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.
Afterwards the cross sill...
Afterwards the cross sill is quality checked with precision calipers to ensure the completed cross sill will provide an accurate fit.
Mar-K manufactures hidden...
Mar-K manufactures hidden latches for GM, Ford, and Dodge stepside tailgates and '58-66 GM Fleetside tailgates. Here we see Greg Davis, Mar-K's production manager, inspecting the parts to ensure they are attached correctly and measure up to the desired specification.
In this photo we see Mar-K...
In this photo we see Mar-K bedsides being loaded onto a custom manufactured resistance welder. This one-of-a kind machine places the welds in exactly the same spacing from end-to-end thanks to a computer controller that ensures the welds are consistently strong and reliable for the life of the bed.
With as much attention paid...
With as much attention paid to custom manufacturing steel and wood bed parts a Mar-K employee puts the finishing touches on a custom made tailgate shipping container. Notice the crate walls are padded with extra thick insulation.
Utilizing a pair of Mar-K...
Utilizing a pair of Mar-K bedsides equipped with the pivot pin seen here being welded on by a Mar-K employee means time saved not having to custom fabricate parts to adapt to a stock bedside.
One of Mar-K's most popular...
One of Mar-K's most popular customizing upgrades are their tailgates with hidden latches and link assemblies. The tailgate shown here is for a '58-66 Chevy or GMC Fleetside, take note of how finely defined the Chevrolet script is stamped into the tailgate's face.