1936 Ford 1/2 ton pickup

[Browny3194]

Hi,
Did Ford use panel screws for securing the steel toe board in the 35 36 pickup trucks ?
Thank you

[Model51]

Ford used No. 12-24 x 1-1/4" flathead screws for Floorboard No. 1 (the slanted metal part). These screws go into "D" nuts inserted into the metal lip around the edge. There are three on each side and two (?) across the front edge.
Your metal floorboard should also have a couple of "D" nuts on the rear lip which are used to attach the front edge of the horizontal wood floorboard (No. 2). There are 10 flathead screws that hold floorboard No. 2 in place and they each have cup washers.

[Browny3194]

That’s great thank you very much ��

[nelsb01]

Dont forget the felt weather striping around the edge. Split rivet attached.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by nelsb01

Dont forget the felt weather striping around the edge. Split rivet attached.

[Ngnear22]

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I'm looking for the dimensions/specifications of the wood part of the floorboard. Type of wood, how it was sealed/painted, hole pattern, etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated. This is for my 36 Pickup.

[Model51]

The plywood is 5/8" thick five ply. You can get this grade as Marine Plywood which is the same as the original but with waterproof glue. The plywood was coated with a dark black stain - MinWax Ebony is a perfect match. There is a strip of 1" wide x 1/6" thick anti-squeak material stapled to the edges and bottom.
There is a reproduction floorboard for 1935 and 1936 pickups on eBay. Here's the auction link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/15608411245...Bk9SR5DQvcn0Zg

[Don Rogers]

Here's a drawing highlighting the location of the weather seal and the fasteners

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Don Rogers

Here's a drawing highlighting the location of the weather seal and the fasteners

[highbeams]

I have a '33 coupe with its original wood floorboards with driver side floor opening for access to the battery. Definitely original, and to my surprise it's plywood!

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by highbeams

I have a '33 coupe with its original wood floorboards with driver side floor opening for access to the battery. Definitely original, and to my surprise it's plywood!

Plywood must have been in it's infancy in those days. Most of the time I come across really old plywood it is delaminated. I recall from a book called 'The Flight' that the spirit of St Louis has a plywood instrument panel. No doubt great advancements were made during the second war, with PT boats, gliders etc. I'm very happy that it was invented, having been fully immersed in it for the last 45 years in the cabinet shop.

[Ray in La Mesa]

I wonder how much, if any , plywood was used in Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose a few years later?

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by Ray in La Mesa

I wonder how much, if any , plywood was used in Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose a few years later?

All of it. Not plywood as you know it today. it was birch veneer, laid up on curved molds in multiple directions, essentially plywood, but mostly curves, not sheets.

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by ford38v8

All of it. Not plywood as you know it today. it was birch veneer, laid up on curved molds in multiple directions, essentially plywood, but mostly curves, not sheets.

In boat terms that type of planking was called called 'double diagonal'. Strong and light, needing far less framing than traditional carvel planked boats. With the emergence of epoxy adhesives we saw thinner veneers and more of them and the process is now called 'cold moulded'. I guess I always thought the 'Goose' had a spruce frame and fabric of some sort. Now I want to know more! Is it still in a blimp hangar in Oregon?

[pistonbroke]

The Goose is In a huge building at the McMinnville Oregon air museum. I walked though it and my wife and I sat in the pilot and copilot seats. I'm not that much into planes but it was somthing we will never forget. Tim

[Model51]

Today we are limited to marine plywood as the closest to what Ford used as it's the only grade which comes in full thickness sizes such as 3/4" and 5/8". The marine plywood is nice in that the grain of each layer alternates 90 degrees, there are no voids in the inner layers and the glue is waterproof. The downside is that it's really expensive!!

Ford Engineering Drawings for 1935-1936 pickup and truck floorboards indicates the grain direction as going front to back on the top layer. This ends up providing the top, middle and bottom layers with the grain going front to back of the vehicle and the two interstitial layers having grain going side to side to provide the greatest strength of the floorboard.

[1stford]

I bought all the bolts and screws for my 36 truck from Roy Nacewicz and they were great. Everything seemed to be correct and was happy with it all, including the hardware you are asking about for the floor. A quick google search tells me it's changed hands.

https://thirdgenauto.com/ford-bolts/

[OldGold360]

Originally Posted by Model51

Today we are limited to marine plywood as the closest to what Ford used as it's the only grade which comes in full thickness sizes such as 3/4" and 5/8". The marine plywood is nice in that the grain of each layer alternates 90 degrees, there are no voids in the inner layers and the glue is waterproof. The downside is that it's really expensive!!

You’re absolutely right about the quality and also the cost. I have made a few dozen of these floorboards by now and I won’t make them from anything but marine grade A-B or A-A plywood. It’s the only plywood that I’ve cut on my router that I haven’t found voids between the layers. I could reduce the price of the plywood products I make by using less expensive material, but it would be a significant reduction in quality and the thickness would not be correct. Another thing I’ve learned… Plywood is hell on router bits, due to the glued layers.

[Model51]

I think the last sheet of 5/8" marine plywood set me back $240, enough for 4 floorboards.
Here are some pics of the anti-squeak material stapled to the plywood like Ford did back in the day. Floorboard No. 1 also used the same 1" x 1/16" anti-squeak in the locations shown in Post #9 but attached with split rivets in those tiny holes in the floorboard lip.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Model51

I think the last sheet of 5/8" marine plywood set me back $240, enough for 4 floorboards.
Here are some pics of the anti-squeak material stapled to the plywood like Ford did back in the day. Floorboard No. 1 also used the same 1" x 1/16" anti-squeak in the locations shown in Post #9 but attached with split rivets in those tiny holes in the floorboard lip.