Based on the small sample of parts I purchased from Mar-K, I gave them a 5 star rating. They communicate well (email), provide good documentation and provide quality parts. If there's a downside (in this "get-it-tomorrow" world), it would be the lead time. My order took the better part of three weeks to arrive. This leads me to believe that Mar-K might be a side hustle or a very small operation. Regardless, I would purchase from them again. But, if you're in a hurry, you will need to plan ahead.
Here's a bit of a review I posted in my
Flare Side Bed Rebuild thread:
The rear cross sill came in it's own box and included copious amounts of sheet foam, at both ends and in the middle. It's pretty clear that it was made after I placed the order for it (in other words, made-to-order, for me). You can still see the scribe marks on the steel to de-mark bend and cut points. It is significantly better than my old one and I'll get some comparison images posted. I did a test fit of the wood blocks I cut (using the old ones as a template). They fit snuggly and the holes drilled for the bed-to-frame bolts might need some slight adjustments (with a circular rasp).
As for the wood (oak) bed flooring; wow. I cannot believe this is the Grade B wood. I would be happy with this flooring kit if my truck was going to be a Garage Queen. Granted, there are a few very small knots and some worm holes but all of that is on the surfaces meant to face downwards, toward the ground. All surfaces that are visible from inside the bed are very, very nice.
The instructions/documentation that are included are comprehensive and include the steps on how to re-assemble the bed so as to be able to insure proper fit of the flooring. I will need to test fit the two pieces that go under the bed sides. They did not come pre-drilled for all of the carriage bolts that are used to afix the bed sides to the bed floor. Also included are instructions on how the rear sill should be re-assembled and mounted as well as how to prep it for final coatings (paint).
The wood will need some attention to prep for stain. I knew this going in and the instructions confirm what I've read, on-line, about how to treat wood for long-life in this particular application. I have a little clean-up to do around the milled areas for the bed strips and around the holes drilled for the 1/2" bed-to-frame bolts. Then, I'll need to slightly round over all 90* corners so as to prevent the stain from failing (any 90* corner on a piece of wood will be the 'weakest' area when it comes to coatings). Due to the nature of the angle, the coating will be thinnest at that point and therefore prone to failure. At the very least, they should be radiused to 1/16" with either sand paper or with a router bit.
I've decided to use a Benjamin Moore tinted stain that blends with the colors that my once Toreador Red truck has become. It's more a silvery rose-gold now. However, the one color that I think really goes with the patina only comes in a solid opacity. The oak grain is much nicer than I anticipated so I think I may go with a semi-solid (or even a semi-transparent) stain instead. Mar-K included a 2" x 2" x 6.5' piece of scrap oak that I can use to test stain colors. That's pretty nice of them.
Dave A
'80 F-150
'11 Ranger
'17 Expedition
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