bed troubles
It pains me to post this reply but I guess its time to tell the truth .....
The beds on our trucks are good for looks and that's about it... The gauge of the sheet metal was reduced in 81 then reduced slightly more a few years later... The beds from 72 to 77 were better but were still no monument to engineering excellence... all the beds will interchange from 72 to 93 as will the dually fenders. But try to find a 72 to 80 dually bed that is not beat to death!
What I have done is the past is remove the entire floor and all the under bracing. . I then reproduce the floor out of 1/4" diamond plate steel. Then I reproduce all of the under braces/ cross members out of 1/4 " plate.
I use my very large press brake to bend the under braces/ cross members.
Most shops that build heavy duty truck service bodies or do frame work will have one of the press brakes in their shops. Just look in the yellow pages under heavy truck service...
The bed floor consists of 5 separate panels. The center section which is about 4' X 8' . the remaining 4 panels are what I call the "wings" they make up the floor in the 4 corners . . The wings are spot welded to the main part of the floor and the inner bed sides...
I normally make my 1/4" plate floor in 5 pieces . But you can make it out of one piece if you can find a steel supplier that stocks a big enough piece of diamond plate... If it has to be custom ordered it will be too expensive .
The way I attach all the parts is as follows. . I use old bed frame to attach the floor to the inner bed sides and wheel wells. I use buck rivets to attach
the bed frame to the bed sides so I will not have bolts sticking in ...
I attach the bed floor to the old bed frame (angle iron) and to the cross members using carriage bolts and nylon lock nuts...
The reason I do not weld it all together is that I like to have the option of being able to take it back apart if I ever need to. .
I once had to make new inner bed panels and wheel wells . I used 3/16's
Plate steel for them. and had to use the press brake to bend the top rail...
I know that this a lot of work to do. But it is worth it if you are going to keep the truck for years to come. You will also have a bed that can handle some serious loads . .
KMSCD said:
Nothin' too serious that can't be lived with for a while but out of curiousity, would it be cheaper to buy a bed at a junk/salvage yard or have this welded back together?
1. The side wall of the bed is coming apart from the floor of the bed.
2. The piece (in the right wheel well but before the wheel) that pulls the bottom of the right side of the bed inward has pulled off the bed and basically the same thing behind the right wheel too.
I have a tow strap pulling the rear of the bed together so I can keep the tailgate closed because of the separation. It works for now.
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
