Welded Bed Seams

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Jul 1, 2001 | 11:23 PM

rwolf70f100

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Welded Bed Seams

I'm considering mig welding the bed seams on my 70 shorty. Does anyone have any experience with this e.g. long term corrosion problems, and other pro's or con's.

Jul 1, 2001 | 11:31 PM

gkk2001

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Welded Bed Seams

I have a 65 Econoline pickup. I am not sure I understand why you want to weld the seams but if it is corrosion as you mention have you considered a paintable rust preventative coating? I don't think POR 15 is considered paintable but there are others on the market that are. Put that on seams and then paint over.
Please explain your dilema more.

Jul 2, 2001 | 01:47 AM

karljay

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From: Northern California

Welded Bed Seams

the one thing that would stop me from doing that is that you would then stop the flex that the bed has. I'm not sure that's a problem or not, but it a joint is designed to flex and is welded, you might end up with a crack. Also, welding tends to harden the metal and make it more brittle.

Aug 6, 2001 | 11:52 PM

rwolf70f100

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Welded Bed Seams

On the 67-72 the bed has 3 parts spot welded together, the upper and lower exterior skin and the inner "double" wall. Where these meet (on the exterior) the factory sealed the seam with body caulk. Unfortunately, inside the wheel well you'll find the typical spot weld panel assembly, unsealed, so moisture can intrude. So my delima... in 1987 while completing a resto I throughly cleaned primed and resealed the seams (didn't know about the construction then). Now some 14 years later I'm seeing signs of corrosion (the body caulk is starting to protrude). I'm going to complete the process of corrosion removal once again and was considering the more permanent cure? of welding the seam vs. sealant. I know you'll say what's the big deal with sealant, it's lasted 14 years, and I agree, I'm just exploring options and looking feedback.
Thanks

Aug 7, 2001 | 02:49 AM

numbersix

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Joined: Sep 2000

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From: Burlington,IA

Welded Bed Seams

I think they thought you wanted to weld up between the bed and cab. I know what you are talking about though, and I've been wondering about filling in that area also. I thought maybe it could be lead-filled like they did on old hot rods to get rid of body seams. Do people still do lead-filling, or is it considered too dangerous(poisonous) now?

68 F-100 Short bed 2wd
302 C4 9" w/3.50 gears
Soon to be sportin' power discs and steering

Aug 7, 2001 | 06:49 AM

StockMan

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From: Inthepast

Welded Bed Seams

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-Aug-01 AT 07:51 AM (EST)[/font][p][FONT COLOR="#0000ff" SIZE="3" FACE="Veranda"]
There was some discussion on this in the bodywork forum several months or more ago. See [link:www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/bodywork/69.html|Bed Seam]. There was no consensus there either as I recall. The idea of "leading" was also discussed. I think the only "cure" is to recognize how the parts come together (as mentioned above) The only permanent cure in my mind is to take the panels apart, remove,fix/treat the area with something to kill the rust and then re-assemble. Once the repair is completed, put your truck in an hermetically sealed container. ;-)
[/FONT]

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Aug 7, 2001 | 10:28 AM

beartracks

Lead Driver

Joined: Nov 2000

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From: Albuquerque

Welded Bed Seams

Not sure I totally understand but, After I had my bed "rhino" coated it sealed up the inside and a lot of noise went away I didn't know I had.

1977 Ford F-100
400m/c6/4:11/Gear Vender O.D.
Crane hydralic roller, forged, ported polished,Deamon,Edlebrock, yada, yada, yada
280,000 miles
Stock on the outside
modified/rebuilt everything