The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop welding a bed panel

first let me say this is a 55 2nd sereis 3200, the front panel on my truck is missing the lower half, some one replaced it with a multi laminated fiber steel sheet ( plywood) I have a donor part I have to cut and fit, My question is this Is the bed steel thick enough I can run a couple inch bead at a time and not worry about wrapping the panel? or should I connect the dots in a slow sheet metal way?

Based on my experience with doing the exact thing you're attempting, I'd recommend the dot method, planishing each dot as you go. Flat panels are especially sensitive to shrinkage at the weld joint and the planishing helps keep things flat. I predict that you'll need to do some shrinking to get the panel flat again after you complete the patch, even with the dot method. I wouldn't try to run beads, as that panel will likely become warped beyond salvage.

Check out Robert's (username MP&C) posts for some really good info on patching panels.

Good luck.

I did a similar job yesterday: bottom few inches the of front bed panel was gone. The rotted part was cut off parallel to the top roll. Made a new panel to replace the cut off part with an inch or so overlap. Drilled holes in the new panel every 3 inches or so along the overlap. Plug welded the holes working back and forth so not to warp the panel.

The overlap is visible, but the line is parallel to the embossed lines on the panel so it looks OK to me. I'm retired and I have the time to do this sort of thing, otherwise it would likely be better to simply buy a new panel from Mar-K. (e.g)

X2 on it being better (cheaper) to buy a new panel. I have as much in the patch panel I had fabbed than the initial cost for a new entire bed front (but that doesn't count shipping.)
I'm not retired (yet), but patched mine as an exercise in restoring panels. I've since gone on to patching both bedsides, fenders, etc. because I felt that was the way to restore my truck. Just seems too easy to go buy all new parts - anyone with money can do that. But I think it's kind of disingenuous to say "I restored this truck" if it was just bolting parts together.

Well worth the time to read MP&C and easy to follow.

Two of you have now mentioned MP&C but failed to provide a link.

I guess it would help if we spelled his username correctly. Sorry.
It's MPandC. Search on his username in the Paint and Body Shop forum.

Here's a post of his on the subject of patch panel welding.
Be sure to check out the link in his signature. Good reading. The guy is an artist.

Super! Thank you!

OT: Kevin: We try to do as much as we can ourselves. After all, it's a hobby truck. Don't have the tools or ability to DIY everything (e.g. wouldn't try to rebuild an automatic transmission)

thanks who is Mar-K

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