Swap bedsides or the whole bed?

[RPBurris]

So i put some money down on an 8' fleetside bed. It is in good shape, has no rust, floor is great, sides need a little work, and comes with a tailgate that is better than the 2 i currently have. it is hard to tell from my camera phone pics but is this a good start to a nice bed? I am not looking for a show quality bed but this certainly seems to be a good start. I will be getting rid of my bed in my avatar if i take it in a separate post.

If all i need are the sides is it easier to swap sides or just un bolt the whole bed? I would think the whole bed is easier?

[Livrat]

I agree with everyone that swapping beds is easier.. I have dissasembled way too many.. (I do that to send them to the blaster/powdercoaters).

If you decided to swap sides.. there are usually 3 small welds per side.. all at the rear. one from the rear stake pocket to floor..( I use a sawzall there) and two down below that just inside the the taillight, (An angle die grinder works well here)
The trick I found is to turn the bed upside down and put it on saw horses so the bedsides are just off the ground. remove all the wiring..

There are 4 bolts per side that bolt the rear bedside/stake pocket to the rear bed cross sill, (two bolts and nuts and two bolts with welded nuts) those should come out fairly easy..

Then take an open end wrench and push it on each nut in several directions to clean off any crud/undercoating..
Then remove all the bolts on the fenderwell to bed sides (these should also come out fairly easy). Remove all the bolts in the front panel.. the top 4 may be phillip head screws.. DO not try to remove those with a big screw driver, get a proper size 1/4" drive phillips bit and a ratchet.. do not try to just loosen and remove.. tighten them up a bit first and work them back and forth, they should come out reluctantly ( It will save alot of cussing).

Now the fun part begins..

Grab a 1/2 breaker bar, a 4 inch extension And a 6 point 1/2" socket (a 6 point is important!!) .. go around and tighten up the nuts and snap off the carriage bolts. DO NOT TRY TO LOOSEN AND TAKE THE NUTS OFF.. I guarantee they will spin and you will just get pi$$ed off. Most will break.. BUT some WILL strip and spin.. (the last bed I dissasembled all but 5 broke off) those I usually just take a cutting torch and wash the heads off.. Or center punch the heads and use a sharp 3/8" drill and drill it off...

Be sure to keep all the thick flat washers as they are unique.. then head down to your local nut and bolt supplier and purchase approx 50 new 5/16" X 1" carriage bolts, nuts and lock washers.. It should take approx 3-4 hours depending on the bolt spin to break ratio..

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by Livrat

snip...
Be sure to keep all the thick flat washers as they are unique.. then head down to your local nut and bolt supplier and purchase approx 50 new 5/16" X 1" carriage bolts, nuts and lock washers.. It should take approx 3-4 hours depending on the bolt spin to break ratio..

Liverat - THANK YOU!
I asked this question a month or two ago - what size and approximately how many carriage bolts do I need to re-assemble a bed I purchased already disassembled. I didn't get my answer and frankly some people were rude about it.

A bag of 50 5/16"x1" carriage bolts from the local hardware store is a heck of a lot cheaper than what the aftermarket guys want for a "bolt kit".

One follow-up question - I have a metal floor. Do the 5/16"x1" bolts work on both the metal and wood floors?
Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Average Joe

Great write up Livrat! This dserves a spot in the FAQ section.

I agree.

[Livrat]

Guys.. you are welcome for the write up.. I dissasembled 3 beds last week so it was all fresh in my feeble brain..

Originally Posted by mrein3

Liverat - THANK YOU!
I asked this question a month or two ago - what size and approximately how many carriage bolts do I need to re-assemble a bed I purchased already disassembled. I didn't get my answer and frankly some people were rude about it.

A bag of 50 5/16"x1" carriage bolts from the local hardware store is a heck of a lot cheaper than what the aftermarket guys want for a "bolt kit".

One follow-up question - I have a metal floor. Do the 5/16"x1" bolts work on both the metal and wood floors?
Thanks again.

I agree.

mrein3.. I totally forgot to include that this is for a metal floor. I am not sure the length of bolts for a wood floor.. (its been a few years since I have dissasembled a wood one)