# Ford Body Guys... what you think?



## Haywire Haywood (May 6, 2010)

My truck bed it beat to heck. I was looking at it today and it looks like the middle section is a separate piece of sheet metal. Can I unbolt that and replace it with a piece of 1/8" diamond plate? A buddy of mine said that it looks separate but the whole bed is spot welded together as one piece. It's an 04 F150 Heritage. --Ian


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## redprospector (May 6, 2010)

Haywire Haywood said:


> My truck bed it beat to heck. I was looking at it today and it looks like the middle section is a separate piece of sheet metal. Can I unbolt that and replace it with a piece of 1/8" diamond plate? A buddy of mine said that it looks separate but the whole bed is spot welded together as one piece. It's an 04 F150 Heritage. --Ian



Ian,
I'm pretty sure your buddy's correct. But anything's possible, It would be a major undertaking though. It would probably be easier to find a used bed that wasn't beat up, swap out beds and repaint the truck (finding a used bed in near perfect condition wouldn't be easy, but easier than what you've got in mind).
From what I saw in the pic's your bed looks way better than mine. If you want diamond plate, you might find a *good* welder and have him cut a piece to fit then overlay it.

Andy


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## Haywire Haywood (May 6, 2010)

Yea, the pics don't do it justice. The sheet metal is forming to the cross members from chucking firewood into it You can see the cross members like ribs on an Ethiopian. I also have a hole it from missing with my pickeroon and hitting the bed instead of the chunk of firewood.

Ian


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## indiansprings (May 6, 2010)

I've seen several trucks that have beds in the same condition. If it were mine I'd just get a piece cut to fit, overlay it and bolt it down with a few small carriage bolts to the other bed. Maybe a 3/16" piece it would last along time and prolly wouldn't dent.


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## Toddppm (May 7, 2010)

Time for a LineX coating. Would look better right away and have them go over the rails.


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## gink595 (May 7, 2010)

Wow, if that truck bed floor is beat I better buy a new bed for mine. That thing looks good. I wouldn't mess with it at all. I don't think it looks bad at all. I have a rubber mat in mine and I like it. You can remove it easily to clean bark and straw/hay and all that stuff out. Plus it does save your bed from dings. I think you'd be crazy to cut that out, plus it's a PITA trying to remove any spot welds from cross members, they were never designed for replacement.


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## Haywire Haywood (May 7, 2010)

Granted, it wouldn't be bad if it were a dedicated beater wood hauler, but this poor thing has to also serve as my daily driver pimp mobile. The ladies are getting splinters and the occasional chunk of bark in their money makers. 

Ian


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## gink595 (May 7, 2010)

Haywire Haywood said:


> Granted, it wouldn't be bad if it were a dedicated beater wood hauler, but this poor thing has to also serve as my daily driver pimp mobile. The ladies are getting splinters and the occasional chunk of bark in their money makers.
> 
> Ian



I think your using the wrong "bed" if your gals are getting splinters.


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## Haywire Haywood (May 7, 2010)

<<deleted>>
Figured I better delete that before I was invited to by the powers that be. :yoyo:
Ian


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## treemandan (May 21, 2010)

What the hell are you talking about? That thing looks brand new!


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## syde2side (Jun 5, 2010)

A spray in bed liner or a flatbed/new truck bed is your only hope. Putting a rubber mat in is a good idea too. The metal over metal idea is a bad one, debris and moisture collect under the plate every time you wash it or it rains, causing a serious case of bed-floor cancer.


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## Walt41 (Nov 3, 2010)

For a hundred, you can get an over the rail slide in liner and be done with it, prior to doing this I would clean and paint the underside with a rust dissolving paint.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Nov 3, 2010)

Haywire Haywood said:


> You can see the cross members like ribs on an Ethiopian.





:hmm3grin2orange:


Looks better than mine, Ian. I just live with it. And yes, it's my daily driver.


But I own a *house*, so I have no need to use it for other activities. :greenchainsaw:


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## spacemule (Nov 4, 2010)

Heck, that bed barely looks broken in to me. . .

Trucks are meant to be used, not fondled.


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## dingeryote (Nov 4, 2010)

Crap. If the outside of the bed isn't torn up that thing would sell for at least 600 bucks around here. Truck beds are like Baseball gloves, ya gotta beat on 'em before they break in.

It ain't worn out until ya have to watch your step to keep from falling through. 

The spray in liner would spiff it up nicely, but scrap plywood is cheaper.

Gotta be carefull though. If too many folks see ya hauling wood in a Fancy truck, the County will revoke your Hillbilly permit.
There's rules ya know...


Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## spacemule (Nov 4, 2010)

dingeryote said:


> Crap. If the outside of the bed isn't torn up that thing would sell for at least 600 bucks around here. Truck beds are like Baseball gloves, ya gotta beat on 'em before they break in.
> 
> It ain't worn out until ya have to watch your step to keep from falling through.
> 
> ...


Yeah, but plywood will hold moisture underneath and make it rust out faster, no?


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## dingeryote (Nov 4, 2010)

spacemule said:


> Yeah, but plywood will hold moisture underneath and make it rust out faster, no?



Nah! Not with all the spilled bar oil, hydraulic fluid, tree sap, and diesel coating things.

Water isn't the problem. Oxygen is. LOL!!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## beerman6 (Nov 5, 2010)

I wouldnt plate it just yet,wait until after you cut out a 5"hole to change the fuel pump.


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## Guido Salvage (Feb 12, 2011)

Scrap it and start driving the Kubota....


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## TMFARM 2009 (Feb 12, 2011)

:agree2:
dont plate it!!!! my 02 f 250 is rusting out due to that...we have a slide in bed liner and due to cutting a whole in it for the gooseneck hitch the debris built up underneath it and it has multiple pin holes started in the bed... so much to the point i have reinstalled the bed liner to keep from opening big wholes in it. i have a flat bed to install on it but haven't had time yet. the only time i plate one for myself is when you lose more wood through the floor than out the open tailgate.....
:haha:


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## olyman (Feb 13, 2011)

Haywire Haywood said:


> My truck bed it beat to heck. I was looking at it today and it looks like the middle section is a separate piece of sheet metal. Can I unbolt that and replace it with a piece of 1/8" diamond plate? A buddy of mine said that it looks separate but the whole bed is spot welded together as one piece. It's an 04 F150 Heritage. --Ian
> 
> 
> > its replaceable--wherever you see the seam line--it comes apart---AFTER, you drill out all the spot welds---------!!then after you get the center out--youll want to fix the bent crossmembers---unless your chunks missed them!! then clean the spot weld areas, and weld the new bed in..havent checked a while on the cost of a new center piece----and this wont be a one day job!!!!!


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