The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop 55 2nd Bed Removal

I have most of the mechanical issues on this truck straightened out and am beginning to work on the body. I need to replace the rusted out cab corners. To do that I need to move the bed. Sometime in the past, a previous owner placed a metal plate over the entire bed on top of the rotting wood boards and welded it to all 4 sides.

Can I get to all of the bolts from the underside to remove the bed? Or do I have to somehow remove the metal bed floor first? Any tips will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Hugh

If the wood is rotten, you will have to take up the steel. You can probley cut the bolts from the bottom, but to ever put it back on any where close to right, you will have to deal with the wood.

My truck was used by a sheep farmer that welded in angel iron and dimaond plate steel. when I cut the spot welds ont the angle iron the box started to drop. the wood was rotted and only supported the box as a hole across the etire sheet of dimaond plate. I supported the bed from the sides and cut out the metal and then rebuild the entire bed. I would bet that your bed sides are rusted out where the original angel side strips are spot welded to the sides and support the edge planks. I replaced the lower 8" of metal and then spot welded new angle stips in for my wood. It took a lot of work but worth the effort. If money is no objet buy new sides, I wanted to keep as much Jansvielle Ws steel as possible and money was an object so I replaced the bottem. Good luck.

Get under and look at it. I have the same thing on my bed. It has 14 guage diamond plate on it from prior owner.

But it is only bolted in like 4 places. The four original bolts that should have the big washers on them on top of the wood. There should be 8 but They only used 4 through my metal plate. Two in front and two in back.

So removing those lets me move the whole bed up with the boards and all still attached to the top steal plate.

Just get under there and look around. See how they did it.

Mine is also spot welded to the rear cross sill and to the outer 90 degree angle bracket bolts on the sides.

I plan on grinding it off and replacing all the strips and bedwood as it is totally rotted out.

I will probably remove the fenders first so the bed will be flat and not damage the fenders if I drop the bed. I want to take the bed off to clean the frame/chassis and springs and all.

Definately pull fenders first, after that its not too bad I had my 15 yr old son help pull my 56 with a engine hoist and carted it around back on a dolly. should have 6 bolts if they are all there. Watch out for tail light wiring forgot mine until had it already been lifted. depending on how much wood is left should be 2-300 lbs

Brad

Same thing here. PO had put sheet metal over the wood and i didn't want to mess with it. You can get it off, but putting it back on is another story.

I had to take a cutoff wheel and cut some of the bolts off mine, but it wasnt' that hard. I am re-doing the bed any way, so in the end I will deal with new bolts...

See my photo link, there is a pictue album in there that shows the bed puller I made, from a pattern I saw on a body supply shop on the internet. It is for a fleetside, and may not work for a stepside, but for what-its-worth. Good luck.