Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement. I appreciate the help a guide coat and long board can give but I am a long way from that just yet. I don't have either a shrinking disc or a stud gun. I have do have several torch sizes including a tiny oxy-acy jewelers torch that might be easiest to control the heat and size.
Harbor Freight offers a stud gun kit for $99. I found a lot of references that had good luck with that product. Most of the people who reported a problem were using an undersized extension cord. The package states in big letters it needs a dedicated 20amp service (which I have). I don't normally buy cheap tools but I doubt I will have much need for a tool like this once my bed is done. Robert, the experiment on the deck lid in the thread you posted was interesting but if I have to make that many strikes I am not sure the HF tool is up to the task. I really don't want to spend a lot of money for a better unit.
I have given serious consideration to purchasing new bedsides from Mar-K. I have only described the trouble I found in the first 2 feet of one bedside. A quick application of a straight edge shows other areas that will need similar but smaller areas shrunk. I am sure I could make the outside of the bedsides look good because the fender covers so much of it. Its the 6+ feet of straight run on the inside of the bed that is making me wonder about new bedsides.
The donut dolly may be a viable option but I have reached a point where any additional hammer and dolly work just makes the situation worse and I am not feeling confident that I would do much better trying to shrink using the PVC or other donut.
Chuck
