I found the information noting the differences between early and post war trucks to be consistent with what I have known over the 52 years of my ownership of my 1946 Chevy 1/2 t which was built in Janesville, WI,February of 1946. BUT one must remember that early models, such as mine, could have had some exceptions due to limited parts availability and residual steel shortages. Mine has 3 fender bolts above the bed and the brace is at the top of the fender, both traits of a 1941.
When I purchased my '46 in 1973 I asked the second owner, Dave Bailey, why there were no metal strips between the boards in the bed. He showed me the original dealer paperwork from the North Dakota dealership with the original owner's name. That owner had asked the dealership about the absence of the metal strips. The response was there was still a shortage of steel and Janesville plant was saving the steel from those strips to make other body parts. My truck still has the original bed, 15 boards of hard yellow pine, 3-1/4" wide, tongue and grove construction, and is the only truck that I have seen with the original wood bed in recent years of a career of attending cars shows for over 50 years.
I used to live just north of Janesville and my neighbor's father worked at the assembly plant in the 1940's and he confirmed that practice from early 1946. He was the union shop steward at the time, so there is my validation, straight from the horse's mouth.
