The rear driver side corner of my bed got smashed in in a parking lot accident. The dent can't be pulled out. Should I just replace the whole side to the box or find a new box to put on. The truck is 1990 F-150 with long box. Thanx for any advice.

 

You should check around at junk yards for a used bed (and watch the condition they're in). Factor in painting and any repair work. Then get some pricing from body shops on replacing the bed side (and painting). Compare and go from there. Good luck

 

Is the bed floor buckled? If so, I'd look into a replacement bed and also put a straight edge to your frame to see if it's tweaked.

If the bed floor or the interior walls of the box are still OK, there are several options for repair, but they all require cutting and welding. I replaced the entire drivers bed side on my '89 long bed ($119 from Raybuck Automotive). Check out Raybuck on the web and request a catalog. I was pleased with the parts I got from them.

It was badly rotted and needed to be repaired, but I also had to hammer the inner wall of the box back into shape (something heavy had slid around and bashed the heck out of it) so it was easier to cut off and replace the entire outer skin. It took twice as long to remove the old skin as it did to install the new one.

You could also see if a junkyard will sell you just a bedside. Usually, they're rotted out near the wheel arch, but the back corner might be decent enough to cut out and weld onto your ride. If you do fix your bed, try to do it with it still bolted to the truck. I learned from expirience that they tend to twist when unbolted.

FYI, if your tailgate got whacked too, don't go cheap and buy a replacement from JC Whitney. They're not nearly as strong as the original and will bend if stood or sat on.