I am needing to buy an aftermarket bed for my 1955 Ford F100, which is the best to buy and from where?
MacsAutoParts.com have them for $2600. (Not inc fenders) Kits for $1739 $400-$700 Shipping. A part this rare was probably made by one factory and sold to different suppliers. (I could be wrong on this fact)
Pros pick makes a nice complet bed already primed, Mack products, in Missouri , northern classic trucks also a very nice bed, ( has the original tooling )mid fifty , Dennis carpenter , Sacramento vintage ford all carry these different bed . Study them all before you buy. Not all bed are drilled for fenders or running boards. I used northern classic trucks complete bed kit on my 1951 f -1 and was really pleased.
i bought mine from hot rod truck parts springfield ohio and he brought it to the local swap meet complete 1100 dollars terrific quality. i dont think that will work for you but i have seen them on the bay for 600 without the wood . seriously big names like carpenter usually have big prices also.
why aftermarket? you could probably spend less money and get all the fasteners, fenders and such with a decent used one
I don't know about where you live but around here used beds are, well, used. Like hauling stuff for 50 years and beat. Sure, some are better then others but even the better ones take a ton of work to look as nice as a new one. If your paying for bodywork it doesn't take much to eat up the cost in bodywork. If you got the time and talent to repair and bodywork an old one I guess that might be different.
You might want to check out Mar-K in Oklahoma City and they make their own as I recall. They may be attending a show in your area and save you some shipping cost. I think you will find all aftermarket beds still need a little attention at the spot welds.
The only thing wrong with an A/M bed is that there are no "patina" marks that shows that is an original bed. When I restored mine, I purposly left a few small dents and warps for "character"
Bought mine At Hot Rods Truck Parts in New Carlisle Ohio. Rod & Denise are great to deal with and the prices are right. F100 beds usually have to be welded together unless you have Rod do it for you. 937-845-1966
I just got this bed for my '32 from Mack Products in Moberly, MO and I could not be happier with it. They make them for your year also.
Correct me if I am wrong but they have no reveals on box sides.Could one not break pieces for sides,weld some tube on the top length wise.And salvage old pockets?I think the hardest part would be reinstalling the studs for fenders...
One can never straighten a single wall bed side once dented or bent out of shape. Not saying its impossible but it never looks right. Much cheaper to make one up or order an A/M one. Mid Fifty F100 Parts in Glendale Arizona carries quite a few different styles. The front panel was in excellent shape. I had my bedsides made locally by a large industrial fabrication shop as they had a large brake. Another shop did the stake pockets with a few tricks, then added new fenders. And a tailgate from Mar-K.
Thanks everybody! This is my dads and I's first build and are by no means body work people. We have done a good job on body work on the fenders. But I really don't want to risk it on the bed. I found a few on Ebay, but I am gonna check out the Mack Products. Thanks for the suggestions!
I used Step bolts for the fenders. They are like carrage bolts, but with a much larger head diameter.