Removing/Replacing Bed Angle Strips Questions

[Dan in Pasadena]

Posting some questions separate from my build thread to hopefully get more responses:

I just had my bed sides sandblasted and my body man wants to drill out the spot welds, have the sides re-blasted where the strips were then remount the new (stainless) strips after paint. This is make certain rust behind the strips is totally removed.

I've read that some guys remount the angle strips by re-spot welding them and that the heat damage can be polished off - can anyone confirm and if so, how to do it and have it come out nice? hat about replacing them with polishes bolts? Anyone done this?

Also, re: Ogre's truck - it has the EXACT same suspension mine will have - Fatman MII IFS and a flipped rearend in back - pictures show the truck will be really low. 5" from cab bottom to pavement. Maybe lower than I'd planned. That's fine (to a point) but Ogre advises I need bigger than a 3" C notch like he has or I will be on the bumps tops all the time.

I DON'T want to raise my bed floor, but IF I have to can this be done just a little like 1-2" and if so can I bolt the angle strips to the bed sides or will the bolt locations be too obvious/look like crap? Please post pictures if you've done this.