Thank you for providing the necessary details to make this work. If the side panels are the same, why do you have to move the fenders forward 2 inches? If you move the fenders forward the small bedside center support will no longer be centered above the wheel opening, is that correct? Did the 46 move the center supports forward also? Thanks. Clete
 
Wheel base is shorter on the 40 then the 46.


As for that small brace, i dont remember. I know i didnt move it when i did it and never really gave that any thought. On a stock 40 bed i measured its 41" to the center of that brace measuring from the rear. What does it measure on a 46?

The brace is spot welded on so its easy enough to move

Another truck you can rob for 40 bed sides is a 48 to 50 but the fender bolt pattern is totally different
 
I agree with skidmarks.... I did this swap 25 years ago but on tonner pickups. I put a 47 bed and rear fenders on a 38 tonner. Had to narrow the bed 3". I didn't weld back then. I cut the front bed panel vertically with a skilsaw and abrasive blade. I then took 3" out of the top rolled round section and overlapped the panel and bolted it together. To add rigidity to the top rolled section I slotted a length of 3/4" black pipe, creating the world's biggest roll pin. Tapered the ends and drew it together with a pipe clamp. For a tailgate I used a 54 gmc and had a body man friend weld in a ford script logo from a battered and rusty 47 tailgate. Running boards got creative. 38s were deep on the edge and 47 were narrow. I radiused at the joint at front fender. Once again, no show winner, but the total effect was ok. This is all quite easily done. Just lose that cheyy bed please!
 

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Skidmarks, I measured the 46 bed today, the center support is 39 inches from the rear of the bed. That would correspond with the 2" difference in fender location between the 2 beds. look like I will order the fender lower patch panels for the running boards, and one new stake pocket to replace the one thats in bad shape where the hinge bolts on..

GB Sisson. yes my goal is to remove the Chevy bed. The truck deserves it..

Thanks to everyone for their advice.. Clete
 
Clete>>>I own a 1940 Ford 1/2 ton pick up with a 1945 Chevrolet bed and rear fenders on it, installed by a previous owners.>>>


I'd sure like to see a picture of this before commenting. Jack E/NJ
 
Save yourself a lot of work and buy the very rear crossmember that the tailgate connects to for a 38 to 41 bed from mac hils. This will help you with the narrowing and Assembly to make it a 40 bed. Its the only crossmember that is exposed on the finish product.
 
Here is what a ford looks like with a chevrolet bed..the proportions are out of balance. The tailgate has been smoothed to hide the obvious.
Skidmarks..thanks for the tip on replacing the rear crossmember
 

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Looks like the bed side were shorten and the bottom of the fender cut off. Will look a lot better with the stock bed and running boards

Is it on a stock 40 frame?
 
As for me, I had never seen such a clean car......If I had a beautiful car like that that I worked my
butt off to buy I just might take a reflection pic off of that too. Still holding onto my comment about that chevy bed on a handsome ford truck!
 
Yes Skidmarks it is on the original 40 frame. you are correct the fenders were trimmed at the bottom. the bedsides were not trimmed. they are shallower on a chevy than on a ford. Thats why I added the side boards to give it a little height. The fuel fill is in the bed floor near the tailgate, it will probably stay there after swapping the ford bed.

GB Sisson, Thanks for the compliment on the tahoe. I was polishing the tahoe and saw the street reflection in the door, so i grabbed the phone and snapped a photo.

Here is an earlier photo of the rear of the bed. Looks out of proportion. That's why I want to change it. Clete
 

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