Thanks Lane (and Bruce) for the help.

I'll be checking swap meets in the Fort Worth area; I know it's a long shot but I may get lucky. I've checked out the new sheet metal from a couple of vendors. You're right, I might have to bite the bullet and shell out three grand or so to get the parts, then end up stretching the bed with a grafted plug.

The sheet metal bed parts I've seen seem to run about 16 gauge. Has anyone had any good (or bad) experiences with any new sheet metal beds? Any vendors that seem to be better to deal with?

I know converting a flatbed to a conventional bed isn't necessarily the smartest/most economical way to go. I just like how the big 1 ton pickups look.

Dave