Bed floor removal

[m-37Bruce]

I haven't forgot about you, sounds like you been plenty busy anyway? I made four panels for my bed, did the install even before my welding skills were up to snuff.
I have to point them out to folks if I can even remember myself![img][img]http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/1926/1071643682033940873S425x425Q85.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][img]http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/1480/1071643933033940873S425x425Q85.jpg[/img][/img]

[refit1701]

Nice work! My bed is way too far gone for patches but I get encouraged when I see what can be done.

We did some patching on the Passenger side fender, I'll post pics in a bit.

[KenInGA]

Hell, your bed (the swiss-cheese looking one) looks better than mine. The whole front (including tool boxes and front bed rib) are gone. The Front panel (headboard thing) is half gone, too.

[m-37Bruce]

[URL=http://good-times.webshots.com/pho ... .jpg[/img]

Not as good as it looks, but not as bad either? The entire floor is mostly surface rust, the front valence in front of the tool box is nearly gone. [/url]
I'm guessing that the donor truck spent a lot of time in the Mekong Delta getting washed up, that valence/cross member was completely filled with hardened soil, it rusted from the inside out.
Merry Christmas Everyone,

[m-37Bruce]

Oh yeah, I took mine apart this summer. What an effort!

Once you get the sides/front off, the bed will come up. I ended up just unbolting it from the frame and tipping it up on end to seperate the floor from the crossmembers. You'll find two hidden weld nuts at the outer front (forward) corners of the wheel wells that you can't access from under the truck like the others. These you will have to drill or grind if they won't come out with a screwdriver.

What kind of shape was your forward most cross member in, my donor is worst than my original, it was full to the brim with Mekong Delta mud. (just a guess?)
My original had a 2 foot portion cut out for the pump/tank hook up.
Seasons Greetings 2 All,

[mike_l]

The forward most crossmember was in good shape. This and the second crossmember had a lot of mud packed in it as well though very little to no rust, the paint was still good underneath when I got the mud out-lucked out I reckon. Just a little surface rust in a few spots. The worst was the rear most crossmember that sits over the pintle. That one had rusted through at the bends where it narrows in the middle on both sides. I've heard others complain about that area too.

[m-37Bruce]

Where my pintal would mount is almost 2+"s out of line, not sure how I'm going to deal w/that?
It is missing the pintal still.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Yours isn't as bad as mine was.

[m-37Bruce]

Hey Will,
You had your work cut out for you.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Bruce,

Yes I did, I went through a few 3/8" bits, and burnt up my old 1/2" drill. I went back with a flat sheet of 14 gauge steel rather than the proper ribbed floor. I was able to salvage the outside flat strips of the floor, and only had to use a single piece down the center.
http://m37.wawii.com/images/DSC09304_Rear.JPG