The bed comes by way of MAR-K...
The bed comes by way of MAR-K and includes a bed wood and a custom tailgate.
Body
We selected the Dynacorn Classic Bodies 1947-50 Chevy cab (PN TR47PU) and it should be noted that there is also a 1952 to '54 cab as well, but no '51.
The bodies are licensed restoration parts from GM and completely assembled from the firewall to the back of the cab and from the framerails to the windshield frame. The steel used in the cab is 1006 universal automotive grade steel. In most cases the gauge will be thicker than that of the original. The steel possesses fewer additives allowing it to be a bit more flexible and workable than the original.
The pickup body includes most of the structural parts, brackets, and braces welded in place, plus doors and decklid already assembled. Yes, there will be bodywork and adjustments to be made but far less than starting with a 50 year old piece of vintage tin and when complete you have fresh sheetmetal that will last for years to come.
Granted you may have a good cab that just needs a new floor, or firewall, or doors but now you have options. You can order these pieces through Chevs of the 40's one at a time or you can start fresh. Either way takes into account your budget, degree of craftsmanship, and available time. The cab comes with a new firewall (with or without factory air conditioning) to taillamp panel; fitted, assembled, and welded.
Frame
We selected a Fatman truck chassis which is built from 2 x 5 x .188 wall steel tubing, fabricated on precise fixtures built from original frames. All mounts for the body, bumpers, radiator, running boards and bed mounts are provided. (Fatman does offer another frame outfitted with different radiator mounts for the GMC '47-55 first series pickups allowing for the larger GMC inline-six).
The standard front suspension uses Fatman's Stage II, with polished stainless steel control arms, urethane bushings, full-size disc brakes, manual rack and pinion, and conventional separate coil springs and shocks. Cast iron front disc rotors and calipers are standard, in either '75-80 11-inch Ford Granada rotors, or '68-74 Nova 11-inch rotors for Chevy pattern. (With our project we opted for a power rack-and-pinion and the Chevy bolt pattern with the '68-74 Nova 11-inch rotors.)
Make sure to specificy which motor you want to use as there is a myriad of motor mounts from the always popular small-block Chevy and Ford to the Ford Windsor, FE, and 460 engines and the big-block Chevy. You can also have trans mounts for the popular accompanying automatic transmission. Fatman offers a custom service available for the current crop of modular engines such as the Ford 4.6 and 5.4 that are adapted to Windsor side mount insulators. (Check with Fatman when wishing to install one of the modern V-8s as you may have to supply certain parts for dimensional purposes. The same holds true for manual transmissions, which are generally setup to use a hydraulic clutch mechanism.)
Your Fatman chassis will come with a lacquer based primer to prevent corrosion. This will serve you well; we have had ours for over a year with no rust and it will take you through the fitment phase. Fatman expects you to sand the bulk of that primer off during the paint prep process. There is another primer paint option-epoxy primer finish. Fatman sands all the mill scale off the steel after subassembly parts are fabricated, and before final weld assembly. According to Fatman this provides an excellent base for finish paint, and is even used as a final finish for road use, as it is waterproof. It will fade over time, so finish paint is recommended.
The Fatman chassis is a leaf-spring...
The Fatman chassis is a leaf-spring unit complete with a Ford 9-inch rearend.
The front suspension is the...
The front suspension is the always popular MII with stainless steel control arms, Chevy bolt pattern and GM disc brakes, and optional power rack-and-pinion.
This five-widow has the mild-custom...
This five-widow has the mild-custom touch with wide whites, Moon discs, and satin pearl paint.