Posted by Clint Dixon [172.70.131.74] on Sunday, December 04, 2022 at 15:46:13 :
In Reply to: Factory Flat Bed posted by Daniel Saucy [172.69.33.123] on Sunday, December 04, 2022 at 11:43:21 :
The image Vaughn shared is the closest we have so far of actually seeing a Power-Wagon factory flat bed (Stake and Platform) pictured in Chrysler print. It was taken from "MoPAR Parts List for Dodge Power Wagon", #D15788, issued April 1956.
No other Power-Wagon specific MoPAR parts list, neither before nor after (except for the loose leaf version of the same list), ever included a picture of, contained part numbers for, or made mention of any stake and platform parts specific for the Power-Wagon. This is interesting as most flat beds up until later in the 1960's were either 7-feet or 9-feet in length. The Power-Wagon was, of course, kind of an odd-ball at 8-feet in length.
The 1956 list is even more of a mystery as it shows very little as far as available parts for the "Stake and Platform" that it pictured. Both left and right side skid rails are listed as new part numbers having never been used, or appeared before, in any previous parts books distributed by Chrysler Corp.
There are only 8 other parts numbers listed and these are for the stakes, stake rack connectors, front and rear cross sill sake pockets, and a latch. All of these are shown to be "used as required" and are not shown as new numbers which strongly suggest that they are common parts shared by other "Stake and Platform" bodies available for other trucks presumably of different lengths and possibly widths.
Notice that the image shared by Vaughn does not show rounded corners at the front of the bed. It also does not show any clearance radius in the rail above the rear tires. These two features common common from some after market suppliers that produced basically generic beds to fit many trucks.
It is interesting that the list of parts in the 1956 manual is limited to such a degree and results in only scratching the surface of the entire Bill of Materials (list of parts) that would have been shown on an engineering drawing of the complete assembly and definitely required to build such.
The image I have attached here is of Stake and Platform of a different design shown on a newly built Power-Wagon at the Mound Road factory complete with window stickers and grease pencil markings. Notice how the platform has no added skid rails outside of the stakes as shown in Vaughn's image. Overall side rails appear taller from their bottom to their top and are basically flat on their sides with a strengthening roll at both the top and lower edges. There is not added "skid rail". The stake pockets appear to be formed right into the side rails as well as the "front rail" as shown in the image. The image shown by Vaughn, as well as the accompanying text and part numbers in the manual appear to suggest that its "Skid Rails" play a function in locating the stakes possibly by containing the actual mating pockets that the bottoms of the stakes fit into.
Also note that the image I have shown here does not show a curvature at the front corners that would appear to be any greater in radius than the curvature at the rear corner. Also note that there is no radius clearance cut in the side rail above the rear tire. The side racks (specifically the stakes, connectors, and latches all appear to be very similar to those shown in Vaughn's image and again suggest that the majority of the parts shown in the 1956 parts list were simply off-the-shelf items common to those use by various flat bed manufactures. This would make perfect sense from a manufacturing and supply standpoint. No need for Chrysler to reinvent these parts when they were readily available elsewhere. These same brackets, stakes, and latches are still available today from multiple manufacturers.
My image does have bow pockets added to the corners of the stake racks to accept top bows and a tarp however.
More to follow.
Junior
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