[Bob Carriere]

Hi David

I never had the opportunity to examine closely a cargo box like yours....but I can tell you that the 2B1 box is simply flat stock bent in a pan/box brake. Everything is either 45 or 90 degree bends...... except the head board of the cargo box and the tail gate..... noting is any wider than 40 inches.... all the bits and pieces where the welded or bolted (depending on the model) to create a final assembly.

During the war period a number of small local/back yard shops were making subassemblies by the barrell full....(referred to by economist as cottage industry)... they would receive the raw material... which they would bend, fold, drill and partly assembled as sub components.

Even uniforms were created in subassemblies..... my grandmother would do pockets for pants or coats in OD cotton.... but her specialty was sowing braids..... she would get rolls of braids used by Lance corporal, corporal and sergeant.... she would cut them to size and sow them on a wollen felt backing..... by the thousand using an old home threadle type Singer machine.
For years into the fifties all our wool blankets were hemmed in Corporal stripes either Green or airforce blue....

Back to your box...... try making a mock up using light cardboard..... figure out where and how the bends have to be done..... a certain sequence is required to be able to reach into tight bends.....

I intend to repro my rusted 2B1....plans are to precut everything with the plasma cutter and have a local fabricator do the bends as the sheet metal is 12 gauge and 14 gauge...... then we will adjust with grinders and weld....

Rivets are rivets and maybe hard to duplicate with out actually riviting if both sides are visible..... but you could use aluminium and air powered hammers...make sure your friends are heavy enough to hold the bucking bar...

Bob