CCPU original bed sills pic

[Vanspeed]

Dan Partain asked if I had any pics of my bed sills on my pickup because he and I believe them to be original and untouched. He asked about the rear apron bolt and whether it had a notch for the bolt as he has not seen one with the notch. I took this pic and I hope it helps...

[Dan Partain]

Thanks for checking on that and taking the photo for me, I had been trying to find someone with some original bed support wood pieces to check.

Previously, on some other possible original wood pieces there was no sign of the wood being notched for the rear splash apron bolts. That made me wonder if those bolts may have been left off of the pickups, and it was difficult to believe they would do that at the factory.

I suppose it would be the same for all the pickup beds except the widebed and the very early 28's.

[Steve Plucker]

Originally Posted by Dan Partain

Thanks for checking on that and taking the photo for me, I had been trying to find someone with some original bed support wood pieces to check.

Previously, on some other possible original wood pieces there was no sign of the wood being notched for the rear splash apron bolts. That made me wonder if those bolts may have been left off of the pickups, and it was difficult to believe they would do that at the factory.

I suppose it would be the same for all the pickup beds except the widebed and the very early 28's.

Dan,

I looked again at the underneath of the pickup bed and there is no notch as with Vanspeeds. It just might be why there is not notch is that what was used there was a carriage bolt instead of a hex bolt.

Anyway, I have no more pickup...just sold it to a fellow from Three Forks, Montana near Bozeman.

Pluck

[Dan Partain]

Pluck, here's a photo of the wood sitting on the frame with a carriage bolt holding the splash shield. You can see that the carriage bolt is holding the wood off of the frame, so even it should have left a mark of some kind on the wood if it was there from the factory.

Maybe we need some other folks with original bed support wood to take a look at theirs to see if the bolt and notch are there. I would think that all years would be the same for the narrow bed wood and bolt setup.

Anyone else?

[theHIGHLANDER]

I'll look at mine today. The boards are out so it's easy to see.

[Wello]

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No notch on mine.

[Bob C]

I looked at my 1930 and the wood does not even cover the head of the carriage bolt.

Bob

[theHIGHLANDER]

No notch on mine. There's pieces of body webbing nailed at the frame contact points. The webbing looks pretty old...

[Dan Partain]

Highlander, do you think your bed wood and assembly is original from the factory?

Does it look like your frame welting ends at the splash shield but then there is more frame welting nailed to the support wood at the other frame contact points? I'd be interested to know the size and how many pieces are nailed to the wood if it's factory original. That's something I've been wondering about for a long time.

Anyone else with an original bed and wood please chime in, and photos are always helpful.

[theHIGHLANDER]

I'll shoot some pics and welcome the input from our fellow 'barners. Might be a day or 2...

[theHIGHLANDER]

Better late than never?

[Dan Partain]

Highlander, thanks for those great photos! That answers a question I've had for a long long time about webbing for the bed in the area to the rear of where the splash apron and frame welt ends. I threw away the original wood for my bed many years ago after I made new pieces in high school wood shop. I don't remember any webbing on them but if I had looked closely I probably would have seen the marks and nail holes where the webbing had been.

The other clue here is that there is no relieved area on the wood in your photos for a splash apron bolt. Others have said that their original wood shows no signs of routing or any contact with a bolt (hex or carriage) in this area. As shown in my photo, I think even a carriage bolt would have made some kind of a mark on the wood.

The wood definitely passes over the area where the bolt goes through the splash apron. In Vanspeed's photo it looks like someone has unevenly chiseled out the wood so it will clear the bolt. It doesn't look like a factory job to me, although it looks like it was done many years ago.

My conclusion at this point is that the rear splash apron bolt on the pickups was left off, or initially installed and then removed before the pickup bed was installed.

If anyone else has some more original wood to check it would be helpful.

[JTW]

It would be nice to have an accurate drawing with measurements of those original pieces and also showing locations and sizes of the webbing. Is there anything like that floating around out there?

[d.j. moordigian]

I will second that JTW,........good thread.

[Roger V]

Here's a couple of pics of my original bed rails. As with Highlander's there's a double rabbit cut in each rail, one being quite shallow. Where the head of the carriage bolt for the runningboard apron relates, there is no rabbit cut or relief BUT there are slight rounded depressions. I'm guessing that the rubber anti-squeak pads at the mounting bolts may have given enough clearance originally for the shallow carriage bolt head. In time when the pads compressed the weight of the bed and load caused the depression in the wood by the bolt head. I don't believe Ford would not use the carriage bolt to attach/keep the apron in position.

[theHIGHLANDER]

By rabbit, do you mean how there's 2 boards used to make 1? One side of mine is like that, the other is hard to tell. Looking at the end you can see where the driver's side is 2 boards "keyed" together.

[Roger V]

Originally Posted by theHIGHLANDER

By rabbit, do you mean how there's 2 boards used to make 1? One side of mine is like that, the other is hard to tell. Looking at the end you can see where the driver's side is 2 boards "keyed" together.

No, in the woodworking industry it's machining a section of wood (best I can define). Where the relief is machined on each rail, there is a large relief and a slighter one adjacent(shows in the pic). Relative to your rails, I also have one made of one piece of wood whereas the other is made of two with an interlocking joint, though not a finger joint like on stationwagon bodies.

[1928Pickuppain]

Technically a rabbit is a long cut in the edge of a peace of wood say 1/2"x1/2" cut into the board on the edge running the leanth of the board or any decent distance what is shown on Vanspeeds photo is a half mortise. Sorry to correct you Roger but i do this for a living.

[Steve Plucker]

Highlander, Vanspeed and Roger V...

Can you posibably date your 28-early 30 pickup box?

Also, if anybody knows of any other original, unrestored 28-mid 30 OCPU or CCPU's, please let Dan know so as he can further his research on this important subject.

Thanks.

Pluck

[theHIGHLANDER]

Mine's a March 31 based on the eng # and the details I've pieced together here and in the DeAngelis book.