seat and side wood slats

[lewisgrace]

Do any of you knowledgeable people know what type of wood I should use to replace the side and seat slats on my M37, many thanks Bill U.K.

[k8icu]

The original wood on the truck was either Oak or Ash. Though oak was more common than the ash. You can use what ever wood you like, but it should be a hard wood and not a soft wood. Pine is out maple could be in. Are you going to paint them like original or leave them natural like many owners do?

[lewisgrace]

Thanks for the info, I can buy American oak here in England so that could be the one to go for. I would like to leave the timber in its natural state, I realise its not as original but they do look the cats whiskers when finished like that.

[52 M-42]

White Oak is what the military used. It's hard and resists rot well.

I've always wanted to make a set out of teak, but after seeing what white oak was selling for, I've always chickened out.

It would be nice looking, though.....

52 M-42

[k8icu]

Some seats made out of tongue oiled walnut would looks spectacular on the truck. If you want to go with a more modern look see if you can find seats off of a 2.5 or 5 ton truck or even a HMMWV as many of them in the last 10 -15 years have been made out of fiberglass.

[ZGjethro]

White Oak is what the military used. It's hard and resists rot well.

I've always wanted to make a set out of teak, but after seeing what white oak was selling for, I've always chickened out.

It would be nice looking, though.....

52 M-42

My truck is non-military in appearance. It was painted that bright yellow fire departments use. I added three rail sideboards (not original style seats) and was thinking about using teak until I priced it. I ended up using red oak, and it looks pretty good.

[52 M-42]

Teak would be gorgeous, but I'm afraid the cost would be just too extravagant. Although, with what I've probably put into my truck over the last 35 years, it probably wouldn't amount to much, overall.

I've also often thought about walnut. Three walls in my living room are covered in walnut with a hand rubbed oil finish, so I have an example of what it would look like.

I just continue to pound into my head "Keep It Stock! Keep It Stock! Keep It Stock!..."

Still, it is a nice fantasy to daydream about.

52 M-42