I don't know the differences between my '56 bed and the older trucks but I doubt there's a lot. I installed new bed wood on my truck when the bed was on the truck. I jacked it up in the rear (with Jack stands) and removed the installed bed wood and then put in new boards. Even working alone at age 81 and laying on my back it still was pretty easy. One little trick that really helped was putting a short piece of masking tape on the top of each bolt to hold it down against the metal strip. That kept it down and locked while I threaded the nut up snug by hand. Then I could us a socket and ratchet to tighten it down. Took a while but all and all I'd do it again.
