How is this done? How hard is it? I have to remove the bed so I can have the frame welded.

 

6 or 8 bolts, a few wires, and lift.

 

4 - 6 guys should be able to lift it off. make sure you disconnect everything first!

 

I disconnect the fuel hose at the door and leave the hoses attached to the tank. You need to manuver the bed around when lifting it to get the hoses out of the way. Start soaking your bed bolts with PB Blaster as soon as possible and as long as possible. If the tab that is in the bed bends, I wind up having to cut the bolt when that happens. Other wise it just spins if that tab bends and really no way of getting it to stay still to remove the nut on it.

 

The bed is fairly light. Four people (one at each corner) is ideal, but a two man crew can get it done as well. The hardest part is the awkward grips and height that you have to lift it to get it on an off the frame. The cab is even more awkward to get on and off. I have taken the cab and bed off by myself before - it just takes a little ingenuity. It seems that all my of my stronger friends and family are conveniently unavailable whenever I need help getting my cab and bed on and off so I came up with a system for doing it solo. I installed some 1/2" eye hooks in the ceiling of the garage so I can use ratchet straps to lift the cab and bed. Then I just roll the frame under it if I'm installing or roll it out if I'm removing. Looks like this:





I've had to do several test fits throughout my build process so this came in rather handy instead of working around my friends' schedules.

 

you are in alaska...1st step. start soaking the crap out of the bed bolts...
i sprayed mine for 2 days on my old 84 when i did a bed swap (bought the truck in anchorage) used a bucket on a tractor to lift it off..was done in 45 minutes

 

My wife and I are able to lift the beds. Two people can do it and we arent very big or strong. If the bed bolts strip, I use a die grinder with a cut off blade for the front ones as a regular cut off saw is to big to get in there. If you are lucky some times they will just snap in two. Also while soaking and before loosening the bolts, get in there with a wire tooth brush and try to get the threads as clean as possible.

 

Very clever! I've been thinking of coming up with something exactly like that. So when you start to lift, do you just ratchet a little at a time on each one? And what are you tied to/hooked to inside the truck?

PS: I've been reading your build threads recently... excellent work my friend!

Dan

 

Thanks Dan! The process is rather easy. First off, make sure that you secure you eye bolts to a ceiling joist or you will be in for an unpleasant surprise when they let loose and the cab/bed hits the floor. You really only need 4 lifting points, but I like to use 6 to disperse the weight more and decrease the risk if one point were to fail. Also make sure that your ceiling is high enough to do the lift - I had to lift up and over my engine to get the cab high enough to roll the chassis under. Then I just run a 1/2" body bolt through the hook of the ratchet strap and bolt it through the body mount of the cab. The it's just a matter of ratcheting them up a little at a time one at a time. Keep in mind that you may need to loosen and reset the ratchets after you crank it so high since the straps will spool up too much into the ratchet (another reason to have 6 mounting points so you can keep the stability while you reset a ratchet). This has been a real time saver for me because waiting for friends to come help would have really set me back on my build. Plus, I feel that it is easier and less risky than having 4-5 people lifting the cab that could potentially drop the cab or whack something.