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8/20/24 Over the last week, I’ve been disassembling the bed to get it sandblasted and apply epoxy prime. The process was slow so I didn’t cause any more damage. I was able to save all of the clutch head screws that attach the fenders and the rod that connects the two sides with the front panel by heating the nuts then dousing with PB Blaster. A few do have some vice grip teeth marks, that that I’ll be able to remove on my lathe with a file. The rest of the hardware doesn’t matter since they were all standard nuts and bolts.

Overall the bed is in pretty good shape. The driver and passenger fenders has a bit of rot on the lower front that needs attention. It could be fixed but I think a patch panel would ultimately speed up the repair. A few of the issues on the passengers side were structural so I made them prior to sending the fender to the sandblasters. It needed a small patch on the flange in the center of the wheel well, allot of hammer and dolly work to work out the dents that were covered with a 1/4” of Bondo and a bit of weld repair on the very back lower flange section.

The front panel is completely gone below the floor and although I could repair it, I question whether I should just replace it to save time. All of the crossmember bed supports are shot, including the rear. A fellow ‘Bolter graciously gave me another rear in rusty but decent shape so I’m good to go there.

Both bed sides look pretty good too. Pretty straight with minimal rust where the fenders bolt on and just a few holes from where a few of the angle spot rivets ripped thru, when I took it off. The rear stake pockets will need attention.

Next step is to take them to the sandblaster’s, prime then storage.