Javadoc's 64 Short Step Build

[javadoc]

So, I sit here on these cold winter nights and window shop for items for my truck. I'm going to attack the bodywork (and frame... see previous post), but don't know if it's worth working on my bed or if I should buy new steel. There is a bit of rust bubbling under the paint on the bed sides in a couple of spots (such as around the fenders), and it looks like someone slapped a patch on the inside of the passenger bedside. They see to be really thin slabs of steel, so I don't know if the bed sides are something that I could work on, or pitch it and spend the ~$400 each. The ends of the bed sides where the ends curl is a bit messed up on the driver's side, but I could probably get that fixed with a hammer. I'm pretty sure that I'll pitch the tailgate. It's had so many pieces of lumber dropped on it... lots of 2x4 shaped dents in leading edge.

So, how much work can you actually put into the bed parts, before you decide to pitch it and buy new parts? I'm calculating a new bed would set me back a bit over a grand?