FuzzFace2

What truck and motor are we talking about? I have an 81 F100 with a 300 six I can get pictures of the stock system with out cat. If I saw this this morning before I put the bed on I could have gotten good pictures. Dave ----

After work and a few honey do's I did a little work on the bed. The last time I prepped the bottom so I just gave it a quick wipe down before I painted it. It was about 46* in the garage with the sun out. I did start the heater to get the chill out but about half way thru painting it was getting cold. Needless to say I need to get my 40# LP tank filled before I work in that cold garage again. The good thing of it being cold when painting once the paint was brushed on it would flow out and not show brush marks. I don't think the paint will be dry enough by tomorrow to flip the bed over and place it on the truck giving me more room in that bay to work on the bed sides. Dave ----

Just like Ford..........4 different braches! Thanks Dave ----

little high jack Gary, what is the full part numbers for the fender braches 16340. Would they be the same for all 4? If I can find 3 cheap I may get them over making 4 that match. Thanks Dave ----

See my post(s) on the threaded holes as they are metric but the rest you can use what ever you want. Let us know what you come up with. Dave ----

As I posted the threaded holes on the front panel at the top and at the rear of the side panels are metric. All the rest is nut/bolt so as long as they match you can use what ever you can get your hands on. Dave ----

If you have to worry about that I think you are worrying about the wrong thing as you may be totaled not just the truck. Any clue what grade the stock hardware was? Heck once the wood is rotten the hardwaer would not hold it in place anyway! Just my .02 Dave ----

All I can say is sit down when checking the prices on the flare side bed parts. I needed all the bed cross members (I priced out to about $1000) just as a start. Add the front panel, tail gate, ply wood, metal strips and all the hard wear. My fix use the metal floor from a style side bed. No it is not an easy job but should last a long time! Dave ----

Yes it would be nice to know what bed you need the hard ware for and where that hard ware goes. I know some if not all the hard ware for my flare side is metric. Now if it is a nut/bolt then you can use what ever you can come up with but the top bolt holes on the front panel, the tail light bracket holes and the tail gate hinge bolt holes are metric. The rest of the front panel (don't know of the bottom holes?) as are all the side panels to bed floor are nut/bolt. When I get a little closer to putting my flare side bed together I will get a count of what I need and most likely go thru https://www.mcmaster.com/# Don't know if I will get Stainless Steel or just the normal nut/bolt yet. Dave ----

Reading over my last post I see I did not get any pictures of the front panel welded up, If I can remember the next time I am out there working I will get one. Had the day off from work so I put a little time in on the bed.....truck bed that is. I trimmed the sides with a sawzall for the large parts then used a grinder to get it trimmed back to my marks. May still need a little more once I get the sides bolted on. Then I stood it up on end so I could clean the bottom. Used a scraper, wire brush and vacuum till I got to the bottom and thought there had to be a better way to clean with out standing on your head. That plan was to put in back on my horses upside down. Finished cleaning it up, hit is with some rags and high psi air then sprayed it down with oxy-gone to kill the rust. It has to sit and work in and dry before I can paint it so next time I haveno work it will throw paint on the bottom. With that drying it was time to work on the bed side lips that are missing. Made 2 cardboard patterns of the lips that need replacing. I say 2 because I can turn them around to use for the other side panel, 1 for the front lip other for the rear lip. Picture of the front lip I am working on. I have flat stock I am using fro the lips and for the flat panel below I plan to use sheet metal and butt weld it to the panel and to the flat stock. I think that area rusted because you had 2 lips and water/dirt got in between and the rest is history. So welding it the way I plan should stop that. Also that area is behind the fenders so does not need to be factory right. Dave ----

Got all the flare side bed bolts I have together and have them soaking in Evap-O-Rust. Once I see what I have and figure what I need I will order the needed hardware. Because of the state of emergency here in NC. work hours have been crazy and its been way to cold to do any work on the truck if I had the time. Dave ----

So the winter work has started LOL I will have to check in here from time to time to see how your doing. Dave ----

Work has my running LP gas this week. Up at 12am at work by 2am work till 3pm even Saturday. Because of the cold temps here in NC the governor lifted the HOS (hours of service) us truck drivers run by so we can get heating products to customers. Ice cube wet saw is not good! What you need is a few fish tank heaters to keep the water warm LOL. For the snow tires stock steel wheels work nice if you can find them. Then again any thing cheap and half way nice looking would work. Salt on alum wheels is not good. Dave ----

I got to say that does look good. If I had a tail gate to put it on I would think I would have to get one along with the bed rail ones. Dave ----

Spoiler alert no pictures…… To start it was30* outside and in the garage, took an hour with heater going flat out to getup to 40* and could not get it above 48* the 8 hours it was running. It is work on the flare side bed time. Welded the lip on the bottom of the front header panel, also welded up all the holes the PO put in it. The lip was made from a cross brace from the style side bed floor I had to remove. Ground down the welds and it is ready for a little filler across the bottom where the lip was welded on when it is warmer. That took most of the day. With the front panel done and fitting nice it was time to pull the bed apart. The running boards & side panels need to come off so I can finish trimming the floor sides back flush with the side panels. The floor has been marked for trimming when I was fitting everything together. Once the floor is trimmed I will stand it on end and clean & prep the underside for paint. I will also do a coat of roll on bed liner I have left over from the cab floor on the top side of the floor to make it look nice. Before calling it a day and the side panels on horses I hammered & dolly the dents in them out. I have 2 more dents in the stake pocket area that will need my stud welder & stud dent puller to get out. Then I get to work on the side panel bottom lips…….OH JOY! Dave ----

Good to hear you got a tach for your truck but got to ask..... Why did you save a Chevy "step side" from the crusher? I have a Ford "flare side" LOL. BTW we need to see pictures of the tach (installed) or it did not happen. Dave ----

Found a few links that are worth reading. http://theamcforum.com/forum/led-tail-lights_topic54834_page1.html?KW=reflector http://theamcforum.com/forum/tail-light-updating-cheap-and-easy_topic54848_page1.html Oh that light sheet panel is called crushed ice diffuser in clear. Still trying to find that post but it is talked about in the first link. Dave ----

Did he say anything about the reflective housings of other lights like the front park/turn and the rear tail lights? (disclaimer - I have not tried this. seen on the internet so has to be true ;) ) I know every one runs out and gets the "chrome" spray paint as it should reflect real good and turns out it is anything but chrome. The trick is the area to be painted has to be baby butt smooth. Then paint it with high gloss black paint. This has to be glass smooth and shinny and look like it is wet all the time. Then you put the chrome paint over the gloss black. It is kind of like how they do mirrors. Dave ----

One of the "up grades" I will do to my 70 AMC Javelin tail lights is a crystal lens. The stock lens is flat both inside and out so the light is bright where the bulb is and does not scatter. Something I found on the internet, could have been 1 of the AMC sites I am on, shows an easy way to fix this. You can get a crystal light sheet at Home depot. It is used in the 4' over head lights, they also made a frosted sheet but you want the crystal sheet. Like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/OPTIX-Acrylic-Micro-Prism-Glaze-2-ft-x-4-ft-Lay-in-Ceiling-Light-Panel-1A90001A/207054944 You cut it to fit inside the stock lens, I cant remember if the texture went to the bulb or not? but think to the bulb as that is how it gets installed in the over head light. I would think you could heat the part so it could be bent to fit inside a curved lens like the style side. The flare side light lens is flat so not a big deal to get to fit inside. I would like to go with flare side LED rear lights but for now will be using the cheap boat trailer lights as I have 2 sets and think I will do the crystal lens inside when the time comes. May even add the LED bulbs you listed in it? Dave ---- edit: I should have pointed out this crystal part goes between the bulb and the stock lens so when the light from the bulb hits it it scatters. edit II: I guess this could be used in the front park/turn signal lights.

As the machine shop said the spindles were done by noon so I picked them up. I had family here for the holiday so I did not get as much done (like nothing) I as should had. I hope over the new years weekend to get the spindles changed over, bleed the brakes and maybe some work done on the bed. Dave ----

Thanks for the up date. Funny, I went to reply to this and it had me log back in. Guess it had to do with the change. Dave ----

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas David Grant

OK measure and install at the top it is. Why I said just above the bearing as someone pointed me to the 48-56 truck as a "might work" way. I put this on a sticky and put it in the truck for when I get the parts back from the machine shop. Thanks Dave ----

THANKS! That is a great help. It tells me what way the seal gets installed and the picture shows the names of the parts. Other site had numbers and then had to go look them up someplace else. Only thing not clear is where the shims go. It says to measure it at the top then install that amount but at top or bottom? I say bottom because another site (48-56 trucks) said the shims go above the bearing that is on the bottom. I hope when I take apart what is on the truck now I can see where the shims go. Thanks again Dave ----

Nice work Darin. I see you butt welded the patch so you cant tell it was patched. I was lazy and over lapped the patch. What, do safety and road worthy work before body work! That is crazy talk LOL Build a bed? Wood or metal floor flare side bed Yes please keep us posted with pictures on your work Dave ----