Ford basically took the '53 pickup bed and slapped it on the '76 (?) chassis, as noted earlier in the thread, made a few mods to the quarter panels on the box and rails.

But - and I checked this at the Ford dealer one afternoon chasing Fairlane parts for my '67 - the fenders still carried the "B3" prefix indicating 1953 production (!) which was pretty cool in 1977.

Despite my pleas, there was no way ole Dad was going to spec a candy apple red shorty Flareside with the 300 and a floor shift 4-speed OD for his FoMoCo lease car, even though I'd pored over the order manual for hours and came up with a very economical solution. At the end of the day, my mom was pretty particular about what she would (and would not) drive, and a truck was not going to be one of them no way, no how.

While the truck customizers prefer the traditional wide bed style - and toss the Flareside beds! - I still love the idea of a traditional red Effie pickup with the 300 I-6. I've hoarded most of the parts to build one in scale, just have to sit the heck down and do it.