Custom truckers have been replacing unsightly Ford F-100 rear bumpers with custom roll pans since the '50s. Hundreds of designs have been created and installed from boxy roll pans to smoother forms that include lights and even exhaust ports. Years ago, John Swaving, George Tremain, and Pete Colwill, the owners of Pro's Pick Custom Pickup Beds & Parts developed their own steel replacement pickup bed, which is tough, durable, and show quality. They added, "We feel the need to build and sell superior products, which we would be proud to display on our own vehicle(s). We try our best to give you products that are unique, fill a genuine need, and are user friendly."
After installation, the Pro's Pick Smoothie Roll Pan becomes an integral part of the bed, as it also serves as the rear bed bracket/seal. Constructed from 12-gauge steel, it is one-piece and as tough and heavy as a rear bumper!
Surfing Pro's Pick's catalog you will discover that they not only supply replacement beds for classic Ford, Chevy, and Dodge trucks, but 30-plus bed-associated products as well including bed wood, tonneau covers, and tailgates to custom roll pans made of steel and fiberglass.
When I first fabricated my '56 Ford F-100, Pro's Pick had not yet developed a pan to fit their own bed. I had one made that was unique; however, after being rear-ended I opted to install the one shown in the photos. Made from 12-gauge steel (nearly 1/8-inch thick), these roll pans are actually formed as a one-piece rear crossmember. The pan incorporates the final crossmember of the bed. So this roll pan is a one-piece unit that only fits the Pro's Pick bed, which has the Smoothie gate kit. These one-piece roll pans are a bolt-on with a license plate recess included. They are available with a light package and a fuel filler door as options.
I opted to purchase the smoothie, steel roll pan with the optional light kit. The pan is heavy and made of bumper-thick 12-gauge steel, and came with the optional taillamp kit. But, to my surprise, the holes were not cut in the pan. My garage is not a machine shop, but as you will see from the images, where there is a will, there is a way.
I get nothing but compliments on the final product; it added a touch of class to my '56 Ford pickup. While I'm not looking for a repeat of the accident that destroyed the first rear pan, I am a lot more comfortable knowing this 12-gauge unit serves somewhat as a bumper to protect that rear-mounted fuel tank.
