Oaklahoma Sewn & GrownA long, long time ago in the mid-twentieth century when what we all now consider classic trucks were brand-new there wasn't much of a need for replacement bed parts. If a person had the misfortune to be involved in an accident and needed the parts necessary to piece together a satisfactory resemblance of his original bed all it took was a trip to his local dealer's parts counter and he was all set. Then as time moved on and the dealer's supply of new replacement panels disappeared from the shelves it soon became about as hard as finding hen's teeth to locate enough parts and pieces to cherry out a pickup's bed close enough to have it match the quality of the cab. For the guys that were lucky enough to find a truck with a cherry bed, but wanted to tidy up the bed floor where the ravages of time were taking their toll on what was usually white, or yellow pine boards with a coat of black enamel splashed on there wasn't a whole lot a guy could do other than slap a big sheet of plywood down and call it a day.
This was how things were until 1977 when a small wood and steel fabricating shop sprung from a two-car garage in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and became what now is known as Mar-K Quality Parts. Since then the folks at Mar-K have gone way beyond producing just top-notch yellow pine, and red oak bed wood kits with a choice of bed strips in aluminum, steel, or stainless steel, the selection has grown to nearly complete just about any Ford or Chevrolet bed a person might need. To give an idea of how many different parts Mar-K Quality Parts stock for Ford and Chevrolet the company has now moved on to create an inventory of sheetmetal and wood parts needed to restore or customize a Dodge bed. We figured since Classic Life is about the lifestyle of folks who make a living creating all of the super cool goodies that we all crave for our classic trucks we'd give you guys a peek at the people who make it all possible.
Signaling kinder gentler times,...
Signaling kinder gentler times, a forklift manufactured by the same folks who produced the famous Japanese fighter plane the Mitsubishi Zero transports southern yellow pine, and red oak from Mar-K Quality Parts' loading dock to a large oven where the wood is kiln dried to help prevent warping or cracking.
Once the red oak or southern...
Once the red oak or southern yellow pine has been fully cured the boards are cut and grooved according to pattern. Mar-K has most bed wood patterns for Chevy, Dodge, GMC, and Ford. They can also make custom wood beds.
Highly subject to rust, the...
Highly subject to rust, the metal strips that run transversely beneath the bed wood to support and connect the bedsides are known as cross sills. Here a Mar-K employee uses a large press to a make a deep bend in the cross sill exactly where it should be placed.