Pulling bed off for repaint and repair...TIPS??
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Elder User
Joined: Apr 2006
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Pulling bed off for repaint and repair...TIPS??
I'm restoring a 78 shortbed and the bolts on the bed are hell. I have grinded the top of some of them off to get them off. I loosed the bottom bolts and the top just spins and I cannot get a wrench under them. Even tried vicegrips on the bottom threads. Anyone have problems with this?
Jason
Jason
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2,838
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From: SD
Usually bed bolts have to be cut off. Find what works best. Some like to grind off the heads, some like to use a sawzall to cut it in half - I prefer a torch, fast and easy. But what ever you use, be carefull for sparks/flame around the gas tank. Most of the restoration parts suppliers have a bed bolt kit. Look throught the sponsor list to the left. Auto Krafters, Blue oval truck parts and Bronco graveyard are a few that should carry them.
Marty
Marty
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 849
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From: Fayetteville, NC
I just removed my long bed yesterday without a problem. If your bolts are spinning in the bed you might want to consider cutting the nut off with a zip wheel (angle grinder). Just be mindful of the gas tank if there is gas still in it. If you have trouble getting to some of the nuts on the bottom try cutting the head of the bolts off. Just don't cut into the bed floor. Also, if you have an engine hoist USE IT! It makes the job a whole lot easier. Just attach a chain from one corner of the bed to the other (caddy corner) and hook the hoist in the center. Get one or two more people to help stablize the bed and just pick up on it with the hoist and wheel it away. Took us all of about 10 min to pull the bed off and set it on the stands. Make sure you remove the gas tank filler hoses, and unplug all of your wiring for the tail lights. Seems how I'm doing a ground up resto-mod I also removed the gas tank, shocks, and the rear end with the leafsprings attached. Now I have all the room I need to get and the frame to clean and strip it down. Hope this helps you some. If I think of anything else I'll post it for you. Good luck!!
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Originally Posted by 1ole4d
I just removed my long bed yesterday without a problem. If your bolts are spinning in the bed you might want to consider cutting the nut off with a zip wheel (angle grinder). Just be mindful of the gas tank if there is gas still in it. If you have trouble getting to some of the nuts on the bottom try cutting the head of the bolts off. Just don't cut into the bed floor. Also, if you have an engine hoist USE IT! It makes the job a whole lot easier. Just attach a chain from one corner of the bed to the other (caddy corner) and hook the hoist in the center. Get one or two more people to help stablize the bed and just pick up on it with the hoist and wheel it away. Took us all of about 10 min to pull the bed off and set it on the stands. Make sure you remove the gas tank filler hoses, and unplug all of your wiring for the tail lights. Seems how I'm doing a ground up resto-mod I also removed the gas tank, shocks, and the rear end with the leafsprings attached. Now I have all the room I need to get and the frame to clean and strip it down. Hope this helps you some. If I think of anything else I'll post it for you. Good luck!!
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2005
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another good idea would be if the bed is straight and rust free, just give me a call and i'll come pull it off and haul it away free of charge, just to save you the trouble... LOL and people say i'm not a nice guy....
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 3
From: Eustis FL
The bed bolts are carriage bolts, meaning there is a square shoulder fitting a square hole in the bed. I use a thin grinding disc, and I grind a square shape around the bolt head and drop them out the bottom. The cutting will look like a tic-tac-toe pattern on top of the bolt when you are doing it right. Patience not to cut the bed, but I'm sure you know that! This method is the fastest as far as bolt head cutting goes. My personal method of choice.
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Elder User
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Originally Posted by trinogt
The bed bolts are carriage bolts, meaning there is a square shoulder fitting a square hole in the bed. I use a thin grinding disc, and I grind a square shape around the bolt head and drop them out the bottom. The cutting will look like a tic-tac-toe pattern on top of the bolt when you are doing it right. Patience not to cut the bed, but I'm sure you know that! This method is the fastest as far as bolt head cutting goes. My personal method of choice.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 3
From: Eustis FL
Oh, that would suck! lol
I used my trusty Makita electric 4 inch grinder.
20 gal tanks don't hold that much air, either! Haha My D.A. sander even sucks it up... Need a large shop compressor with 100 gallons to do any real work.
I used my trusty Makita electric 4 inch grinder.
20 gal tanks don't hold that much air, either! Haha My D.A. sander even sucks it up... Need a large shop compressor with 100 gallons to do any real work.
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Tuned
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 325
Likes: 1
From: B.C.Canada, EH?
The front 2 bolts with the Phillips (hehehe,they're laughable) "bolts" are screwed into those spring steel-type clips (kinda like giant fender clips) in the frame and usually have to have the heads cut off and the box lifted overtop, then remove them with Vise-Grips(tm) and some good penetrating fluid.
DentsideAholics
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 125
Likes: 22
From: Central La on Red River
I took the bed off of my 76 F100 long bed about a year ago. I used a 4 inch grinder and cut the heads off the bolts. Worked like a charm and didn't take too terribly long. These guys are not joking about how heavy the bed is. My dad and I swapped out the bed on my 80 F250 longbed first and the two of us lifted off the bed and put the new to me one on. No problem. We tried the same thing on the 76. HA HA HA. Not happening. It took four of us to lift it off. I don't know what they changed between the two but there is alot of difference. The engine hoist is a good idea,wish we had though of that. Get new bolts from JBG or one of the other great sponsors from the site. Make sure to disconnect the fuel fill up line.
Freshman User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
I have had to weld extra nuts to the top of the carriage bolts(get the largest that will match the diameter of the head and weld inside the hole) and bottom nut(next size larger nut that will slip over the bolt and weld the two together). Use lots of P B Blaster!!!!!