Question about welds in truck bed

[E.D.75GMC]

I purchased a rust-free bed for my truck this past Friday, and I've started to dissasemble it to hit it with some POR-15 on the insides before I have it painted. Now, we all know that the bed floor is welded to the rear stake pockets, and my question is; how important are these small welds? Can I get away with not having it rewelded when I reassemble the bed? I don't weld or know anyone that does.

[KQQL IT]

Mine are not for now. But put the gate on before cinching the bolts down to keep the lines right.

[homemade87]

I cant see it staying in place if not welded . There is only 4 tack type welds that hold it in place on each side . I would think a local welder would do this for you. It would only take a few minutes after you got it ready .

Answer to your question is yes you can do it without welding it . But no it will not stay in place . Once you get back together set it on the truck and bolt it down and drive it to somewhere to get it welded .

[E.D.75GMC]

Okay thanks guys. Also; any recommendations on getting up inside here? It's the #1 place I want to prep and paint with POR.

[tucsonjwt]

Is that the super rare factory tool box I see on you existing bed? Sell it for $2000 on Ebay.

[E.D.75GMC]

Hahaha oh man I wish. Although I am going to remove it and save it before I scrap the bed.

[tinydb84]

The bed floor is held on by a ton of bolts around the sides and front. It shouldn't move. You can bolt it all together and drive it to a muffler shop to have it welded. I bet it would cost $20-40 to have it welded.

[80streetcoupe]

Boy what I wouldn't do for a rust free 79/80 box like that. Nice find.

[E.D.75GMC]

Oh yeah, it's off of an '80. Original owner was selling the long bed to do a short bed conversion. I told him about the forum and hopefully he'll join up, he's a real nice fellow with lots of knowledge on these trucks!
Here's the truck it came from:

[E.D.75GMC]

Also, how hard is it to get up inside the bed here to prep and paint with a brush?

[homemade87]

Originally Posted by E.D.75GMC

Also, how hard is it to get up inside the bed here to prep and paint with a brush?

It is almost impossible . What I did on mine was pressure wash as good as I could to get the grit and sand out of the seam . Let it dry and I used a rust treatment that is in a gallon jug ( can remember the name ) . It is like water and it will penetrate the seam to get to any existing rust . Let it sit a couple days . This stuff works great . It will harden and neutralize any rust and you can paint right over it . I used a piece if foam and attached it to a wire coat hanger . Stood the fender up and run it back and forth to apply paint in the seam to seal it . Worked great .

[E.D.75GMC]

Awesome, thank you!

[80streetcoupe]

Did you find that box in cowtown? I lived there 10yrs ago for 15yrs prior. The bargain finder and pick-a-part were my best friends. I was a GM truck parts hoarder back then. It's almost impossible to find anything 34yr old GM truck tin up here rustfree.

[E.D.75GMC]

Sure did. Picked it up from a guy down in Midnapor.

[E.D.75GMC]

They opened a second Pick n Pull here a year or two ago but if and when a square pops up in their inventory it's almost always a super rusty base model haha.

[cadillac_al]

Pretty nice looking bed. If it's corrosion you are worried about, you should look into industrial corrosion protection and salt spray protection like MCU. It's rated for 14,000 hours of salt spray. I am still testing it and only in my 2nd year but so far it is holding up good. The epoxy primer I used on the body is already compromised but the MCU underneath is still looking good.

http://www.masterseriescoatings.com/index/

[thrtsxchambers]

my bed has been apart and bolted together with no welds. it holds together fine and does not move anywhere. I've had mine that way for several years.

[jerdusk981]

Originally Posted by E.D.75GMC

Also, how hard is it to get up inside the bed here to prep and paint with a brush?

Maybe something like this will help: http://www.eastwood.com/internal-fra...nozzle-qt.html

[E.D.75GMC]

Oh yeah, that's the ticket right there! Thank you