When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have some chips in my front fenders and some rust holes in my bed. I was wondering if I can patch the bed with bondo and sand and spray the front to prevent further rusting. Once I'm finished I was going to put on fender flares to help cover the repairs. I'm not a body work person and dont know much about it. I would really appreciate any help or suggestions. Thanks
with the wheel wells as rotten as they are i would be concerned with how rotten the bed rails are. I'll never repair/ replace box sides again. slap a southern or new take off box on it and be done for another 15+ years.
If you plan on putting flares on the front just tape off the bare spots. lay a few coats of primer and paint. nice thin layers. no fancy sanding required if you are using flares
If you do the fender flares, make sure you cut all the rusted sections out. The problem is behind the rear fenders on the flat spot they put foam there for acoustic dampening (no idea why in the bed). Water, dirt, and road salt in the rust belt soak the foam and rust from the inside out. I have had good luck spraying the insides of the bed with bar and chain oil to slow down the rust, but there is no going back. You could cut out all the foam, put some flares on and be done with it. Otherwise, expensive body work or expensive take off bed.
Eventually I think I will have to get a new bed for it. I dont understand why they need acoustic dampening in the bed either. That doesn't make sense. Thanks for the help. I definitely want to spray my fronts before winter sets in
Only way to stop the rust from spreading is to cut it out. Its like cancer. If you do not remove it all, it will just keep spreading. Around me, you can get decent beds for $1000 to $2000. I thought the new aluminum ones would fit because we need one for a 99 SD at work, but we were told the bolt holes are in different locations. Not sure if thats true as I have yet to measure them, unless someone knows for sure on here.
You can slap some bondo in there, sure. With that being said, it will just fall off in about 6 months. To correctly fix it there is no choice but to cut the metal out and add patch panels. That bed is bad enough the inner and outer panels are rotted and the crossmembers for sure.
You will have nearly 400$ in patch panels alone never mind the hours and hours of labor and then the crossmembers. Buy a new bed the same color and move on.
Pretty much the same advice for the fender. Replace it. There super common and cheap, prob could find the exact color used. The dog leg on it looks rotted right threw already.
I do body work for a living, and wouldn't touch that bed with any seriousness, just aint worth it. Hide the sin with flares/bondo and expect to replace it down the road, if you actually plan on keeping the truck for years.
Only way to stop the rust from spreading is to cut it out. Its like cancer. If you do not remove it all, it will just keep spreading. Around me, you can get decent beds for $1000 to $2000. I thought the new aluminum ones would fit because we need one for a 99 SD at work, but we were told the bolt holes are in different locations. Not sure if thats true as I have yet to measure them, unless someone knows for sure on here.
Where do you live where you can get decent beds $1,000 to $2,000? Up here in the Northeast they're asking $3500 to $4000. I am looking for a 2005 F250 Super Duty long bed.
Craigslist has a bunch of guys selling, so does Facebook market place and the one yard I deal with has them for $1000 plus, depending on condition.
I was just quoted by a guy on Facebook market place for a 8 foot bed for $1300
I am near Allentown, Pa
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.
