Beams and uprights for the bed foundation were measured and cut to size, then cleaned up and welded. Then the new parts were sprayed with the same red primer as the frame and rear axle. (March 22 2018)

The chassis painted gloss black. Usually the chassis of a vehicle is painted a satin or flat black, but after using the truck a few days the chassis will be pretty much flat black or gray anyway. When we get rid of the plastic and masking tape, the rear of the truck will look nicely organized. (March 24 2018)

William in the shop again, helping out with the bed. Hundred-year-old planks were cut to manageable lenghts, laid down and turned end for end, until equal total width of 2 meters (78-¾") was achieved front to back. (March 25 2018)

The planks were measured and cut off square at one end. Then they were pushed forward towards the cab against a wood board, and cut again at the rear. The Pythagorean theorem was useful in this job (3x3+4x4=5x5 makes a 90 degree angle). The boards were of slightly different thicknesses, so some had to be cut thinner at the beams, to make the bed floor flat.

The bed is bolted to cross beams and rear mudguards cut and welded from cable tray material, shelving for installation of electrical cables. The bend is welded, as is the front most turned in part of the mudguard. (March 30 2018)

The The mud guards were finish welded and painted. Also straps from the angle stock to the bottom of the bed were made, though not mounted yet at the time this pic was taken. (March 31 2018)

As the bed finally was bolted to the frame, the licence plate light could be mounted to the bottom of the bed with a wooden wedge. Almost as an afterthought it was wired with two leads, as the wooden wedge doesn't exactly provide good ground.

Wiper arms were bought off a wrecked Caprice, and are shortened and angled to fit the truck windscreen. (April 1 2018)

After purchasing new 16" wiper blades, suitable for the pick up windshield, the arms could be final welded, ground, and squirted with some silver out of a rattle can. (April 2 2018)

The windshild washers were surprisingly work intense to get into working order. The cowl cover had to be removed, to be able to change the aged and very brittle rubber hoses. A lot of leaves and other debris was cleaned out, so it was a job that really needed to be done. (April 7 2018)

As the bumper has had its third degree contacts of sorts, it was removed. The truck looks a lot less dented with the bumper off. The bumper itself is made from some pretty sturdy material, so it will need some persuation to get back into its original shape.

After another weekend of wrenching, 10 gallons of gas was poured into the tank, and the truck backed out of the garage for the first real test drive. The testdrive was about 2 miles of melting snowy dirt roads, so the maximum speed this time was about 40 mph according to the speedo. The truck was surprisingly tail happy, and the rear end's 5.12:1 cogs will probably keep road cruising speeds well under 50. (April 8 2018)

After a weekend of wrenching and a nice testdrive, it was time to do a MOT test to get the truck registered. The test was a success, and here we are, home again after a nice drive in the rain. We'll get the licence plates tomorrow. (April 10 2018)

The truck ran and drove pretty nicely, save for an annoying misfire. It got worse, to the point where it would run only on seven cylinders. When noted that it smoked from one exhaust pipe, the problem could be boiled down to one cylinder bank. The second plug unscrewed looked like this. I had probably been smashed at some point, and after a bit of carbon had built up, it quit sparking, and just made a short circuit. Easy repair,and now the engine runs like a champ. (April 19 2018)

About 25 years ago this "America trunk" was bought at an auction, and has been resting in a cold attic since. Now it will serve as a luggage trunk on the truck, and was screwed tightly to the bed flor.

This label was glued to the trunk. It says "Nikolaistad, Wasa järnväg". Our town was called Nikolaistad until Finland got independent in 1917, so this trunk was probably sent here previous to that year.

The front bumper was pretty badly beat up, that's why it had been taken off for the MOT test. The thought behind that being that it looked better lacking the bumper, than with it in the bad shape it was. I asked Kim for help, and went to his bodyshop. He did his magic on it, starting with a big sledge hammer, and continuing with smaller hammers and a shrinker. The end result is good looking. Not perfect, but the rough look goes nicely with the over all style of the truck. The "before" pic shot a couple years ago, and "After" pic shot this morning, (April 29 2018)

Mayday cruising with the truck. Though not visible in this pic, there were hundreds of old cars in attendance. The wife in the center, and Stig, who's been helping with the project all winter, riding shotgun. (May 1st 2018)