Well, I got my running boards installed. I ended up having to weld in all of the carriage bolts. I bought a new bracket to replace one of the old ones that was trash, welded in on, also an new long brace between the two front brackets on that side. I discovered that the replacement bracket does not have the little spring arms to hold the carriage bolt in position, which is why I had to weld all of them.
I test fit them, then made some minor adjustments to the bolts to make everything line up (I essentially put two nuts on the ones I had to adjust, then beat them with a hammer to slightly bend them). Eventually I got everything lined up and bolted down, and they seem solid. And they make it sooo much easier to climb into the cab!
I took a couple of photos once they were done, now I am putting two coats of Herculiner bed liner on the top surface to make it slip resistant.
Tim
I am currently digging back in to a 1953 3800 (one ton) with a nine foot bed. I've owned it since 1979, and drove it until 1982 (or so). My wife got me involved in restoring it back in 2002, got the body removed and the frame redone, then things came up. Now I am retired and starting again. If anyone is interested I have photos on Imagur ( https://timwhiteblues.imgur.com/ ). I live way back in the woods in the Ozarks on 40 acres at the end of a 2 1/2 mile private road.
