55.2-59 Stake pocket welded to bed rail

[Dave Garon]

I' building a 56 chevy step side short box and the previous owner welded the top of the stake pockets to the round section of the bed rail. They even used a punch on the inside of the pocket to hammer out the pocket face closer to the rail. It's pretty ugly, but I've looked at a few other tri-5's and they're the same way. Anyone came across this? How'd you address it? Cutting it free and cleaning up the mess on 4 pockets would be a bunch of work, so would replacing the pockets. I could grind some of the old weld out and add enough to blend it all in? Any other ideas would be appreciated.
Tx, Dave