The bed box, that big rectagular thing behind the cab,of my '99 Super Duty, the one that used to be made out of steel but is now some kind of composite the thickness of a letter envelope, has split from top to bottom along the front panel. The side panel, aka the fender, is held on to the truck by the "headache" rack rail which runs along the top of the bock front to back.

I would like to remove the box to repair the split. There are a lot of Ford trucks in my area the owners of which have replaced the OEM box with a flatbed. Since it seems many folks have removed the OEM box and I have not, this post is a request for advice on how to remove it (the box).

I am guessing the first thing is to disconnect the wiring for the lights.
The box seems to be connected to the frame by a series of welds along a number of brackets running across the frame rails. So, I am guessing these need to be cut?

Am I on the right track or missing something obvious? This will be my first attempt at "body" work. My plan was to fasten some sort of shear panel bracing across the front of the box. This approach is based upon residential construction and using a sheet of CDX Plywood to reinforce stud framing.

Does this sound reasonable or am I making a mistake?

your comments and suggestions are really appreciated.

 

Nope all you need to do is remive the big bolts on the floor of the bed, undo the filler neck and then undo the lights. Once that is done the Bed can come off!

 

That sounds easy enough. Forgot about the filler neck and cannot imagine how since my life savings seems have been poured down it!

Thanks for the info.

 

Just be careful with the bolts. If I'm correct, they are torx head bolts and they are very tight. Make sure that you have the correct torx bit, and soak the threaded part of the bolts with penetrating oil for a few days before you attempt to remove them. Make sure you get a good "bite" with the bit before attempting to turn them--you may have to dig out 10 years of crud from the heads of the bolts to get that good "bite". Let us know how you make out.



RON

 

Or In my case...LineX ... why the heck cant they cover the flippin bolt heads before they spray that stuff on??


Pretty SImple to pull the bed really. Thou I will say that on the newer trucks - least the 150s, I assume the SD's are this way too - you have to cut the bolts..They are designed to be a one time use thing, and are a major PITA! But I beleive that started in o4/05

 

No, I had to cut the bolts on my truck last year too.

However, I've heard that beating on the head of the bolts with a hammer will help to unlock them. it isn't so much that they are rusted in, its the design of the bolts to lock in. They are tri-lobe and the "nut" the thread into on the frame has no threads, it's smooth. So the bolt "cuts" the threads in it. Mine were brand new and I needed to try and tighten them some more but no budging. I broke a socket trying to move them. I didn't try pounding on them yet as I gave up that day and didn't think of it. The torx socket is really way to small for that size and length bolt.

 

Shoot all the bolts with some good penetrating oil the day before. I did this and still shattered a Torx bit and stripped a head out. At that point I gave up (was going to do the harpoon fuel tank mod). When I get back around to doing this I'll place a large nut over the resisting bolt head and weld it on top. Keep in mind though, these bolts are retardedly expensive from Ford, try to get some at a salvage yard if you need any.

 

I have taken a couple beds off and broken at least three torx bits on the impact gun. As was said above, the bolts are one time use only. You have to buy the kit from Ford with new bolt and nut.

I have soaked them with every thing I could think of. The easiest way I found, was have a helper hold a torch to the nut as you unloosen. Good luck!