The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed Original Bed? or not?

I just got a 53 3100 recently and it has a flatbed on it. This truck is in wonderful shape, 60K miles on it. Could the bed on it be original? Anyone have a good source for info on beds, numbers, etc? Can I look for anything in specific that will tell me if its from this truck or another like it?

Shes been garaged for almost all her life. But the bed wood looks ancient while the body paint still has most of its gloss. Still strong wood but very abused!

Thanks for any help! -Jeff

My info from 49 models says no 3100 series truck came from the factory with a flatbed. Some did come without the bed, though. The 3608 did however come with a flatbed. Does your truck have rear fenders on it, or just the flatbed over the tires? I am trying to figure how the flatbed is attached to the frame and still be above the tires.

No fenders. The flatbed actually sits on a 4x4" that is the length of the frame and is notched to fit the frame tight, and go over the hump over the axle. It then has L-shaped brackets attaching the bed to the wood frame.

I was talking with my dad and he said it was a pretty common thing to see wood framing over the steel truck frame to support the flatbeds in some of the older trucks. But that just could have been coincidence.

I cant say if it was something that actually came from the factory like that or if that was just something people did to adapt them to the trucks.

I was looking at another post at the bottom of this forum; Topic: 3/4-ton 3600 Factory Stakebed
and the first post has some pics on a flatbed that looks nearly the same as mine but there are differences.

Then again, a flatbed doesnt exactly have eye grabbing special effects! But I still love the way mine looks!

Thanks

Does yours have the longer running boards like his does, if so you probably had a regular pickup style bed on it at 1 time or another.

I don't know but I like the looks of that bed.
Bob

not factory - factory flatbeds had very nice molded metal edge the had rounded corners - also would be pretty unusual to have a 1/2T w/ flatbed from the factory

Bill

I used 1/8" steel stock, sides bent 45-degrees on top for standard flair and welded to 1-1/2" steel pipe ground and bondo'd for roll over, capped at ends. Front, same steel, with pipe roll over. Welded the original stake pockets on. Drilled for cargo hooks on sides. Tailgate drops down on late model strap-style hinges and fastens with sliding door flip-locks into round latches at rear of sides. By-bye chains. Floor is 1/4" diamond plate, POR-15'd on the bottom, primed and painted topside. Will probably coat inside of box with Vortex, Herculiner type plastic coating.
It adds about 200 lbs over the rear wheels, where you want it. Not pretty to everybody, but you can work pretty hard with it.

Take a pressure washer to the oak wood. You'll be amazed how nice it might look afterwards. I had a bed and some racks that were just black and looking rotten. They turned into a new color and I put a clear coat of poly on it.

Jeff
I just looked at your photos in the gallery and in the side view it's easy to see that the running boards go back almost to the rear tires and they have the splash aprons on top of them behind the cab. That curved piece. I think it was originally a pickup. Nice looking truck!