Box

Well once again we made it, now as soon as dad gets home he can start with the floor. Hopefuly by then I will have the fenders done too?? We have football and cheerleading this year, and all the fenders need is time.



Plenty of people to help get it mounted without scratching the soft paint. drill holes, attach bolts, and screws, find out that we bought the wrong nuts for the bolts, find other bolts, can't get them in the middle of the night you know.

Sunday afternoon, it's painted, I wasn't real happy with some of the body work, but now that it's painted it came out a lot better than I anticipated. If it only have fenders we would really be doing good, but with Ethan getting older he has intrests other than working on a dented fender all the time (football, quizbowl, track, video games, girls etc.)

Here it is Saturday night in the county seat, and we're ready to sand the primer. It was hot but we got through it.

Well we've been at it a whole year,one box, and it's still not done. But we are getting close. We finally got it strait, the front, and the drivers side that was so bowed in, or was it out? I had to cut the side almost in half to get it there but it is done and once again, I am not a procrastinator, the parade is only two days away. (I think I said that before)

The box, I never dreamed it would take this much. These old trucks were used in their day, and the boxes took a beating. Not only that, they had many failings, some of which they still havn't fixed to this day. The front was rotted out, and badly bowed, so out it came and we found a better one to put in it's place.



Then we squared the box in an attempt to get measurements for the cross members and how it's going to fit.

Stake pockets where either rotten, or they where badly dented, here we are trying to get one of those big dents out.

The rear end was rotten, and the valance panel was gone, another rear cross memeber, and a custom made valance, since most parts for this aren't available. Seems that the world has forgotten that Ford put an eight foot bed on these trucks too, all the repro parts are for a six footer

Finally the tailgate. WOW. Luckily I have three. One is rolled over at the top, but maybe useable. One has a grain gate cut in it, and the third is not much more that rust, and brazing rod. Scott and I spent an evening trying to take the extra roll out of it, I think we are getting close for a box that goes on a pickup that is a driver.

Finally recieved the bed wood, when laid out as will fit, it took up most of dad's livingroom floor, He's trying to round the edges just a little so that the finishes will stick better.

That rock hard maple is really hard stuff, good thing they came so close to finished.