OT: Pickup Bed Removal

[Hotfoot]

It'll soon be On Topic, however, because I'm about to slice the side off and weld a new one on....but here is a (EASY!) bed removal on my F150 using my HF Cherry Picker. Just unbolt the three little bolts around the filler cap, the one "hose clamp" holding the filler tube underneath, undo the tailight harness (I just took the lights off and dropped the harness through the holes), and then the 6 bed bolts (T50's). The entire operation should take a casual and careful man about an hour...an aggessive hype-type like me only about 55 minutes.:)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/byeboy/IMG_1332.jpg

[Sberry]

You really need some more stuff in the way to make that easier, someplace to set more stuff on.

[TJS]

What is going in place of it. I made a flat bed/dump for mine.
Best thing I ever did.
T.J.

http://www.tjsperformance.com/chevytruck.htm

[MAC702]

This is unchartered territory for you. That part underneath looks like it runs...

[Hotfoot]

Well, it came off to replace the driver's side...which doesn't look bad in the pic, but is a bad, wavy job done with TWO GALLONS of bondo back when I bought the truck. It was totalled by the insurance company, and had body damage all the way around, but mechanically it was very nice, with 26,000 miles on it. That was 40,000 miles ago, and I finally happened upon a bedside, so I 'm in the process of swapping sides.
The Cherry Picker lifts it enough for a drive-away. I thought of doing a flat bed, but a normal one better suits my needs.:)

[whateg0]

You really need some more stuff in the way to make that easier, someplace to set more stuff on.

If you think he needs more places, you should see my garage. I'd take a pic for you, but I can't fit the camera in it. :D :D

Dave

[whateg0]

That's kinda what I need to do. Hook a cherry picker to it, pull the tires out from under it and put them on a new truck.

Dave

[Hotfoot]

You really need some more stuff in the way to make that easier, someplace to set more stuff on.
Hey, Berry: All that wood is the crib that I bulit to hold it up after driving the truck away. Its a knock-down, but in the end I'm not using it (the crane does fine)....it makes a neat 4x8 work surface, though, and doesn't take up much room knocked down.:)

[MadMax]

Heh, we had 3 people to take the 8' bed of my '78 f250.. My dad and myself lifting it, and my friend to pull the truck out. Not fun, thats for sure. It lightened the truck enough that getting up the hill in my driveway meant either slipping the clutch A LOT or just letting it go normally and watch the rear end hop all over...

So you can imagine how much fun it was holding that bed with one other person.. I ended up pushing it in the garage with the tractor's snowblade..

-Max.

[tenfingers]

Save the bolts and the clipnuts that they go into just in case you ever need them. Ford is so proud of them they want over $100 or just 6 nuts and bolts. At least they did for my Ranger.

[drizler]

I have been wanting to take the box off my 88 Silverado so I can clean up the frame, weld up some ugly spots and refininish it. Can a Freeman loader on an old Farmall do the trick ?:(

[tenfingers]

I had the help of a friend to lift off the bed with tailgate. We're both big guys, and it wasn't that hard but it was only a Ford Ranger. Next time I will use a cherry picker or crane and drive out from under.

Have someone to help hold the bed stable. Don't forget taillight wires and fuel neck.

[Hotfoot]

I have been wanting to take the box off my 88 Silverado so I can clean up the frame, weld up some ugly spots and refinish it. Can a Freeman loader on an old Farmall do the trick ?:(
I did this one all by myself, including cutting the side off the donor one and welding it to this bed...and, believe it or not, I'm about to paint it with Rustoleum and a roller, per a thread this Mopar guy in Canada put up in another forum...
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2331682&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1
(Tremclad is Canadian Rustoleum...same company, apparently)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/byeboy/IMG_1333.jpg

I lifted the Stepside bed off my '67 Chevy C10 with one of those $15.00 cable pullers on a tree limb. Worked very easy.

[Masher Mfg]

. Can a Freeman loader on an old Farmall do the trick ?:(

Now I know there are 2 of these loaders in existance. I've got one on my Leroi Tractair. The loader came off a 8N Ford and I adapted it to my tractor. Ended up using a electric pump for the hydraulics. ( Power up, gravity down and spring trip for the bucket. )

The loader is a bit too wide for the weight of my machine so digging is pretty much out. It is helpful when loading scrap concrete blocks or for picking stuff with a chain.

[whateg0]

The only thing I have noticed with colors of Rustoleum (and I know there are different grades, so to speak) is the colors seem to fade more quickly than a 'quality' paint. Of course, you won't have that much of a problem with white. Other than that, I have also made things that were painted with rattlecans and with some work they look great.

Good luck, and keep posting pics.

Dave

[Hotfoot]

Here's coat#3 with the Rustoleum applied by roller. It beginning to come out pretty darn good! $10.00 fender paint job!:p
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/byeboy/IMG_1338.jpg

[whateg0]

How does the sheen compare to the factory paint? It's hard to tell from the pic.

Dave

[Hotfoot]

Nothing like a new truck, but at this point its at least 85% of the present finish. I'll try buffing it up after about a week, and see were that gets me. I'll take a "more reflective" shot after it drys. It does "lay down" as it drys. When you first roll it, it looks like a very crappy orange peel paint job...then, 15 minutes later it "Oh, that's not so bad"...then, an hour after that"Its really smoothing out nicely!!..
I was as big a skepic as anyone out there, and figured I'd try it, then simply strip the panel down and do it right...but I'm a Happy Camper with the way its coming out. My friend wants me to do here black Volvo 850R's hood, roof, and trunk where the clear coat is badly flaked and frosted from the Texas sun. Its black, so that''ll be interesting. She's of the opinion that even a brush could improve over the mess that's there now, so, we'll see! I figure sanding off her mess will be much harder than getting a decent finish.

[whateg0]

I figure sanding off her mess will be much harder than getting a decent finish.

Sanding isn't so bad with some airflow and a good d/a. (That's not the same as saying it's fun.) Oh- and a good mask.

Dave

[drizler]

Stripping is one large PITA to say the very least. As for paint you can usually get as good a job as the factory using the modern toxic as **** paints with iscocyanates. From what I see you did the right thing leaving it be and just scuffing the old stuff. If it was a total restoration of a vintage Jag or something sure strip but for your everyday driver its a waste. That of course doesn't apply to early 90's Chevys where the paint just peeled off in long strips.:eek:
What type of paint did you use on that beasty?

[Hotfoot]

..."What type of paint did you use on that beasty?"....
errr....ahhh....Rustoleum (quart can, not spray)...:o

[realitycheck]

How come theres no pics of the welding process? :confused:

[Hotfoot]

How come theres no pics of the welding process? :confused:
Boy, Good Question, Reality! (This IS a welding forum, after all)...I just got so wrapped up in doing it (all by myself), I neglected to step back and take a few. It went pretty straight forward... spot welded the flange along the bed bottom, and left enough overlap at the front and rear to do plug welds, which I followed with a lap weld seam on each. Plug welded where the factory spot welds had been on the frame horns. Flapped it down, put Rust Converter on it all, Bondo to pretty up the front and rear seams, then paint outside, did brush-on liner inside...which looks good, but is not 1/4 of the thickness of the spary in that I have in there to start with. Its looking much better than the big bondo side I've been sporting for the past few years, however!
Frame horn , plus part of the lower seam...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/byeboy/IMG_1347.jpg
Bed front "wall", which was overlapped to permit plug welds, then seam welded as well...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/byeboy/IMG_1345.jpg

[realitycheck]

Cool thats more like it. I liked how you overlapped to do the plug welds. I wouldnt have thought of that. Im a newb though, hehe.

[Hotfoot]

However...(and I would have buzzed off the backside of those plug welds, but I thought the liner was going to hide them!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/byeboy/BedFrontComments.jpg