72 GMC steel truck bed assembly questions

[Heggart]

Hello all!
When putting my steel truck bed back together, should I use some sort of sealer, gasket material between the wheel Wells and the inner bed wall? Or just prep it and paint it, then bolt it together?

I'm trying to avoid rust, squeaks, etc. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

1972 GMC 4x4 short bed
Factory air, power brakes and steering
350, automatic.

[dfwright]

The assembly manual shows that they put seam sealer between the wheel wells and the bed floor and the bed sides at the factory.

[tim71]

I just finished replacing my truck's steel floor. I used 3M strip caulk between where all the metal surfaces meet. The strip caulk is a pain to use, but I followed advice from members here and kept the caulk refridgerated as much as possible. When the caulk is cold it is much easier to pull a strip free and much easier to place where you want it. I was pleasantly surprised how well the bolt holes lined up on the new floor. Heggart, your truck sounds like it is optioned just like mine. Mine is a 71.

[Heggart]

Thanks for the advise! I'm pretty much doing a budget, daily driver build. I'm not looking for show quality, just cool and dependable. I'll keep posting pics as I go.

I cut the front half ok out of the floor due to rust, replaced it with a better piece. Cut and welded in new pieces where the bed side bolts to the floor. Ready to sand and get it back together.

[Heggart]

@Tim- did you paint the pieces before putting together?

[Heggart]

This is the bed floor welded in. Still have some work to do, but it's a good start and definitely better than it was!

[tim71]

I was replacing the entire steel floor. The new floor/wheel tubs were primed and the old bedsides had paint/primer on them from original assembly. All metal surfaces that meet had either paint or primer on them and I applied the strip caulk to create a barrier to keep moisture out. I'm doing close to a full restoration on my truck. My original floor was 99% rust free, but 46 years of use had the floor in a wavy and dinged up condition. I didn't want to replace the floor, but was concerned that the bed of the truck with the old floor would not be up to the standards of the rest of the truck. When I reach the point of the bed going back on the frame, I am going to sell the old floor, cross sills/supports, rear pan and wheel tubs on the parts board.

[Heggart]

Sounds like it's going to be a nice truck! I work hard, and play hard😆 So a full restoration wouldn't serve me well. Sounds like a nice floor. Good luck in your build!