Has anyone removed the rivets holding their bed together? I recently moved and have a lot less space for storage, considering doing this to make storage and working the panels easier.




If you have done this, do you regret it?

 

I have a new bed and it's just bolted where the rivets would be, used rounded socket head bolts and can hardly tell the difference...

 

Ditto, makes bodywork and painting so much easier

 

No, I had to do this in order to replace the front panel. I used ¼" bolts with nylock nuts in place of the rivets when I put it back together. You may have some non-OE welds that you need to cut in various places. My truck's POs were not kind. Just make sure that you straighten and repair any spots that need it before reassembly. And use a large carpenter's square to get panels and crossmembers to line up properly before tightening things down or welding as necessary.




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