Anybody Seen a tool Chest like this??

[OrangeRoughy]

My '64 truck has these 4 compartments, two on each side that go inside the bed's body panels. They appear to have been on the truck it's whole life, same amount of wear as the rest of the truck. Was this an option on these trucks? It is not mentioned on my door tag. Anyway, any information would be appreciated.

[Jims68]

Probably an aftermarket thing that was added when the truck was new. Just like a utility body that would have been added when a truck was new, but not from Dodge. I can't say 100% it isn't offered by Dodge, but probably not.

Are you going to keep them on? They look neat, but they would only be useful if your going to use them. I would never use them if they were on mine... but I wouldn't junk them either.

Cool!! I Like them.

Jim

[63d100sixer]

its probably the same company that did this to mine i want to kick some butt..they ruined a shortbed...

[BigAL]

The truck appears to have belonged to a state highway department, or some other, like a utility co. ? In any event such as that, it was most likely an item the equipment shop installed before it was issued to the unit in the field. Sometimes the equipment shop fabricated these items, and sometimes they were purchased from a vender and installed.

[OrangeRoughy]

Thanks for the responses. I too agree it was probably a "reading-type" outfit of the day that was commissioned to do the tool chest. It appear too professionally done to be a one-off in my opinion. It has survived decades without rusting out the internal area of the truck's bed and notice that "ladder bar" provisions on the corners as well. I do believe the truck was originally a state or gov't type work truck of some sort...right down to it's Omaha Orange color.

[BigAL]

Highway orange here in California. Interesting though, if you notice here in Californa, Caltrans is now painting the fleet white with a reflective orange stripe. It is because the old orange paint contained lead. So we had to discontinue that color to be lead free, lol. Now the vehicles blend in, in the snow! Snow camo. LOL I know, it doesn't snow in sunny California!

[Trailmaster]

its probably the same company that did this to mine i want to kick some butt..they ruined a shortbed...

That's pretty slick, if I had a SWB I would be suggesting a trade right now.

[hampstead38]

I'm looking for a utility body myself. No luck so far... we'll see if anything turns up this summer. I don't have any problem with a standard pickup bed, but we're going to use the D200 for serious camping. I think the utility body is a good setup for having easy access to "stuff."

[soopernaut]

It's funny, the new Rams have that as an option. Seems like everything goes full circle. Some people don't know they built trucks with 4 doors in the 60s and even 50s for other manufacturers. Then in 73 Dodge came out with the extended cab. Later a 3rd door was added, then a 4th and then the doors became front hinge and made larger. They evolved into crew cabs while the original crew cab built into the 80s eventually died.

[63d100sixer]

its probably the same company that did this to mine i want to kick some butt..they ruined a shortbed...

That's pretty slick, if I had a SWB I would be suggesting a trade right now.

I already chopped it up..I was prepping for paint, and found LOTS of lead I had no way to safely (enviromentally wise) remove the lead......I ended up scrapping it

[nfury8]

Oh man, that bed was cool! I had been looking for a utility bed, and couldn't find anything under
$1500. I have been thinking how cool it would be to do something very similar to what yours was like.

[PowerMan]

Those are cool built in tool boxes. The original "Ram Box".

[63d100sixer]

Oh man, that bed was cool! I had been looking for a utility bed, and couldn't find anything under
$1500. I have been thinking how cool it would be to do something very similar to what yours was like.

I had it listed on this site for sale, trade, and even free.....I had to do something with it, especially because ive been packing everything I can for my move to reno..I already got almost everything here, now I just need to go get my frame, cab, and boxes of parts.....

If I would have known you wanted it, I would even have gone halves in on shipping to get it to you...I was practically in tears when it was scrapped...but like I said, it had A LOT of lead...it was so heavy on the passengerside, that the springs were worn, the bushings in the springs were gone, and the shock was (original) blown, yet the other side was still useable....it steered pretty straight, but you could feel it...

[Hobcobble]

I had it listed on this site for sale, trade, and even free.....I had to do something with it, especially because ive been packing everything I can for my move to reno..I already got almost everything here, now I just need to go get my frame, cab, and boxes of parts.....

If I would have known you wanted it, I would even have gone halves in on shipping to get it to you...I was practically in tears when it was scrapped...but like I said, it had A LOT of lead...it was so heavy on the passengerside, that the springs were worn, the bushings in the springs were gone, and the shock was (original) blown, yet the other side was still useable....it steered pretty straight, but you could feel it...

You can't keep it all. Its just the way things work out sometimes ya know.
Shortly after you ditch something you've held onto for years.... folks come
out of the woodwork looking for just that item
John

[hampstead38]

The problem with utility bodies is that they get the crap beat out of them. The rust here on the east coast is just brutal. We sell our fleet trucks with the utility bodies on them because they just aren't worth swapping forward.

I'd love a utility box with a 60s "look," but I haven't found diddly yet. Either the boxes are trashed (rusted through and beat to hell) or they are decent and the guy wants a small fortune. Well, I guess it wouldn't be an old truck if a guy wasn't always on the lookout for parts.

[63d100sixer]

The problem with utility bodies is that they get the crap beat out of them. The rust here on the east coast is just brutal. We sell our fleet trucks with the utility bodies on them because they just aren't worth swapping forward.

I'd love a utility box with a 60s "look," but I haven't found diddly yet. Either the boxes are trashed (rusted through and beat to hell) or they are decent and the guy wants a small fortune. Well, I guess it wouldn't be an old truck if a guy wasn't always on the lookout for parts.

thats why this one got pulled apart..i was going to fix the little bit of cancer that was on it, but a little ways in, I found a little bit of lead, which became more and more as I removed paint....It just wasn't worth it to me to have a shop professionally remove the lead..it would have been more then if I were to ship a bed from florida

[Trailmaster]

I already chopped it up..I was prepping for paint, and found LOTS of lead I had no way to safely (enviromentally wise) remove the lead......I ended up scrapping it

Melt it out with a torch, make certain you have a steel plate or soemthing to catch it with, and sell it at the recyclers. Lead is usually worth more than the steel is.

The problem with utility bodies is that they get the crap beat out of them. The rust here on the east coast is just brutal. We sell our fleet trucks with the utility bodies on them because they just aren't worth swapping forward.

I'd love a utility box with a 60s "look," but I haven't found diddly yet. Either the boxes are trashed (rusted through and beat to hell) or they are decent and the guy wants a small fortune. Well, I guess it wouldn't be an old truck if a guy wasn't always on the lookout for parts.

There's a pretty cool setup in the local wrecking yard that uses a Utiline bed with the boxes bolted to the outside. If I was any kind of bodyman I would get them, but it would cost several thousand to fix the dents and rust. I can make everything I need fit in mine with the crossbox tool box and the two boxes I made for the inside the bed behind the wheelwells on the 65 Dodge. I still have them and will install them on the 70 once I get the trans fixed. The only problem with them is that I lose a lot of bed space, with a LWB Sweptline I'll have the same open space as a SWB Utiline.

[63d100sixer]

I already chopped it up..I was prepping for paint, and found LOTS of lead I had no way to safely (enviromentally wise) remove the lead......I ended up scrapping it

Melt it out with a torch, make certain you have a steel plate or soemthing to catch it with, and sell it at the recyclers. Lead is usually worth more than the steel is.

The problem with utility bodies is that they get the crap beat out of them. The rust here on the east coast is just brutal. We sell our fleet trucks with the utility bodies on them because they just aren't worth swapping forward.

I'd love a utility box with a 60s "look," but I haven't found diddly yet. Either the boxes are trashed (rusted through and beat to hell) or they are decent and the guy wants a small fortune. Well, I guess it wouldn't be an old truck if a guy wasn't always on the lookout for parts.

There's a pretty cool setup in the local wrecking yard that uses a Utiline bed with the boxes bolted to the outside. If I was any kind of bodyman I would get them, but it would cost several thousand to fix the dents and rust. I can make everything I need fit in mine with the crossbox tool box and the two boxes I made for the inside the bed behind the wheelwells on the 65 Dodge. I still have them and will install them on the 70 once I get the trans fixed. The only problem with them is that I lose a lot of bed space, with a LWB Sweptline I'll have the same open space as a SWB Utiline.

I didnt have a torch, plus they built 2 story houses all around me..I get code enforcement called on me if I dont cover my mouth when I sneeze, so i was iffy about even cutting the bed up....I cant wait for the italian cypresses to grow in.....60 ft of SOLID fence

[OrangeRoughy]

Are you going to keep them on? They look neat, but they would only be useful if your going to use them. I would never use them if they were on mine... but I wouldn't junk them either.

Cool!! I Like them.

Jim

Absolutely, use them quite a bit, holds a lot of stuff (tools, supplies...cooler ) and each unit is lockable...nice.
I still wonder what this old girl did originally? Crazy tool box, factory winch, mlco lock, 4:88 gears and radio delete. Clearly some type of gov't agency or something but can't imagine it doing any highway time. Almost more like a Forestry service vehicle, but they're usually some shade of green. It was originally from Oregon, anyone from around there have any ideas?

[WD]

I grew up in Washington, beds like that were common in the timber and mining industries. Weyerhaeuser still has the F450/550 4x4s set up with similar. And orange or yellow is common in the woods. That shade isn't found in nature (well, maybe on squash), doesn't disappear in winter.