stepside bed front panel question

[1981Stepside]

Originally Posted by Tuff 1986

I am also replacing my front bed panel on my stepside.. And my question is do I have to remove my bed or can I make the change with the bed on..

Removing the bed will make the job a lot easier in the long run with fewer busted knuckles and less scratched paint. The bottom lip of the front panel sits under the wood floor. This creates an issue if your side panels are original as the bolts on the corner angle strips are welded in. That means that the front panel needs to be dropped off the side bolts once all the center floor bolts are removed.