since i cant find a rust free bead. and they don't make replacement bead sides. so i will have to make my own replacement pieces.

 

This may sound sarcastic or negative, but if you are searching for step side beads, you are not doing it right.

STEP SIDE, as pointed out to me, is a Chevy term. Ford's term is "flare side".

BEAD, is incorrect also. You are looking for a BED.

So, in your Google or Craigslist searches, you need to look for "Flare side bed".

 

i have used all in searches nothing turns up

 

Not a 100% certain but I know that Dennis Carpenter makes the fenders from 16 ga. so I would assume that the bedsides themselves would be 16 ga or at least 18 ga.
If you're going to fab them yourself, you can make them out of any gauge you want. If it were me I'd go 16 ga or maybe even 14 ga. It mainly depends on how much you want to spend on the raw material.
If cost was no object, 16 ga stainless, it would never rust out .

 

Where are you looking for the panels you need? The best places I find what I need are the all Ford swap meets. Columbus, Carlisle, etc. I found both taillight brackets, side steps for the flareside bed and even found a pair of front Bushwacker extend-a-fender flares last weekend for $10. I couldn't believe it. I'm not saying your gonna find everything you need but IMO all Ford swaps are where you should be looking.
I measured the bed side sheetmetal and it's .061, Luckily my bed has only seen 2 Ohio winters as I am the original owner and it has been garage kept for the past 34 years. I just am replacing the pieces I had chromed over the years.

 

i mainly have been looking on craigslist but how would i find out when and where a ford swap meet is happening

 

0.061" would be 16 ga. (technically 16 ga. is 0.060").