Bed and Cabin not aligned. Help please
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Bed and Cabin not aligned. Help please
I'm wanting to paint my truck in the upcoming future. Problem that I'm having is that the bed of the truck and the cabin of the truck are not lining up. The bed of the truck is sitting about 1/2" - 3/4" above the cabin.
Where I'm looking is the groove on the body that is about 6 inches below the bed line that goes the length of the truck.
Can someone help me please in how to align these please? What can be done if anything?
I would like to add a pinstripe down the side, but with it being this far off, I don't want to put a stripe down it that will not be lined up.
Thanks for any help guys.
Where I'm looking is the groove on the body that is about 6 inches below the bed line that goes the length of the truck.
Can someone help me please in how to align these please? What can be done if anything?
I would like to add a pinstripe down the side, but with it being this far off, I don't want to put a stripe down it that will not be lined up.
Thanks for any help guys.
Hotshot
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 11,958
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The bushings aren't too expensive. Check Bronco Graveyard or NPD.
They usually aren't too bad of a job to replace. You may need some new hardware too though, if they are rusted a lot.
What you do is loosen all the body mounts. Then jack up one side of the cab just high enough to remove and replace the bushings on that side. Then loosely reinstall the hardware on that side. Then do the same for the other side. Finally, tighten them up on both sides, and your done.
They usually aren't too bad of a job to replace. You may need some new hardware too though, if they are rusted a lot.
What you do is loosen all the body mounts. Then jack up one side of the cab just high enough to remove and replace the bushings on that side. Then loosely reinstall the hardware on that side. Then do the same for the other side. Finally, tighten them up on both sides, and your done.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,408
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From: Parkesburg PA
I've done a few cars/trucks, but never a ford truck (yet). You loosen, but don't remove all the bolts, then remove the bolts on the side you're going to jack up. Goes pretty easy as long as the bolts come out. If there's a lot of rust the cage nuts sometimes spin and that's a fun nightmare in and of itself.
Texas guy, I don't think he was talking about not having a pinstripe, just that he didn't want it with the bed and cab misaligned.
Now, in case you were talking about not wanting a pinstripe... They do look bad with out it. And not bad in a good way, bad in a bad way. If your tape line is clean enough you can run a single 1/8" stripe 1/8 to 1/4" in from the tape line with the main color. It's enough to break it up while being subtle so most people don't notice it. Pinstripes are usually done because the tape line between the colors isn't perfect, so one stripe is used to cover that up.
Texas guy, I don't think he was talking about not having a pinstripe, just that he didn't want it with the bed and cab misaligned.
Now, in case you were talking about not wanting a pinstripe... They do look bad with out it. And not bad in a good way, bad in a bad way. If your tape line is clean enough you can run a single 1/8" stripe 1/8 to 1/4" in from the tape line with the main color. It's enough to break it up while being subtle so most people don't notice it. Pinstripes are usually done because the tape line between the colors isn't perfect, so one stripe is used to cover that up.
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Well I'm not going to not have a pin stripe, but I'm also not going two tone really. I'm actually going to plastidip it for now. The whole truck. I'm going flat black, and then I want to do a red 1/8" stripe, a gloss black 1/8" stripe and then another red one sandwiching it together. If I go any two tone, I'll most likely do a gloss over the black so it's flat and gloss black two tone. But I want a subtle pin stripe, but also don't want it to be off.
Back to the bushings. I've done some looking on my phone, and now that I'm on a computer I'll do some more deeper research, but it appears that those bushings are a pain in the *** and possibly expensive to do. The kit appears to be about $80 from summit racing, and then on top of that everyone is basically saying just replace all hardware. That's what expensive cause you can only get it from Ford. Someone I saw paid like $200 for it all. I think it was the sleeves that cost the most.
Any thoughts on this as well as do you guys know if there's a clear pictured write up on it anywhere? I'm going to do some searching on my own, but wonder if you guys had a link on it.
Thanks for the help.
Back to the bushings. I've done some looking on my phone, and now that I'm on a computer I'll do some more deeper research, but it appears that those bushings are a pain in the *** and possibly expensive to do. The kit appears to be about $80 from summit racing, and then on top of that everyone is basically saying just replace all hardware. That's what expensive cause you can only get it from Ford. Someone I saw paid like $200 for it all. I think it was the sleeves that cost the most.
Any thoughts on this as well as do you guys know if there's a clear pictured write up on it anywhere? I'm going to do some searching on my own, but wonder if you guys had a link on it.
Thanks for the help.
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Wow, after looking at some threads on these, they kind of intimidate me a bit! I'd love to buy a set of all the hardware and bushings to do it all right and brand new. Does anyone sell an entire kit, hardware and all?
Other thing would be nice is if someone had a pictured write up on how to do it. I'm not finding anything on it other than some words.
Other thing would be nice is if someone had a pictured write up on how to do it. I'm not finding anything on it other than some words.
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Fleet Owner
Joined: May 2009
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From: Gilbert, PA
I did my bushings in my crewcab in about 1.5 hour.
All you need is to make a puller to get the bushings apart.
I RECOMMEND using POLYURETHANE bushings. the crewcab weighs almost twice the weight of a reg cab, yet still uses only 4 bushings to support the cab
I used a 5" long piece of exhaust tubing(IIRC is was 3")
a Piece of 7/16 threaded rod about 10" long(mine was hardened)
A piece of flat stock with a 1/2" hole(I had some old nerf bar bracket)
and a couple 7/16 nuts
Loosen ALL the body mounts and TAKE OUT ONE SIDE ONLY.
One ONE side has the bolts removed,
thread the threaded rod into the bottom body bushing from underneath,
Then slide on your exhaust tubing,
then the flat stock,
then a nut.
keep tightening the nut till it pull the lower bushing loose from the upper one,
Jack up the cab,
remove top bushing and replace with new
All you need is to make a puller to get the bushings apart.
I RECOMMEND using POLYURETHANE bushings. the crewcab weighs almost twice the weight of a reg cab, yet still uses only 4 bushings to support the cab
I used a 5" long piece of exhaust tubing(IIRC is was 3")
a Piece of 7/16 threaded rod about 10" long(mine was hardened)
A piece of flat stock with a 1/2" hole(I had some old nerf bar bracket)
and a couple 7/16 nuts
Loosen ALL the body mounts and TAKE OUT ONE SIDE ONLY.
One ONE side has the bolts removed,
thread the threaded rod into the bottom body bushing from underneath,
Then slide on your exhaust tubing,
then the flat stock,
then a nut.
keep tightening the nut till it pull the lower bushing loose from the upper one,
Jack up the cab,
remove top bushing and replace with new
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