BStrick1993

Hey guys, re doing the bed this summer on my 93 4x4. The outside of the bed isn't too bad and I can weld in patch panels but the entire floor has to be rebuilt. I'm doing everything myself this time because a few years ago I took the truck to have the frame fixed and the shop that did it, did a huge hackjob and basically covered up the holes with thin panels to pass inspection. Me being naive and a lot less knowledgeable about things, overlooked it all until now. They even made the first mounts about an 1/8" higher and mis-aligned my bed.

I need some input on how to build a subframe that ties in to the inner bedsides like the factory one did. I've got a bit of an idea but I'd like to hear from some of you guys if you have done a rebuild on your bed floors and not gone with a flatbed.

Thanks

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Just build a flatbed.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

what about a fiberglass bed? i'm sure you could also make a flatbed that still integrates the stock bed sides into it (or removable ones). i'd look at mini trucks for inspiration on pulling this off - they gotta support the bed sides somehow when they remove the bed for all the lowered suspension/hydraulics parts.

rattlewagon

Good luck finding anybody that has rebuilt a bed, most just scrap it and get a less beat one.

If you are all gung-ho on rebuilding this one, then take the bed off and look at the subframe thats there already, and re construct from there. I have a feeling youll dump way more time and money into repairing this one than if you would have just sourced a different bed.

Got pics of how bad your bed is and/or the frame hackery that the other shop did?

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Thing is the bed parts are stamped then spot welded together.

To duplicate those panels would be next to impossible and so very time consuming .

I second going for a fiberglass bed if you to keep the normal bed look.

I am curious just how much you paid for this so called hack repair of your frame??

Then please tell us just how you think it should be done and I will quote you a ball park price what I would have charged ?

Last one I did was about $2500.00

BStrick1993

highonpottery, I definitely should have looked at mini truckin before posting this! I've got the welder and the time to put the pieces together like in this write up on how to build a bed.
http://www.minitruckinweb.com/tech/b.../photo_19.html

I can't afford a fiberglass bed because I'm in college and only working summers to pay for books and gas mostly. (I commute daily)

Wyoming9 I had $800 into this shop just for them to put the truck on a lift and find out they raised my front bed mounts, and slapped what looks like 12 ga sheet on the holes. I don't believe they took my bed off at all except for the front mounts. It was there for two days and I picked it up again. This was 4 years ago and I was really in a bind to get this thing on the road at the time.

I've done a lot of work by myself since that time and I'm really apprehensive about letting anyone work on the truck ever again. When my dad got the truck in 2003 it had a blown timing chain and a hole in the cover. I don't remember how much the shop charged him to fix it but it was significant and had to be re-done because it blew the chain again about 3.000 miles later.