Throughout the history of SRM, we've built just about everything under the sun; from roadsters to coupes to sedans to phaetons, hell we've even built a school bus (see SRM August 1993), but classic trucks never seemed to get the same amount of attention. A good part of that could be due to the fact that we share offices with the two largest truck books on the market: Classic Trucks and Custom Classic Trucks. But as we mentioned last month, there isn't a genuine, dyed-in-the-wool hot rodder out there who couldn't benefit from having a truck at their disposal. And it should go without saying that if you were to ask a hot rodder what kind of shop truck they'd like to have, the answer would not be a lifted Toyota Tacoma. No, we're thinking it'd be something more akin to an early '50s pickup with the perfect lowered stance and a nice set of wheels. Adorn the door with a graphic declaring the shop name and you've got yourself one helluva neat little parts hauler. Bolt on a pushbar for the dry lake or dragstrip and all of a sudden you just added a sport factor to the utilitarian vehicle for a most traditional SUV! That was our thinking anyway when we approached Josh Shaw and had him whip up a sketch for our latest project: a '47 Chevy 3100 Thriftmaster pickup.
Last month, we ran through the basics of the Advance Design-era pickups and what we had in store for our very own project. This month, we're jumping right in, following along as the crew at Hot Rod's by Dean begins sorting out the bed parts from MAR-K (made in Oklahoma City), from basic assembly of the panels to form the actual structure to installing a bed wood kit. We'll cover installing their aluminum bed strips with hidden fasteners as well as a Chevs of the 40's fuel filler concealment kit that allows you to hide the fuel filler neck under the bed. A MAR-K smooth tailgate will also get installed and we'll point out a couple of features that they've incorporated into that design that alleviates the need for those pesky tailgate chains. So stay tuned as our Project Shop Truck gets under way!
A few notes on wood finishes
When it comes to finishing the bed wood, there are two important reasons as to why: to protect it and to decorate it. Lacking finish, the wood will discolor and deteriorate quickly when exposed to sunlight and adverse weather conditions. Alternatively, if a quality finish is applied and maintained, the wood will remain in great shape indefinitely. What finish to use really comes down to personal preference and what kind of climate the truck is going to spend the majority of its days in, but regardless it should be either an oil finish, satin or glossy varnish, or paint. Paint will prevent damage from sunlight and weather and will protect the wood from mechanical damage (scratches and dents). Spar varnish with "ultraviolet inhibitors" will also build up a protective film to protect the wood and the natural wood grain will show through. An oil finish for outdoor use is easy to apply and has a pleasing "fine furniture" appearance but does not protect from mechanical or moisture damage and must be refinished frequently.
Here's the truck in pre-assembly...
Here's the truck in pre-assembly state with the Dynacorn body and sheetmetal bits on the Fatman Fabrications chassis.
How to square up your bed once assembled
Once the four sections of the bed are assembled, you need to make sure the bed is square. The first thing to do is to make sure the bed sides at the rear are square to the rear sill and that the complete bed is sitting on a level surface. If one side is leaning inward and the other side is leaning outward a like amount, the dimensions will be the same both top and bottom, but the bed will not measure square. You can check that with a carpenter square. Sometimes it helps to install the tailgate to keep the sides vertical during the assembly. That way they can't shift very far if you have to loosen the rear sill mounting bolts and they can be adjusted back to square after the bed is on the truck.
If your bed is still out of square 1/2 inch or less, it should be readily shifted to square by loosening all the bolts that are holding it together and pushing the long dimension to make it smaller, and the small dimension will get larger a like amount. It may require holding it in the square position while a helper tightens all the bolts. If you are holding it square when you tighten the bolts, it may still move slightly when you release it. A bed is slightly flexible before it is on the frame and before the wood is installed and tightened. When you install the wood and bed strips, be sure to again hold it square while tightening all the bed strip bolts. The truck frame will keep it square when you install it on your truck.
We'll be using stainless fasteners...
We'll be using stainless fasteners from Doc's Kustom throughout the truck build. We opted to go with the polished hex set.
The first step in assembling...
The first step in assembling the MAR-K bed is to attach the front bed panel to each side panel. A series of holes runs parallel to the front stake pocket and mates the two panels.
The front cross sill is n...
The front cross sill is next.
The front cross sill fits...
The front cross sill fits between the bed sides, under the angle strip, and attaches to the front bed panel.
The rear cross sill will bring...
The rear cross sill will bring the three sides together to form the bed. This cross sill is longer than the front cross sill and mounts to the stake pockets themselves.
Here's the finished MAR-K...
Here's the finished MAR-K bed assembly in basic form with the front and rear cross sill attached to the bedsides and front bed panel.
Wood blocks and rubber pads...
Wood blocks and rubber pads are placed on the chassis in anticipation of the MAR-K bed installation. The front two cross sills will need the block and pad treatment while the rear cross sill receives a pad only. Note the relationship between the blocks and pads.
A bed-to-frame carriage bolt...
A bed-to-frame carriage bolt from our Doc's Kustom kit holds the front assembly in place...
...while the other cross sills...
...while the other cross sills are aligned. Typically, the bed is fastened to the chassis via carriage bolts that run through the bed wood, cross sills, wood blocks, pads, and chassis mounting points. Since we're going to run smooth bed strips, we opted to attach the bed to the chassis directly off the cross sills, below the bed wood surface, so as to not have the carriage bolts and corresponding offset washers visible in the bed.
Here's an example of a stock...
Here's an example of a stock Chevy bed with all the hardware visible. Note the offset washers that fasten the bed to the chassis through the bed wood.