Bed corner repair question.

[ben2go]

Right before we picked up our new to us truck, the PO was rear-ended. Now I'm left with the repair but no big deal. Where could I find patch panels for the bed corner and lower bed from the wheel well to the corner? Would it be better to find a beat bed and cut off the good corner? This is the only body damage I can find besides a few minor dings and peeling paint. I'm pretty sure I can repair the tailgate. Lights shouldn't be a big deal to replace. It needs them both.

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[Hipster]

Patch panels , no, you really need a bedside. There's other panels in behind the light, a tail light pocket of sorts, that are going to be tweaked also. How's the bed floor/ wheelhouse panel look from inside the bed? The bedside really needs tabs welded on it and some sheet metal pulls done before you cut anything. How's it look where the tailgate latches, and the lower hinge bolts? Is the jamb/pillar wadded up? It may be easier to source another bed. The dent on the gate goes halfway to the handle and there is other damage across it. As A bodyguy I would want another gate, but there's a difference if you want it to just open and close or to look nice.

It is possible to do the bedside with the inner wheelhouse panel and the corner post in one piece from a used bed but a considerable amount of work where as swapping the bed is a handfull of bolts and it's done.

I hope you got a good discount for the damage.

 

[ben2go]

Most of the damage is outside the jam for the tailgate. It did pull the cup over that the tailgate hinges on but I can straighten that. The inner structure is fine. The inner taillight cup may be tweaked. Once the outside is cut away, the jam should be easy to move back over. No damage to the bed floor or crossbar. I've done these repairs before. I've been out of the industry so long that I have lost all of my contacts for repair parts. We're not trying to restore the truck. We looking to neaten her up. My son wants to paint it that bluish silver color that came on the '80s Silverados.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Taillights are cheap for these trucks, if you want the stock equivalent. The ones on my Burb are Eagle Eyes brand, made in Taiwan. But they come as a plug and play unit, ready to install. Bulbs and everything! Only $22 each, from the aftermarket crash parts place in Houston that I use. They have stayed nice and shiny, no fading whatsoever, and the bulbs are pretty bright. The passenger side light has been on the truck for almost 3 years (see my avatar picture). Left one has been broken twice by too-- close lawn service trailers. Nice thing about GM using the same lens assembly from 1988 to 2000 LOL.

 

[jjester6000]

Right before we picked up our new to us truck, the PO was rear-ended. Now I'm left with the repair but no big deal. Where could I find patch panels for the bed corner and lower bed from the wheel well to the corner? Would it be better to find a beat bed and cut off the good corner? This is the only body damage I can find besides a few minor dings and peeling paint. I'm pretty sure I can repair the tailgate. Lights shouldn't be a big deal to replace. It needs them both.

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Unless you're trying to tally restore the truck, I'd just spend a few hours and beat it back into shape. Though the dent it big, it's not very complex, so chances are you will only need filler around the lower portion near the tailight.

I'd suggest renting a porta-power and buying a come-along.

 

[Hipster]

Unless you're trying to tally restore the truck, I'd just spend a few hours and beat it back into shape. Though the dent it big, it's not very complex, so chances are you will only need filler around the lower portion near the tailight.

I'd suggest renting a porta-power and buying a come-along.

We looking at the same dent? It covers half the bedside up to and above the wheel arch and I'm counting 7 or so bodylines and a tail light opening to work.

 

[ben2go]

Yeah, It's going to need more than a beating. There's a lot of creased metal in that corner.

 

[jjester6000]

Yeah, It's going to need more than a beating. There's a lot of creased metal in that corner.

Trust me, it can be done relatively easy.

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You're dent isn't even half as bad as this mustang this guy if fixing.

A portapower makes all the difference.

 

[Bondovw]

If it was mine I would just find a used bed on Craigslist. It could be fixed but its not worth the time. Its better to replace it if you are trying to build something nice.

 

[ben2go]

Beds for these trucks are crazy hard to find in good usable shape. If that was an option I would go that route. The best I can do is cut the corner out and replace it if I can't buy new cheap enough. I've found a couple of beat beds with a salvageable corner on the driverside.