Found a wood bed in the junkyard today. Think you have seen it all?

[Hiluxxulih]

Are we sure that is not a GM test truck to decide the original design of the bed ?

[rattle69]

First I've seen of this, really cool, I guess he wasn't good at metal work so he compromised.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Here's my guess: I am a Stagehand. Had my card for 28 years. Besides legitimate theater, touring shows, operas, ballets and rock 'n roll, we also do exposition work at trade shows. Not just setting up the boothes, tables and carpet, but also installing displays in certain clients' boothes.
Sometimes we get to take home stuff the client
wants to discard after the event. It's called "swag" in the trade.
My guess is there was a big auto show in Vegas [in the late '60s] and the wooden mockup for the "New Breed Truck" was in the booth. When the show was over the clients [GMC, Chevy?] didn't want to ship the bed back to Detroit, so they told the stage hands to tip it in the dumpster, and caught a plane out of town. But one of the locals had a better idea and swagged it...
Mystery over.

[70LonghornCST]

That is some amazing work. I'd loved to have seen it being constructed.

[89AKurt]

That's crazy! Maybe it was a factory prototype. /sarc off/

[snipescastle2]

this guy must have been a cabinet maker, way too much shaping done there! I give him "Cudos" for saving a grand or more in bed sides!!!
Ben

[special-K]

I was thinking boat builder, glass over wood.

[EARNHARDT#3]

I see a small rear window. Maybe it's another '67 only thing!

[toolboxchev]

No doubt a Craftsman. I do not think he got into the right project for most of the mindset around here.

[west9378]

after all these years and just about to replace the floor on a 71 and I read this laughing till I cried. The shifter questions continued to be a focus to many that I completely overlooked till I read the post questioning its placement.
the idea of the demo or show truck would lead me to believe the whole truck would have been wood vs just the bed.
The shop teacher could be the builder the wood could have been paid for out of the school budget so he just saved thousands and the labor each kid had a piece that he or she was graded on so labor was free. And the shop teacher and the automotive teacher did a swap on the bondo paint for a new set of cabinets again on the tax payer nickel.
Love this wish I had it but what would I do with it?
Thanks for the Laughs

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by west9378

after all these years and just about to replace the floor on a 71 and I read this laughing till I cried. The shifter questions continued to be a focus to many that I completely overlooked till I read the post questioning its placement.
the idea of the demo or show truck would lead me to believe the whole truck would have been wood vs just the bed.
The shop teacher could be the builder the wood could have been paid for out of the school budget so he just saved thousands and the labor each kid had a piece that he or she was graded on so labor was free. And the shop teacher and the automotive teacher did a swap on the bondo paint for a new set of cabinets again on the tax payer nickel.
Love this wish I had it but what would I do with it?
Thanks for the Laughs

'67 Model Year was pivotal. There may not have been a production example for a Fleetside in metal yet -- Mid 1966 ? -- when they needed a mock up for a big Vegas car show. Skilled Detroit fabricators could knock out what they called a ''Buck'' in very little time. Then it was mated to a Cab/Frame, and airfreighted to McCarren Field. Show over, it was ''acquired'' by a local stagehand [or Teamster] and stayed in Vegas.

[ChevyRacefan]

Cool, If I was a wood craftsman that was sitting idle since march 2020, I might have done something like this. just to keep busy. Could've been just a guy that became disabled and wanted to keep busy.

[Ol Blue K20]

This thread doesn't stay hidden for long.....

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Here's my guess: I am a Stagehand. Had my card for 28 years. Besides legitimate theater, touring shows, operas, ballets and rock 'n roll, we also do exposition work at trade shows. Not just setting up the boothes, tables and carpet, but also installing displays in certain clients' boothes.
Sometimes we get to take home stuff the client
wants to discard after the event. It's called "swag" in the trade.

I agree.

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

My guess is there was a big auto show in Vegas [in the late '60s] and the wooden mockup for the "New Breed Truck" was in the booth. When the show was over the clients [GMC, Chevy?] didn't want to ship the bed back to Detroit, so they told the stage hands to tip it in the dumpster, and caught a plane out of town. But one of the locals had a better idea and swagged it...
Mystery over.

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

'67 Model Year was pivotal. There may not have been a production example for a Fleetside in metal yet -- Mid 1966 ? -- when they needed a mock up for a big Vegas car show. Skilled Detroit fabricators could knock out what they called a ''Buck'' in very little time. Then it was mated to a Cab/Frame, and airfreighted to McCarren Field. Show over, it was ''acquired'' by a local stagehand [or Teamster] and stayed in Vegas.

I realize this is all in fun, but - I can't imagine this scenario playing out.

The industry uses clay (over a Styrofoam armature) for the design studio activity, and fiberglass if it is going to move at all.

The "car" shown below is a fiberglass mockup mounted to a square tubing framework to allow it to be rolled straight forwards or backwards (it doesn't steer).

Plus - the timing doesn't work. We have driving, representative prototypes three and four years ahead of production, well before we would be sending properties to a trade show.

It's way easier to make a metal bed than it is the complexities of a pickup cab. It would be relatively easy, inexpensive, and short lead time to create soft tools (kirksite dies) and bang out ten or twenty bed side panels for prototype and show usages.

K

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

I agree.





I realize this is all in fun, but - I can't imagine this scenario playing out.

The industry uses clay (over a Styrofoam armature) for the design studio activity, and fiberglass if it is going to move at all.

The "car" shown below is a fiberglass mockup mounted to a square tubing framework to allow it to be rolled straight forwards or backwards (it doesn't steer).

Plus - the timing doesn't work. We have driving, representative prototypes three and four years ahead of production, well before we would be sending properties to a trade show.

It's way easier to make a metal bed than it is the complexities of a pickup cab. It would be relatively easy, inexpensive, and short lead time to create soft tools (kirksite dies) and bang out ten or twenty bed side panels for prototype and show usages.

K

Well. Keith, that knocks my Trade Show Demo theory into a cocked hat.
So now we're back to the combo high school Wood shop/Auto shop theory...
And the mystery continues.
I wonder if the Marfak guys include termite control?

[Chevy4Life]

OK, it's been awhile since I bumped this and I'm going to be more active on the board now that I'm getting started on my dads 68. ENJOY!

[Jason Banks]

Thanks for bring this back, I'd seen it in the past but it's still amazing. That thing is/was a work of art. On another note, one of my trucks was definitely owned by a plumber in the past. Pretty sure I have all the plumbing parts off of it now.

[body bolt]

Around 1966 when the 'Batman' TV show was the thing I went to the automobile building during the Texas State Fair to see the 'Batmobile'. I was looking it over and noticed wood grain showing though on the red-orange bat hub caps. They were made of plywood. 'It's a fake!', I thought to myself. I was really disappointed.

[KevinK7]

Thanks for bringing back this old post.
First time seeing this, initial reaction is WTF? ...but I guess you gotta give the woodworker, boatbuilder (whatever the guy did) credit. It was falling apart when the pics were taken, but you wonder, it may have had a bunch of folks fooled when initially done

[toms68cst]

I wonder what the guy running the crusher thought when that poor truck finally met its doom.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by toms68cst

I wonder what the guy running the crusher thought when that poor truck finally met its doom.

Unless termites beat him to it.