Bed crossmembers
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2010
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From: MA
Bed crossmembers
The northeast winters have taken there toll on my 03 f350. Like a lot of other the salts main focal points are my rear fenders and bed cross members. I am not cutting out the "foam" in the fenders but I did saturate it in oil and fluid film. Flares will suffice. The crossmembers are the reason for the post. Anyone make repairs with the bed in place, either by reinforcing or adding square stock just in front of or behind the rusted/rotted member? If so how'd it work? I'm thinking I can rig something up with square stock, plates, and angles. I just don't really feel like pulling the entire bed just yet. Only 1 crossmember is shot. The rest aren't great but are soaked in fluid film and serving there purpose.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,654
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From: Tewksbury, MA
I will be replacing a few of mine this summer potentially. Only thing stopping me is there is rhino lining over my bolts 
. But a personally I'm going to replace the shot supports with a piece of square stock either bolted to the bed with the bed bolt going through it to the frame or just sandwiched between the two. It is gonna be hard to do it with the bed still bolted down because the only spot your gonna get to slide a piece of square stock n really is right above the wheel. You could also paint the frame with the bed off to make it last longer and look better.
. But a personally I'm going to replace the shot supports with a piece of square stock either bolted to the bed with the bed bolt going through it to the frame or just sandwiched between the two. It is gonna be hard to do it with the bed still bolted down because the only spot your gonna get to slide a piece of square stock n really is right above the wheel. You could also paint the frame with the bed off to make it last longer and look better.
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From: MA
Mine has rhino liner also. Good stuff but not in this case! The 2nd crossmember In From the tailgate (the one close to right above the rear wheels) is the one that's shot! The 2 closer to the cab and the 1 closest to the gate are decent. That's why I'm interested in a reinforcement/repair with the bed in place. If I do end up pulling the bed I will no doubt do everything and then some. If I can tack some square stock just behind that current banged up crossmember then when it totally collapses my new square stock will carry the load the original once did. It's a tight spot. Through bolting and welding may be best. I'm getting aggravated and depressed just talking about it.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,654
Likes: 20
From: Tewksbury, MA
Mine has rhino liner also. Good stuff but not in this case! The 2nd crossmember In From the tailgate (the one close to right above the rear wheels) is the one that's shot! The 2 closer to the cab and the 1 closest to the gate are decent. That's why I'm interested in a reinforcement/repair with the bed in place. If I do end up pulling the bed I will no doubt do everything and then some. If I can tack some square stock just behind that current banged up crossmember then when it totally collapses my new square stock will carry the load the original once did. It's a tight spot. Through bolting and welding may be best. I'm getting aggravated and depressed just talking about it.
Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 46
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From: Conn
My crossmembers are shot also. I couldn't believe haw bad /fast they rusted out. The pre treat they spray on the roads now is killing the vehicles. My truck is a Lariat so I have the flairs already, but I'm sure there is rust below them. I'm going to rtyr to make it to next summer then pull the bed and rebuild the crossmembers, or grab a newer bed if I can come across one. The bottoms of the back doors are bubbling also.
Sucks on a 8yr old truck with 80k on it , everything else is Mint.
Sucks on a 8yr old truck with 80k on it , everything else is Mint.
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 192
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From: MA
I was at my mechanic friends shop today and he had an identical truck to ours with the bed off and upside down. He said the bolts were a pain in the *** to take off but once the the bed was off the truck he literally just wiggled the crossmembers with his hand and they came right off. Everything else looked decent except for the crossmembers this guys were actually in a little worse shape than mine. That would definitely be the time to do some preventive maintenance rust repairs on the frame and while your at it might as well change the fuel pump because it's right there. He welded in 2"by 3" inch steel square stock for the new crossmembers and through bolted them back into the original holes in the frame. Chances are if you live in a area where salt used on the roads in the winter time you're going to end up doing this repair if you own a Ford truck for more than five years
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2010
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From: Tewksbury, MA
Yeah it sucks I love my truck and it runs and drives great, has never given me a problem except for rust issues. I'm trying to get everything coated with POR15, I'm doing the back half this summer and the sides of the cab where the steps mount because i just had the front mounts replaced...they were rotting off I didn't even know because the step mount was blocking it. Does anyone know how safe it is to paint the bottom of the inside of the doors? I have heard that that will make it rust out if there is too much paint.
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