Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[jlsanborn]

WHOA! Edit... I thought I read "Speedglas gave it up". I get it... YOUR'S gave it up , and YES they are $$$ cuz they are the Snap-On of helmets. I'd BEG Wifey if mine bit the dust. Fluke meter the same! Carry on...

[swamp rat]

I just ran across an old thread i have subscribed too, thought i'd post a link in case you don't have it, it shows how this guy did his bed shortening and dealt with the bed sides ect. Thought it may help?

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...&postcount=195

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I just ran across an old thread i have subscribed too, thought i'd post a link in case you don't have it, it shows how this guy did his bed shortening and dealt with the bed sides ect. Thought it may help?

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...&postcount=195

I read this thread early on and it's what convinced me shortening the bed was doable. Not sure if it was this discussion or another one where it stated the end result was acceptable but not something you'd do if you were building a "show" truck. Right up my alley since my intent all along has been to build a driver and not plow big $$ into it. Still, I was left wondering how visible the modification might be once the bodywork was done.

[Vic1947]

Finished welding out the rear floor seam and got it ground down close enough for some touch up bodywork later. After the front section is done, I'll need to flip the whole thing over and lay it flat on the concrete so I can hammer out some of the small dents. There's nothing major, but left unattended, even the minor ones will show thru a spray in bedliner. (From what I've heard.) I'll also need to patch a crap ton of holes. The guy Scott got this bed from (or someone else along the line) had a thing for tie downs. Holes big and small, inside and out will have to be patched. No biggie as all the metal is solid.

I've got the front section out and fitted up temporarily. I'll need to sand to my lines tomorrow then start the welding process all over. I took a lot more care laying out my lines this time, so it won't take much to close the gaps.

[sduckworth13]

Wow!! that rear floor section looks great Vic!

[Vic1947]

Decided to satisfy my curiosity regarding where the main problems will be when the bedsides go together. Laid out all three pieces on the floor roughly how they will go and decided the rolled areas at the bottom look the worst. That may change when all the pieces are fixtured together. We'll see.

[Xeen]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Wow!! that rear floor section looks great Vic!

x2

[jeh]

Looks awesome Vic. Did the bed floor warp very much as you welded it?

[swamp rat]

Great job on the floor! looking forward to the sides of the bed too.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jeh

Looks awesome Vic. Did the bed floor warp very much as you welded it?

Thanks guys, some shots below show virtually zero warpage in both X and Y. Kept it locked down with square tube until all welding/grinding was complete. Then released it from bondage.

[sduckworth13]

Vic, if you need bedsides for reference let me know I can bring em by.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Vic, if you need bedsides for reference let me know I can bring em by.

Much appreciated, Scott. Will keep you in mind when everything is lined up, bolted down and ready to weld. If it looks funky, I'll holler at you.

[sduckworth13]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Much appreciated, Scott. Will keep you in mind when everything is lined up, bolted down and ready to weld. If it looks funky, I'll holler at you.

No problem Vic. They are easy to move around and will fit in the back of the Volvo if you need them.

[Low Elco]

Floor looks great so far!

[Vic1947]

Front seam is welded and ground as are all the extraneous holes. Floor is ready to be flipped over and the backside welded and any accessible dings straightened out. But not today ...totally worn out.

[sduckworth13]

Very nice work Vic, thats alot of welding and grinding for two days.

[jeh]

Good work Vic, I read where you posted that minor imperfections show thru a spray in liner, that is true. When I built the bed for my welding truck I thought the spray liner would hide more than it did. I was wrong again... I had a LineX dealer spray mine, it looks great and has been on for 4 years, but it does show minor imperfections. ( I had them spray mine 1/8" thick instead of 1/4" )

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jeh

Good work Vic, I read where you posted that minor imperfections show thru a spray in liner, that is true. When I built the bed for my welding truck I thought the spray liner would hide more than it did. I was wrong again... I had a LineX dealer spray mine, it looks great and has been on for 4 years, but it does show minor imperfections. ( I had them spray mine 1/8" thick instead of 1/4" )

Thanks for confirming that, Jason. I've been looking at LineX and I like the texture of their stuff ...based on what I can tell from the glamour photos. They have several products including at least one that won't fade from exposure to sunlight. Won't have to cross that bridge for a few more months, but knowing that blemishes can be seen will motivate me to rub on the parts a bit more.

[jeh]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks for confirming that, Jason. I've been looking at LineX and I like the texture of their stuff ...based on what I can tell from the glamour photos. They have several products including at least one that won't fade from exposure to sunlight. Won't have to cross that bridge for a few more months, but knowing that blemishes can be seen will motivate me to rub on the parts a bit more.

Your welcome, I like the LineX because it has a nice uniform look instead of a splotchy look. I had an ultraviolet additive put in mine so it wouldn't fade from sunlight, my welding truck is always outside and after 4 years it still looks good. They can also spray it in different colors to.

[jlsanborn]

Man nice work on that bed floor! Your finish work always looks soo shiny and clean! Your bedsides don't look all that much better than mine did at the start. No question I did more damage than good with my fit-up and welding. On mine, the lower parts of those panels really did kinda conform to each other and line up pretty good when I chased down the joint with those little clamps. I started at the body line and worked my way down. The smaller radiuses above where the body line kinda slopes down at the rear is where that 0.100" just won't "blend" I think. You are going to kill it and set the new Forum "hotlink" on the right way to do it.

[Low Elco]

I like the tubing in the grooves and the gang clamp, that's good money there. I thought 7 patches and all new crossmembers in mine was a pain! Keep it up, looks great!

[mcbassin]

Vic,
You are making the bed mod look too easy. It's obvious you have some serious fab skills. Clever constraining job to keep the bed from twisting and buckling. Keep the pics coming....

I'm not sure how long your truck will be subjected to the sun but I chose Raptor liner for mine based on knowing it will be garage kept. I had real good luck using it on the top and bottom surfaces of my bed floor. I am also using as an undercoating on the inside of the bed sides. It's fairly cheap for the kits, but more than importantly, it lets me do the panels at my own pace. See MORE

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Vic,
You are making the bed mod look too easy. It's obvious you have some serious fab skills. Clever constraining job to keep the bed from twisting and buckling. Keep the pics coming....

I'm not sure how long your truck will be subjected to the sun but I chose Raptor liner for mine based on knowing it will be garage kept. I had real good luck using it on the top and bottom surfaces of my bed floor. I am also using as an undercoating on the inside of the bed sides. It's fairly cheap for the kits, but more than importantly, it lets me do the panels at my own pace. See MORE

Wow, your bed turned out great. The Raptor product looks terrific, both the black and the tinted material. Did you rent an applicator? I have a spray gun for 3M's undercoating, but it (undercoat) doesn't go on as thick as the bed liner material.

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Wow, your bed turned out great. The Raptor product looks terrific, both the black and the tinted material. Did you rent an applicator? I have a spray gun for 3M's undercoating, but it (undercoat) doesn't go on as thick as the bed liner material.

Thanks Vic.
The kit comes with the application gun. I just bought mine on Ebay. I ended up buying two kits, one black and one tintable. The only down side with the tintable, it's a little white not clear as I expected. So it tweaks the color just one shade lighter. I'm pretty happy with the results though. I'm not planning on using it for a work truck. It should be durable enough for hauling an ice chest around.
It's all urethane based so I just go to Oreillys and have them mix the base coat to tint it. (it's recommended to be mixed without the binder). I have heard that all the tinted liners will fade, even the national chain liners.
If that happens I will top coat it with regular urethane single stage. I'll cross that bridge when/if it happens.

[mikeleeshields]

Great work Vic. That much work looks like it is worth the $900 for new bedsides everytime I see someone shorten a longbed. You are doing a great job.