100 A P R I L 2 0 0 8 • S T R E E T T R U C K S S T R E E T T R U C K S M A G . C O M

Project Fast Lane Part 6HILL’S HOT RODS ASSEMBLES A BETTER BED WITH PRO’S PICKAND BE BOPS GLASS WORKS

OLD SHEET METAL THAT IS IN DECENT CONDITION AND ABLE TO BESAVED IS A RARITY THESE DAYS. Most of the good trucks are already spo-ken for or tucked away in barns where daylight never travels. When they areout of sight, generally they are also out of mind, and typically the property ofsome old farmer who would rather let the truck sit within the confines of arickety old structure composed of termites holding hands than have hispalms greased with a stack of hundreds and the truck hauled away.

We consider ourselves lucky to have found a mostly original 1956 Ford F-100 pickup with solid sheet metal worthy of saving. Like most projects of thisvintage, the original bed was the largest problem area. Back in the days when

these old pickups were first produced people actually used them as trucks,putting the beds through torturous hauling, which resulted in massive dentsand deep scratches that invited rust. Unfortunately, by the time enthusiastsget their hands on these trucks to build at the present time, the beds are sohammered that it takes a great deal of labor, time and cash to straightenthem back out for use on a show truck.

Pro’s Pick Engineering Components has the solution for an original bat-tered bed with their 1956 Ford F-100 replacement custom bed. The boxassembles easily and is a much cleaner version of the F-100 box, devoid ofstake pocket openings and available with a smoothie tailgate kit for a truly

custom look right out of the box. Supplied tailgatestraps keep the tailgate fully functional, while a cus-tom latch system with billet aluminum triggerrelease looks extra trick and high tech. To finish thebed off we opted for one of Pro’s Pick’s custom alu-minum flush-mount tonneau covers, which willkeep our custom bed looking great inside.

In addition to the original beds on these trucksbeing a problem, the fenders are usually pretty beatup as well. Ours were no exception. To remedy thisissue we turned to the crew at Be Bop’s Glass Worksfor a pair of their 3-inch wider custom fiberglass rearfenders. These were popped fresh from the mold andshipped to Hill’s Hot Rods, where the bed was to beassembled. After we took inventory of all of the partswe got down to business at Hill’s Hot Rods andassembled this smooth bed with new material fromfront to back. ■

Our Pro’s Pick box isdesigned for the ’53-56 F-100, but Pro’s Pick alsohas custom replacementbeds for Ford trucks from‘48-72. The fresh steeland quality constructionwill save us tons of timein the bodywork depart-ment. Be Bops fiberglassfenders also cut down onthe prep time and willallow us to run a large wheel and tire package with the 3-inchwider than stock structure.

Before beginning we laid out all ofthe parts included in the Pro’s Pickbed kit. A bulkhead panel, two bedsides, three bed frame cross mem-bers, one rear cross member, and asmoothie tailgate were set up to startthe job. Tools needed included 1/8,5/16, 11/32, and 17/32-inch drill bits;a drill; 9/16, 1/2 and 7/16-inchwrenches; a tape measure; and a felttipped marker.

21

S T R E E T T R U C K S • A P R I L 2 0 0 8 101S T R E E T T R U C K S M A G . C O M

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY TRAVIS NOACK

The Be Bops Glass Worksfiberglass fenders are a

fresh start for our project byproviding the room we needfor the large wheel and tire

combo we aim to run outback. They will never rustand will save us loads of

time repairing the originals.

With the fender mached upusing a 20 x 10-inch wheel

and tire combination(approximately 12 inches

wide with tire mounted) asa base, we could see these

fenders would provideample room for our rollingstock. The tire specs were

P275/35ZR20. This combina-tion was 27.5 inches in

overall diameter. The widerfender will allow for proper

clearances of the rollingstock and will tuck a largeamount of the wheel when

the truck is laid out. Wewould never be able to

accomplish this with thestock fender.

3

4

5

The body guys at Hill’s HotRods begin by mating the

bulkhead and bedsidestogether. Since we are

nowhere near ready to setthe bed on the chassis andget it square, we will save

welding the bulkhead inplace for later.

Using a set of clamps, theside panels and bulkheadwere clamped together at

the 1/2-inch returns on eachend of the bulkhead. The

returns are designed to fitinside the side panels. This

will hold the assemblytogether until we can get it

squared up and welded. Weprefer to do this once the

cab is back on the frame andwe can accurately line

everything up. You can eitherbolt the bulkhead and bed-

sides together, or weld it fora smoother look.

Moving to therear of the Pro’sPick box the X-member hold-ing the tailgatehinges issecured to thebedsides. Jamesand Brenan lineeverything upand proceed toinstall the hard-ware.

As shown herethe hardwarethreads throughthe inside of therear X-memberand into the pre-drilled andthreaded holeson the lowerrear corner atthe inside of thebedside.

A socket is usedto crank thehardware inplace.

8

9

The hinge system is fedthrough theexisting slits onthe tailgate jamband lined upwith the hard-ware holes oneach end of thetailgate.

After matchingthe holes in thetailgate jamb upwith the holes inthe hinges,James runs thesupplied hard-ware in position.

6

7

10

11

12

James installsthe hardware,securing thetailgate strapfitting to theinside edge ofthe tailgate.

Using the previously mademarkings, thestrap is fullyextended andthe mountinghole is markedwith a Sharpie.

This threadedinsert will beinstalled tosecure the bedside end ofthe strap inposition.

19

20

The Pro’s Pick X-membersshould all bemarked with atag to determinetheir position.It’s never a badidea to markthem with a felttipped pen soyou have a constant visual.Exact placementof the X-mem-bers in our caseis not a definiteat the momentsince we will bebuilding a cus-tom, raised bedfloor to accom-modate ourdeeply notchedframe. If you areinstalling on astock F-100chassis, followthe Pro’s Pickinstructions.

102 A P R I L 2 0 0 8 • S T R E E T T R U C K S S T R E E T T R U C K S M A G . C O M

PROJECT FAST LANE PART 6

James assembles thePro’s Pick tailgate latch

mechanism by followingthe instructions. The

latch is a spring-loadedassembly that slides oneway to unlatch and back

the other way to lockinto a mount secured to

the bedside. It’s prettytrick and certainly betterthan using a bolt to hold

up the tailgate.

Here is a close view ofthe Pro’s Pick latch

mechanism with its hightech aluminum knob,simple and effective.

After closing the tailgateand deducing where the

latch would need to beplaced when the tailgate

is closed for it to sitflush with the bedsides,

James consults the Pro’sPick directions and

mounts the latch pinbrackets.

13

14

15

16

17

18

Following the instruc-tions for the smoothie

tailgate, James measures from the back

of the bedside panelinward to get a mounting

location for the tailgatestrap bracket.

After the first measure-ment was taken, a

straight edge was usedto run a clean line up to

the exact mountingpoint. Consult the

instructions here for anexact measurement and

placement.

21

22

23

After installing the Pro’s Pick tonneaucover mount at the bed’s front panel,Jason lifts the custom aluminum tonneaucover in place as James negotiates it intothe mounts. This is a quality piece andwould look right at home on any classic.

The Pro’s Pick aluminum F-100 flushmount tonneau cover is lowered down tosit just below the bedrails completely dis-appearing when viewed from the side. Thehot rod-styled aluminum cover will providea secure home for cleaning products andother valuables at a show, while adding afinished look to the bed.

Our completed Pro’s Pick box capped offwith the precision crafted Pro’s Pick alu-minum tonneau cover and custom 3-inchwider Be Bops Glass Works rear fenderslooks stunning in raw form. Later, onceeverything is squared up, we will weld thebulkhead in place and drill the fenders formounting. With the cab out being strippedand dipped we will be able to line every-thing up at a later date. Be sure to followthe Pro’s Pick directions when mountingyour bed because there is all kinds ofinformation on squaring up the chassis.Take your time with the fitment.

This is where we will leave you thismonth. Stay tuned because next month wewill peel back 50 years of rust, filler andprimer from the cab and leading edgesheet metal.

S T R E E T T R U C K S • A P R I L 2 0 0 8 103S T R E E T T R U C K S M A G . C O M

PROJECT FAST LANE PART 6

AIR RIDE TECHNOLOGIESDept. STTR350 S. St. CharlesJasper, IN 47546812.482.2932www.ridetech.com

BE BOPS GLASSWORKS, INC.Dept. STTR392 Country Rd. 609Athens, TN 37303877.577.8480423.263.9594www.bebops-glassworks.com

FAST EDDY’S HOT ROD ART281.455.2883www.fehrarules.com

HILL’S HOT RODSDept. STTR8809 Valencia St. Lubbock, TX 79424806.866.0586www.hillshotrods.com

NO LIMIT ENGINEERINGDept. STTR455 South D. StreetSan Bernardino, CA 92401909.386.7637888.297.6032www.nolimit.net

NO LIMIT FABRICATION SCHOOLDept. STTR180 S. ArrowheadSan Bernardino, CA 92408951.830.4704www.nolimitfabschool.cominfo@nolimitfabschool.com

PRO’S PICK ENGINEEREDCOMPONENTSDept. STTR330 Smith St. P.O. Box 70Arthur, ON NOG 1 AO, Canada800.865.7366www.pros-pick.com

STAINLESS STEEL BRAKESCORPORATIONDept. STTR11470 Main Rd.Clarence, NY 14031800.448.7722www.ssbrakes.com

24

25

27

28

26