The Body

(click a picture to see a larger view)

Flavio from Resurrection Auto Body started fitting the front end parts to the cab and frame.

The truck was missing many parts when I got it.  Turns out that the '39-'40 year model were oddball years for these trucks.  Some reproduction parts are made, but many of them are fiberglass instead of steel.  I decided to go back with fiberglass fenders and running boards, but I wanted to minimize the amount of fiberglass.  I'll be using used parts in some cases and I've already started getting some of them.  We've found that some modifications will have to be made to get the mix of used and reproduction parts to fit together like the original.  Many of the reproduction parts are made in other countries, so they don't always fit exactly like they should.  Flavio is doing a good job at making everything work together.

 

The Bed

 

I purchased a complete reproduction bed kit from Chevs of the 40s.  I liked this idea because it was complete and I didn't have to worry about figuring out all of the individual parts that I needed.  When I ordered, they told me it should ship in about 10 days.  Wrong!  It took 8 weeks to arrive.

 

We started putting the bed together and set it up on the truck to make sure we had all of the parts.  Here are some initial picks with the bed sitting on the frame.

 

 

There are some issues with parts of the kit where we are going to have to make some modifications.  The bed wood is too long.  The stainless steel strips are too long.  One of the stake pockets is cut too short and needs to be extended a bit.  Nothing major, but it will take extra time to get everything to fit just right.

 

 

Overall, the bed fit the frame very well.  There were only a few minor issues to deal with.

 

Bed Wood

 

I started working on getting the bed wood finished.  I found some articles on the Mar-K Truck Parts web site that give good details on finishing bed wood and how different types of wood and finishes age/weather over time.  Good stuff.

 

Right now I have the wood spread on my workbench while I work on getting them sanded.  A couple of the pieces are bowed slightly, but I think that it will be fine when the wood is mounted in the bed.

The Rest of the Body

Well, it's starting to look like an actual truck now.  Here are some various pics that show the bumper brackets, headlights and an overall view of how the body is shaping up.