The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk step side angle strip removal help

It's been a while since my last post, but here it goes anyway. I am in the process of rebuilding the bed of a 1958 Chevy Apache step side. I have removed all of the deteriorated wood and bed strips and have a question about removing the angle strips so that I can replace with new units. Does anyone have any prior experience or help with the removal and reinstallation of new angle strips

They are spotwelded on. You will have to drill out the spot welds to remove them.

Are they spot welded from the back side? All I see is one bolt holding each one in place from the outside.

I guess you could say they are spot welded from
"both sides". It's not really a tack weld, but a resistance weld from current through two copper electrode tips that are squeezing the two parts together.
The weld is actually formed internally, so they are not as visible to the eye as other welds.
Get a spot weld cutter and drill from the side you don't need to save.

I drilled the welds out from the outside of the bed. All but two of the new spot welds were under the rear fender so those did not get dressed out as well as the two visible welds since I am going to undercoat that area.

If your's is like my '53, I used a spot weld cutter. Works great. I located the spot welds on the angle strip side of the bed by putting a flat tip screw driver between the bed side and the angle strip. Once located, just drill using the spot weld cutter and it works slick. At least that's how I recall doing it, but then it's been a few years. Doing it that way kept from messing up the side panels of the bed.