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I recently got my paws on a swb bed off a 77. The bed was gifted to me so the price was right! The bed sat under a tree collecting dirt, twigs, and other crap that caused the front half of the bed floor to go bad. I have been looking a bed panels, entire floors, etc as options.
On my build thread another member mentioned that a bed floor up to a 96 model year would work, but I have not found any information on the claim.
Anyway, I am looking for options to get the bed salvaged. It has really good sides and strong reinforcement braces and the only down fall is the bed skin from sitting.
Thanks again for all the help.
I was once told you guys like pictures sooooooo here are a few.
Yes, you can use the same bed floors up to 1996. With that much damage, I would replace the whole floor. Before you cut out the old, be sure you brace the bed to keep it from shifting. Can't wait to see what you choose to do.
with the condition that's in if it were me I'd sandblast it and weld in some sheet metal good enough to hold it together and put a Penda liner in it and call it good.
Does anyone know if it's best to cut the floor out of the donor and weld it into the old bed or just "re-skin" the new bed with the old bed's body panels?
Does anyone know if it's best to cut the floor out of the donor and weld it into the old bed or just "re-skin" the new bed with the old bed's body panels?
If I was doing the job, I would just drill out the spot welds where the floor attaches, and replace just the floor - unless advised to do it a different way for good reasons.
But if your inner walls or fender tubs are banged up, then you might want to instead swap the outer fenders/quarter panels.
If the newer bed is in better shape all the way up to the rails, then I would swap over the older sides. Look at pauli_3wood's Viking build. He did just that with awesome detail.
Depends on your inner sides and wells, as well as your intended use. You can make the inside of a bed look pretty darn good enough with some dollys and an air hammer, if this is going to be a driver. That, and a thick coat of bedliner will hide a lot of sin. Re-skinning the floor is relatively quick and easy compared to tearing into replacing the inner sides, that's a pretty involved one to get done without warping the outer sides...….
