Stepside Bed Rail Repair

[88GMCtruck]

Impressive work. Curious to watch this build as I have an 88 Stepside as well.

 

[ddaxe]

Impressive work. Curious to watch this build as I have an 88 Stepside as well.

Tks.. like I've said before .. I'm no expert when it comes to body work.. though I have worked along side my cousin who is.. and have learned a lot from him... the 500 bucks I spent on a bead roller, shrinker and stretcher have been invaluable... I couldn't of done it without those tools.. my experience (in my trade/job) in heavy metal fab has helped... if you ever get deep into your stepside bed... I'd be willing to offer some insight..
btw.. the rest of the truck is complete.. once the bed it done.. I'm going to concentrate on get it running again.. then move on to the finer details of the body work/paint...


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[88GMCtruck]

Tks.. like I've said before .. I'm no expert when it comes to body work.. though I have worked along side my cousin who is.. and have learned a lot from him... the 500 bucks I spent on a bead roller, shrinker and stretcher have been invaluable... I couldn't of done it without those tools.. my experience (in my trade/job) in heavy metal fab has helped... if you ever get deep into your stepside bed... I'd be willing to offer some insight..
btw.. the rest of the truck is complete.. once the bed it done.. I'm going to concentrate on get it running again.. then move on to the finer details of the body work/paint...


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Thanks for the offer. I'm fortunate enough that things in my area don't rust out, so other than dings and dents my truck is good to go.

 

[ddaxe]

your lucky in that respect.. here in the rust belt... that damage can be.. and is often extensive...


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[ddaxe]

last piece in the bead roller.. my projected finish was end of Feb.. at this rate.. I'll have that 454 coming back to life sooner than anticipated...


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[ddaxe]

Done!!

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[cso21]

just wow, I would not have believed that bed could been saved, amazing work

 

[black90sport]

Impressive how much time and detail you are putting into this. Incredible work!

 

[ddaxe]

Thanks for the comments guys... what started out as doing the bed rails.. turned into more.. much more than I had first anticipated... though this project was more about if fleetside rails could be adapted... it was also an exercise in teaching myself how to effectively use my bead roller.. shrinker & stretcher... once I had seen the extent of the rust.. having the roller n such.. I knew I could make replacements of the rotted pieces... I screwed up a couple of times making pieces.. but had bought enough sheet metal just for that... and just tried again.. usually the second go around the piece turned out... as any body work I had done up until then was just panel replacement... it brought my ability to the next level... the bed crossers were just as bad.. what was left of them... I've had to replace 4 of them... I should of titled this thread... Stepside Box rebuild... lol

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[ddaxe]

New bed crossers going in... notice that I undercoated the inside, because it would be pretty hard to do once welded in.. I also used copper primer at all surfaces that are welded so it's just not bare metal.. (a perfect breeding ground for rust to start again) Ill also zinc, paint the crossers and then undercoat the whole bottom... only 2 more to weld in.. then the box is ready to go back on the chassis....

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