34 pickup wood question

[eddie48]

Do you know what species of wood was used for the support blocks for the cab and also the wood in the bed? Looks sort of like maple but I think that might rot easily.

[David J]

Pretty sure 33-34 roadster - phaeton body wood is hard maple .

[DavidG]

Maple or Ash for the cab mounting blocks and oak for underneath the bed.

[eddie48]

Thanks for the answers. The wood under the bed doesn't look, at all, like oak. Perhaps it was changed before. The existing wood under the bed is closed grain not open like oak or ash. I need to re-make two of the support blocks. Fortunately, there is enough of the old ones to use for a pattern and I just happen to have some hard maple planks. I'm debating whether or not to replace the bed sheet metal (all rotted out on one end, as are the boards) or just replace the planks and leave the bed wood. The truck will remain basically stock otherwise. Just for fun.

What would you do with the bed if it were yours?

[jimTN]

Metal cover is the correct thing. White oak makes excellent foundation wood for the bed and should be sealed with a good wood sealer.

[totto]

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I restored my bed on my '34 pickup and "found" that the wood on the bed covered by the steel cover was bird's eye maple. The cab blocks were maple. Had to replace wood because about 18 inches were rotted and the steel cover had rusted through. Used oak as replacement from Mack out of Moberly, MO.

[DavidG]

All of the wood under this '32 bed is original and is oak. I think Ford used hard woods indigenous to the area around Iron Mountain, MI interchangeably as available drawing the line at station wagon components where they species of wood was specified for each wood component.

[eddie48]

That makes a lot of sense, David. I like the idea of white oak as a substrate, since it holds up so well when wet. BTW I suspect there was a lot more wood available then than today. Some of that old growth timber that was cut for lumber must have made some beautiful and excellent wood for the old cars.