Wile E. Toyote

I have an extra cab on a standard cab frame. I need to bob 9" off the front of the bed for it to fit. I plan on doing the back as well.
I am not a great welder or fabricator, but can usually get any job done.
I'm just looking for some tips/tricks to do the job nice. I want it to look stock when I'm done. I've searched and read threads all over, but there is not so much in specifics, so any help you seasoned welders out there could offer would be appreciated.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

i haven't done a bed bob myself, but could probably tell you a few things just from observations and some metal fabrication experience.

take your time. measure 3x instead of 2x. cut a 1-2" piece off of the scrap from the removed section so you can add a backing to your seam and have less worry of screwing up the weld. practice welding the thin sheet metal on some scrap so you can dial in your welder so you're not burning through on your rig. slightly overfill your welds, grind them lower, then swap to sanding disc to get a less-pitted surface. bondo the rest if need be. watch out for welding near your gas tank/fuel lines if you're doing any of this on the truck. i think a tricky part might be with your fuel door depending on how much you need to chop.

good luck! i wish i had a double cab on a single cab. post pics!

904_runner

Nice!

Do it! It looks great!

We just bob'd my buddy's truck (85toy). Took 16" out of the bed and a little off the the rear of the frame.

What i did was just do hundreds of tack welds. There were a few times where i could run a small bead but then it would burn through.. (i am using a 120v lincoln 140 with .035 flux core wire) The best method i found was just placeing a whole bunch of tack welds all over the place.. Alternating sides, top to bottom.. etc.. Just taking it somewhat slowly to not warp the sheet metal.

We use a sawzall to cut it, that was alright.. now the insides of the bed were dented a little so after we cut it, some spots did not line up correctly because of that, so we cut off a 2" strip from the scrap metal and plated it over the small gap...







Obviously, make sure you move the brake light wires out of the way, etc... .Take your time... there was an article in a couple months back 4wdtoyotaowner that is a good read you might like to take a look at....

Then once your done with the bob, and all the tack welds, grind all the welds smooth and then bondo the rest!

Good luck!
-Mike

Wile E. Toyote

Thanks guys. That helps.
A couple of more things.
I have a small lincoln wire feed mig welder, should I do flux-cored or use gas?
I am also trying to figure out the best way to cut, sawzall or angle grinder?
It's not on the truck currently (it won't fit yet).

algranger

The bob is pretty straight forward just make sure you go way overkill marking it up, if you get crooked cuts you will have a hell of a time welding it.

Use gas if you can, i did the flux cored just fine but it's a lot harder

I tried a sawzall and grinder and didnt like it. The grinder is a little cleaner but i went with a jigsaw. By far the cleanest cut you can get.

Also when i did mine i just pounded the weld in a half an inch all the way around then just slapped a strip of bondo on it turned out real clean