bed skin replacement

[Mr Chevorlet]

Sorry for asking but I could not find any info on this. But is there a diagram on where the bed skins are welded on a fleet side long box. If so is there any pictures. Thanks

[chiefcfd]

If you are talking about the entire bedside it is only welded in one place, just inside the tailgate. I don't think you can buy just a skin.

[hugger6933]

The outer skin is welded to the inner but I don't think it was ever serviced like that from Chevrolet and I am pretty sure that no parts vendor does either. I have done a lot of bed skins on newer trucks like the 99-07 and a few 07 and newer and they are quite a easy repair, I wished that they dids make an outer skin as I coulduse a few my self. Now if you are talking about where the whole bedside is welded on to the box at there are just a few welds. One set is at the back on the square portion were the stake pockets are formed where they meet the bed floor. And another set up front sometimes by the front panel. Jim

[Mr Chevorlet]

My dad had bed skins put on in the late 80's at a votec school so they said. But anyway the insides are really bad but the outside skins are good. And I have other bedsides I bought that I need to replace the top in a few areas by the stake pockets. And I was going to cut sections off of one and put on the other. And I didn't know if they were welded along the top by the stake pockets anywhere.

[mrein3]

Call me anal. Call me stupid. You can call me lots of things but here is what I did. ALL factory panels have this issue. There is NO paint between panels like on modern cars. Modern bodies are dipped in primer so the inside of all the nooks and crannies gets epoxy. In 1972 they got sprayed. On the outside only. That is why ALL rocker panels on these trucks are replaced or will need to be. You desert guys will get your chance, it will just take longer.

I purchased a dismantled bed off of craigslist. I was going to repair the aftermarket fuel door cutout out on the RHS, put the bed together, spray it my color, and call it a bed. Before I got around to it I happened to look inside one of the bedsides while it was propped upright in my shop. ICK! Thick, scaley rust throughtout the whole inside of the panel.

Now you guys with more money than time would simply look for a new panel that they recently came out with. Or get one shipped from the desert. But then you're still stuck with a panel that will rust from the inside out and in this moist Minnesota climate, it happens pretty fast.

I split the bedside, wirewheeled the rust off, did the PPG acid prep step following the directions on the bottle, masked off the places it needs to be welded back together, and epoxied EVERYTHING else. The places I masked I hit with rattle can weld-through primer.

Long story short, take a look at my pictures for where the spots are that need to be drilled out. I didn't take a picture of where the wheel arch is welded. Those are not spot welds but bird poop globs that you can see on any truck.

I hope the pictures help.

OK. Manage Attachments won't let me upload right now. I'll try the pix later...

[mrein3]

Picture try. Again.
Still no go. Pix under 100kb. Under 642 pixels wide. Restarted computer. Can send/receive other stuff. No clue.

[SS Tim]

Here is a picture of yours I found. Might help until you can get more or better posted.

[SS Tim]

Starfire58 has experience replacing bed skins might be worth dropping him a PM on the subject.

See here starting at post #13
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=551365

[67ChevyRedneck]

I'm saving this thread.... planning on doing this to my bed sides.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Leonard1]

Holy cow, I just finished doing the same thing to my bedsides. Check it out:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=567307