1966 custom camper & alaskan camper survivor

[murdoc]

[TJ's Chevy]

Gotta be the best factory original bed known thus far!

[sodly]

Did you find the date code stamped into the wood?

[Advanced Design]

Wow, that is pretty amazing.

[murdoc]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

Gotta be the best factory original bed known thus far!

I think OEM4ME still holds the title for best original bed. As well as best original paint job/interior/upholstery/engine bay etc...

[murdoc]

Originally Posted by sodly

Did you find the date code stamped into the wood?

I haven't looked for it yet... Where is a good place to begin looking? More towards the cab, on the end of one of the boards?

[jocko]

wow, gorgeous! love this truck and camper and the story.

[60-66]

Amazing to see the , Paper , staples and over spray used to mask off the bedwood during assembly masking so well preserved . Did you use anything to gloss up the wood or is that natural ? Very very nice Murdoc !

[aggie91]

That floor is amazing.

[murdoc]

Found the date stamp on the bed wood..



The flash may make it hard to see, it reads: A 3 14 66


Someone asked as to whether I did anything to the original paint to produce the result seen in the pictures....I didn't do anything except pressure wash the bed while the front end was jacked up, allowing the water to drain down and off the tailgate. I boosted the heat in the shop and let it air dry in that position overnight.

For those concerned about being too aggressive with the cleaning, I did test a spot first, and the paint is really on there, so I wasn't worried about going at it with the pressure washer.

For those interested in the finer details, I was really surprised by how thick the paint was applied onto the bed wood from the factory, and how tacky it still feels to the touch. Its not so tacky that it would leave fingerprints or footprints, but it feels to the touch like it is still fresh paint. I don't know what that means really, but just my observation.
The lack of paint, and the slight gouging in the wood between front of the wheel wells and the tailgate are from the camper inserts that were removable and used for storage. As for the other random markings and marrings, they might have happened back in 66 when the paint really was fresh and tacky.

[oem4me]

Thrilling stuff for those inclined. Nothing less than archeology for the truck enthusiast. I still say 12k on that puppy. Cool beans.

[64jmb]

Very cool to see that all original like that. Especially the stamp date in the wood in the bed! Great find!

[sodly]

Neat bed! Funny, my date stamp was oriented the other direction. Is yours a Fremont truck?

[murdoc]

Originally Posted by sodly

Neat bed! Funny, my date stamp was oriented the other direction. Is yours a Fremont truck?

The numbers stamped into the bed wood were on the forward-most edge of one of the planks in the center, facing towards the back of the cab. So I did have to flip the image upside down for it to read right.




C =2wd
25 =3/4 ton
4 =Pickup
6 =1966
J =Janesville plant
140789 = 40,788th production number for that year


The J in the VIN seems to indicate that in was assembled at the Janesville, WI plant.