Hey guys, i got a 79 f-150, and it needs resto, so im going to start at the rear quarters, whats the best way to cut them off/put new ones back on?

Thanks!

 

I find & drill out all the spot welds . I have a tool made for it ,but you can use a 1/4 or so drill bit to do the same .. center drill all the welds with a 1/8 drill &then drill the rest with a 1/4 or you can buy the bit made for the job. You may need a thin putty knife sharpened on the side to hit with a hammer to finish removing the original spot welds .

You can install the new panel by drilling more 1/4 holes in the new panel & puddle weld them shut after proper clamping .. I also have a spot welder , but the puddle weld works better on existing steel that is not perfectly clean . You can also use a weld through primer to help with corrosion resistance at the welds ...

 

And I don't have to take off the box or anythimg?

 

pull the bumper, un hook the light plugs and take out the tail lights. Then unbolt the bed and slide it back on the frame 8 or 10 inches.
Also if you use about a 3/8 or 10 mm drill bit to drill the welds out the bedside will practically fall off.

 

another trick is to take a grinder or cut off wheel and grind the outer layer of the weld off and if done correctly your inner structure is already ground down for the install.

 

do you know where all the welds are?

 

And would it be eaiser to get it profssional?

 

spotwelds look like little 3/16" round dimples running down all joints. mark the centers with a sharpie, then a center punch. Let me get a pic for you...

 

This pic shows what spotwelds look like, now just find all of the joints.