So, wanna see why the bed has to go? Pix speak for themselves...




















It's done. That's a LOT of damage to try and repair, especially with a lot of it being on weld seams. And the further back the bed you go, the damage is spreading pretty hard, so til you got done chopping out the rust to prevent more damage, you're into a new one anyhow.

 

Ya thats rotten right there Bill.......

 

Haven't heard from you in a minute, Gerry - hope all's well!

Yeah, I knew I had an issue on my hands, but now that I could take the liner out (been super windy here all week so I didn't want to put it outside for fear it'd end up in the neighbor's yard) and assess it, yeah...it's pretty bad.

It's not like I could even sell it. I guess I could toss it up on Craigslist and tell people the skins are good and there are good floor pieces and sell it for $100 but why should I shove my problem off to someone else? So, hopefully next week sometime it's off to the scrapyard.

 

You might get a hunerd bucks for it Bill, never know

I'm ok

 

Ouch, that's a lot of cancer to mess with. Well the best you could do is try and clean it up a bit, might get a few extra pennies from the scrapyard.

 

Aw hell, duct tape will fix that right up and you'll be good to go!

Wow...

 

Lol, duct tape solves all...

Shocked me to see this.

 

It really doesn't shock so much anymore, especially since you live in the rust belt. I saw what the crap the hammer on the roads did to the exhaust, etc...

 

Bill, Do you need flares for that truck? I got 4 at my house. Been in my way since I bought the Super Duty.
They are True Blue though.

 

I knew there was an issue, but the extent got me. There's not a lot left in either front corner once you brush away the loose stuff. I'm sure that plastic liner didn't help either.

 

I have a 3" set for the Bull already. I'm debating buying a set for the OBS though.

 

These are the stock ones of my F-150. I don't think they will fit anything else.

 

Yeah they won't work. I will need some tire coverage lol

 

So today, it was all about the nitty gritty details. The tie downs for in the bed (left) and the brackets that hold the front sway bar got some attention in order to prep them for paint. The sway bar is about to come out and get painted also, and the sway bar links (which I never painted the first go-around) are out too. New bushings are on order for the sway bar too - mine are pretty well done and cracked.

Might splash some color on some of these parts. Have the means, just debating it.



Gotta admit - I spent a lot of time under the front of the truck the past couple days, and I came away disappointed with the lack of attention to the whole picture. I guess I see things with a different eye now than I have in the past and I see a ton of things needing refinement.

At least I have a focus and objective.

Also, I'm coming up with a design of my own for a custom front bumper. Not sure if it's a this year thing or not, but it's kind of a visual merge of the 97-99 and 99-2003 bumpers. It will be paint-to-match when it's done, and I'll get an "off the shelf" rear bumper and do a paint-to-match on it too. If I can get fab work...maybe...just maybe.

 

Sounds about right! I have gained an attention to detail as well. I guess in that regard, I'm pretty OCD when it comes to doing something.

If you are going custom bumpers, why not just do the rear one custom as well?