DANG, Joe !
Your '49 sure is pretty ! I love looking at it , because it takes me right back to The Farm in 196? .......
I see plenty of brandy new flat bed truck bodies from TEXAS here in So. Cal. , the Worker types use them , buy older 3/4 & 1 Ton rigs and discard the pickup beds , have a new one custom built and work it HARD for another 10 years , no reason you cannot do this too Graham , you're already in the GREAT State of TEXAS .