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Has anyone here raised the floor on their bed? Looking at the clearances I will have more travel on the c-notch than the clearance between the differential and the bed floor. I want this to be a functional bed so building a box in the center is not an option. There will likely be times I carry about 800 to 1000 lbs of music equipment (in my next life I am gonna play a harmonica and never buy a PA). Even though I have airshocks, I don’t want to bottom out against the bed. I really like the look of the used and abused floor and have an idea on what to do but would love to hear other ideas and see any pictures if you got them.
So my idea is to try and raise my floor without buying new metal. I’m thinking I can cut out the ribbed portion and leave the flat pieces around the wheel wells. Build a 3” subfloor, weld in the center piece that was removed and then cut new sheetmetal for the sides. I would also need to box in the open areas on the sides under the new bed.
Picked up a tailgate from another fridge owner in Northern Ca. He bought it for his '60 but ended up not needing it. I need to clean up some repair weld (I'm not a great welder but I know I can make it look better), strip it down to metal, and then patina it to match the truck.
It had an outward crown along the top. I used a customized tailgate straghtener consisting of 3 2x2 boards along the sides and bottom, a 2x6 across the top where the crown was, and a longer 2x6 as a ramp to drive my pickup on. First I put it in the center and then closer to one side and poof, pretty straight. Got whet I wanted, a usable, solid tailgate with character. Here are some pics.
Came off of another '58 styleside. Solid and not rusted at the bottom like all the others I saw.
Threw in the chains too.
Has a little whoop de doo but easily fixed.
Traded the old T98A to OldBleu for some hinges and now I have a complete set and he hauled away a transmission I was tripping over.
Used some 2x2 boards under the sides and bottom on a flat concrete slab. Another 2x6 along the top where it was crowned and another 2x6 to drive my truck up onto. First was in the center.
After pushing the middle in, I still had a little to go on one side. Slid the board over and put pressure on it with the truck.
Specialty tool in use.
Now the top is pretty straight, even straighter than the bottom. Very happy with the results.
Picked up a tailgate from another fridge owner in Northern Ca. He bought it for his '60 but ended up not needing it. I need to clean up some repair weld (I'm not a great welder but I know I can make it look better), strip it down to metal, and then patina it to match the truck.
It had an outward crown along the top. I used a customized tailgate straghtener consisting of 3 2x2 boards along the sides and bottom, a 2x6 across the top where the crown was, and a longer 2x6 as a ramp to drive my pickup on. First I put it in the center and then closer to one side and poof, pretty straight. Got whet I wanted, a usable, solid tailgate with character. Here are some pics.
Came off of another '58 styleside. Solid and not rusted at the bottom like all the others I saw.
Threw in the chains too.
Has a little whoop de doo but easily fixed.
Traded the old T98A to OldBleu for some hinges and now I have a complete set and he hauled away a transmission I was tripping over.
Used some 2x2 boards under the sides and bottom on a flat concrete slab. Another 2x6 along the top where it was crowned and another 2x6 to drive my truck up onto. First was in the center.
After pushing the middle in, I still had a little to go on one side. Slid the board over and put pressure on it with the truck.
Specialty tool in use.
Now the top is pretty straight, even straighter than the bottom. Very happy with the results.
very smart! I would have spent months trying to straighten it out by hand.
I'm looking for a chemical that kills rust like the rust reformer paint but isn't paint. I want to kill it and then clear coat it. Naval Jelly?
My bed is in pretty good condition for a '58. Gonna raise the floor about 2 or 3 inches and reuse the center ribbed panel. The corner pieces in front of and behind the wheel wells are solid so I am leaving them for stability. I plan on coating this area with undercoat once the rust is treated. The clear will be on the outside of the bed. There is some surface rust and one very small area at the spot welds where the rust is starting to come through. No holes and adds a lot of value to the patina look on the exterior of the bed. My goal is kill the rust and clear the outside of the bed.
I'll box the lower corners with sheetmetal. Gonna make new corner pieces for the new floor and lengthen the 90 degree bend for the center panel so it runs down to the bottom corners. that will eliminate the "shelf" left over by removing the center piece.
I would not use it under clear coat though, it will end up stripping away some of the paint you are trying to save and may leave a white residue.
Pulled up some YouTube examples. From my understanding, it takes the oxygen out of the rust, basically killing it. Maybe a few coats of phosphoric acid on the inside and then Por-15 once it's dried. It will seal it and harden the area.
Evapo-Rust seems interesting for the exterior. Great examples of it removing the rust but leaving the paint. From what I see with the Evapo-Rust it won't harm the paint at all and it's non-toxic.
Believe it or not, my "Roof from hell project" is coming to an end and I will free up time to work on the truck.
One of the tasks is to repair the rust on the new cab and swap out with the old one. The replacement cab has been stripped of everything including the heater box. I figure it would be much easier to mount the new system prior to setting it on the frame.
Soooo my question is, what system do I buy. I am hoping for a bolt on replacement that doesn't look cheap. My biggest concern so far has been the AC vent locations and how cheap they look. I really don't want to cut any holes on the dash. I may have to fabricate some vents.
Nice job straightening the tailgate and I like the idea you have to raise the floor. Sorry, no help with a/c. I'm just an old scrounger and would probably look for a nice Ford script under dash unit from a 60s car, like a Mustang.
Ok, it's almost time to get serious on this project. I have parts piled up and taking over my shop, Ruby gets her license next month, and it looks like I will have to make room for a '59 F250 longbed Flareside project. So here is where I am at (in no particular order...):
Find a Toyota power steering box ASAP to do the swap now versus waiting. If anyone here has one they want to part with, please let me know.
I am picking up some doors and a hood this weekend in Nevada and by golly I have to drive right by Summit Racing. I'm going to buy straight exhaust pipe, an H pipe and some bends. Thinking with it as low as it is, and the minimal room between the bed and rearend (dont want the pipes against the bed floor) I may turn them out in front of the rear tires. I already have a set of Flowmaster 42440 mufflers still in the box I bought maybe 15-20 years ago at Summit for another project. They are 2 1/4 in and out. I have a mostly stock FE 360 so that should be fine.
Pull the steering column and then the cab. I will clean up and paint the rest of the frame and do the exhaust then.
Mount the gas tank and plumb the lines.
Put the rear brakes together and run the new brake lines on the frame.
Repair the corners and floor on the replacement cab. May need cab supports. I decided to enclose the steps to gain more floor. That way I have more seat options. I may go with 2 seats and a center console. Not sure if I will utilize the step area or not.
Remove and fill the stock gas fill on the cab. I am wondering if I can use the passenger side corner from the cab I am using or if I will have to fabricate from scratch.
Cherry and paint the dash and interior cab metal. I have finally relinquished any rights to pick a color and handed it over to my daughter. She is yet undecided.
Cherry and paint the firewall. Install the clutch M/C as well as the aftermarket powerbooster and brake M/C. Will also install aftermarket A/C before the cab goes back on the frame. Still trying to decide what to use. WANT ANY AND ALL SUGGESTIONS.
Mount the cab. Mount the steering column.
Soundproof/insulate the cab. Gonna have a custom carpet made. Will need to get or have a headliner made.
Figure out where to hide a radio that she can connect via Bluetooth and control with a remote. Maybe if I go with a center console I’ll put it there. That way she can only have 1 passenger also…. (The Dad in me likes that idea…).
I need to take apart the front clip so I can fix the right fender bottom and swap the left fender from the donor. I also need to alter the radiator support to hold the radiator from the '76. Hoping to be able to get enough room to avoid an electric fan.
Pull the rear end and grind the leaf mounts off. The custom springs I had made way changed the pinion angle. Gonna wait to re-weld them until the front clip and bed is on.
I may need to raise to bed floor a few inches to clear the differential. I intend to make new bed floor sides but use the original corrugated center section. I will need to figure out the gas tank fill. Maybe a door in the bed floor or behind the rear plate. If I raise the floor enough to run a fill pipe, I may run it up in the left rear corner.
Front glass.
Door seals and glass.
Wiring harness.
And on the second day……
Oh best part, I was able to order a great plate for Ruby’s 58….
They won't let me have the original plates as I have no supporting documents to show they go with the VIN. Next best thing...
I like the personalized license plate. Toyota steering boxes (1979-1984 4X4) are getting hard to find. CPP makes a kit using their own aftermarket power box. It is not free, but in the long run may be a better way to go.
Taking off the usable fender on the wrecked donor. Ford definitely did not want these to fall off. I can’t believe how many bolts and nuts there are. Unfortunately, my wife is really sick and this is right outside our bedroom window so I can’t use any air tools or cutting wheels.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
