Hey guys. I have a work in progress and wanted to see if anybody here might have a set of used wood for a 54 3100. I wanted to maybe recycle someones used wood rather than shell out the $345 for new oak. I am in the Southern California area. If you or someone you may know has some I would appreciate it. I am willing to pay for it. I'm not looking for a freebee. Thank you, Scotty54
Scotty, I went through some tough decisions before I bought the wood from our host. However, since you are in southern Cali, you should be able to find Hard Yellow Pine in a local lumber yard. Nobody in the NorthEast had it. A while back Evan (Coilover) posted a how-to on simple table saw milling of bed wood for our trucks. It would be cheap and easy to do if you could get the materials. Mine is a work truck, which makes the kids happy. I didn't want to go the big bucks for oak when I knew I would be hauling yard and construction debris to the dump. The cheapest hard wood I could find local STILL would have cost me more in materials than buying it pre-cut and drilled from our host. We finished it using thinned out black oil-base house paint painted on and then wiped off immediately to make it look like stain to accent the grain. five or so coats of exterior marine varnish over that and it looks great. Andy
Chiro I also bought some bedwood from our host. I also got the hard yellow pine, along with SS metal. Mine is a 55 1st and the eight boards tht they sent me were absolutely gorgeous. I got the hard yellow pine as you did, and it was absolutely flawless, not one single knot anywhere. I won't hesitate to buy more in the future. Bruce Jr.
Hard Yellow Pine As it turns out , this isn't easy to find in So. Cal. unless you go to the premium lumber yards . However , we DO have lots and lots of old house wrecking yards that sell good used lumber very cheaply ! every time I have wood repairs done on my old 1923 house , I take the carpenter to one of these places and he happily picks out the wood he likes , it's fully dried and doesn't warp etc..... I'm even worse with hammer & nails than I am with computers but I know many here have routed thier own bed wood up , using both new and used lumber , consider this and remember : assemble the bed , if it's good , take it back apart and paint the wood on ALL sides and over the fresh cuts , then assemble again after dry , this way it'll last far longer , even in a hobby truck .' Take pictures !
After the tank is finished, I’m going to start the bed on mine. Thought about using mahogany, there is a rail car scrap yard out on Highway 58 by Mojave that had some which could be table saw and router worked. After they tell me the price per board foot I may think otherwise. I have not asked the parts houses about the 9 ft wood package, Last time I asked anyone they had no idea about a truck with a 9 ft. bed.
Charles, I bought red oak from the lumber yard and took it and the Mar-K template to a local wood worker. I had him plane it on the upside then I put 7 coats of Satin Spar varnish on every surface and put it in. Looks good I think. Gater
Purdy R.R. Salvage yard Charles ; They've not had any rail cars in there for years . last time I went by , they'd taken out most of the Automobiles too , there was an old Mercedes I'd wanted to stop and look at I assum you know about the old truck junkyard just a few miles west of the 14 on.... ? Silver Queen Road ? (I think it's called) I posted it because the old guythere is pleasane and wants to sell stock rims cheaply . he has bunches of AD and a '46 towtruck with a 261 , no , he won't part with the tow truck now it's 261
G~ You know I like it! I need to look into some mills around here and see if I can get some hedge. They use it for fence posts in these parts and they last forever. The wood is an incredible yellow/orange color that wood look g-o-o-d inside my white bed! So, G... Could you please share some stories about driving that beauty of yours down the highway? All you went through to get it going, I've not heard any stories of travel- other than the shake down cruise. Us with our trucks in pieces kinda' like to hear stories of real people driving their trucks!
Zig, Well, let's see. Did I tell you about the 100+ mile trip last summer where I taught my 14 year old son what it is like to dirve in the humid mountains of East Tennessee without air conditioning? It is amazing how you come to love the cowl vent and crotch cooler when it is 92 degrees F in full sun. We made it to Memory Lane where there were over 500 cars and at least a couple thousand people crammed into a holler between two ridges. Then we went back to Kingsport for yet another show at the old train station. That was a good day. The truck ran great. In preparation for this spring I have bought one of the aftermarket radios from this site's sponsor and will be installing it with an under the running board antenna. Also new wipers, new inside window sun visors and hopefully a newly covered front seat. I am watching my money pretty close ( as are all I assume) so the seat may have to wait another season. Mechanically I still don't have brakes to suit me but a neighbor mechanic has one of those units that you mount on the master cylinder and pump fluid to all the slaves to ensure a complete air purge. We might also make Nate happy and do a valve adjustment while we are at it. There you go. Stay tuned for more. I will be waiting for the run down of your first outing with the KC arrow. Gater
lookin' good Gater that bed (and the rest of truck) is NICE ! you don't really plan to tro tings back in there do you?
Thanks Gerald. No, I reckon it is a hobby truck. Basically I see it as my tribute to all the old trucks that worked their @$$ off in the hills of East Tennessee and helped these old farmers make a living. This truck has parts from a 48 1 ton flatbed that my grand dad bought new. Seems like most of my neighbors had similar trucks as I was growing up and I would help them all put up hay so I rode most of them. Besides, my son thinks it's cool and that is a connection I don't want to lose. Gater
Bed boards I plan to rip some 3x12 planks that I received from tearing down a 60 year old horse barn and use them for my bed boards. I do not know what kind of wood they are (not pine though), but they are well seasoned hard wood and look to make a beautiful grain after ripping to new wood. Brother bought me a table saw for Christmas and I will use it to make perfect cuts. Looking forward to it. Any suggestions on metal strip substitutes?
Kent , i am thinking of doing the same when i do my bed with ole barn wood . may go without strips. not there yet.post what you do when finished maybe wit pics
Gater, Thanks for the photos, nice work on the bed. I need to get new metal strips for mine before I go to far on it. Nate, The place you may be talking about is is Mike I think. Had a Crusher in the front yard last time I was there. Sad to hear the rail yard is gone, but thinking about the long drive I had the yard I do not remember seeing. Wher are some of those house salvage places at. They may have some old black walnut or oak laying around, maybe even some mahogany there also.
Thanks, G! That's what I'm talking about! We should have a thread that is just a place where you guys that get to drive your trucks posts stories of your trips. That's the only way we (with our trucks in pieces) get to travel in an AD. Hey G~ Thanks! This year remember to take a camera.
Bed wood Booger: I am not sure when I will get to it, developing irrigation wells now, but I need a saw mill man to rip the 3" thick planks, 12" wide. The wood is really dark. I will then saw to desired lengths, then rout sides. Should be an interesting project. Whatever, using something no one else wants and making it into something useful seems to be a habit of mine. Son and I built a 20x20 shop with cast away materials - we tore down the horse barn and kept the wood (the owner was tickled to death, not having to pay someone to wreck it and haul it away).
Recycle, America! And let's face it~ You wouldn't be able to buy wood like that old barn wood if you tried! I try not to think of the full 1 X 12s they used as sheathing under the siding of my house. Not a knot in it, and it's SHEATHING! Think how many of these old homes fall to the wrecking crew every year. They just fold them up and throw them away...
Reclaimed Lumber Scotty - i thought about buying the lumber locally and using the plans to DIY with the cuts, but instead I took advantage of one of the big sales from our host and bought the oak. I saved enough to be able to upgrade to the stainless package and personally love the look. Their wood was excellent. I have not yet installed it, but last fall I was able to finish staining and marine grade varnish. (much darker under the shade tree) I love the idea of the reclaimed wood and the use of hedge, etc. That all adds yet another layer of history to these trucks and builds interest. What a great way to further personalize each ride in a sublte way. Bamboo would be an interesting look as well.
