Gary Lewis Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Giving this old Flareside headboard a new lease on life. Hoping to test assemble the “new” bed this weekend, and If all goes well get some paint on them shortly afterwards. Wow, Cory, that looks excellent! You are moving right along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Giving this old Flareside headboard a new lease on life. Hoping to test assemble the “new” bed this weekend, and If all goes well get some paint on them shortly afterwards. 'least you have a couple of copper plated clamps for welding that up. It looks like you took good measurements and your sheet metal guy made what you asked. That panel should be good as new when you are done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 'least you have a couple of copper plated clamps for welding that up. It looks like you took good measurements and your sheet metal guy made what you asked. That panel should be good as new when you are done! I actually don't have any copper plates, but was going to look for some today. I do have some aluminum plates 3/8" thick.... Ha! on the measurements! I first cut the rusty lip off, then laid the new piece of top of the panel so I could scribe my line on there. I then went all along my line, and drilled 1/16" holes on my cut line every couple of inches, so it gave me a pretty good guide. I bought this same panel new from Mar-K for the other truck, but I was ordering a bunch of stuff at the same time...and this truck I'm trying to keep under some kind of budget. That panel is $277 USD new, so about $360 CDN, plus shipping and tax it would be a $500 item for me, so it was worth trying to fix the old one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 'least you have a couple of copper plated clamps for welding that up. It looks like you took good measurements and your sheet metal guy made what you asked. That panel should be good as new when you are done! I actually don't have any copper plates, but was going to look for some today. I do have some aluminum plates 3/8" thick.... Ha! on the measurements! I first cut the rusty lip off, then laid the new piece of top of the panel so I could scribe my line on there. I then went all along my line, and drilled 1/16" holes on my cut line every couple of inches, so it gave me a pretty good guide. I bought this same panel new from Mar-K for the other truck, but I was ordering a bunch of stuff at the same time...and this truck I'm trying to keep under some kind of budget. That panel is $277 USD new, so about $360 CDN, plus shipping and tax it would be a $500 item for me, so it was worth trying to fix the old one. By the way, I'm ordering a fuel tank and sending unit today, and I remembered that I actually have a brand new set of fuel tank straps here from the 1985 F150 that I junked a couple years ago. Problem is, the straps I have are for a 19 gal side tank, and the ones I need are for the 16 gal tank. Would I be crazy to modify the 19 gal straps to fit the 16 gal tank? I know new straps are only under $20 bucks, but still...I have these new ones here I'd like to repurpose (and I have my 1984 to measure for correct length). Should be no big deal to lengthen and/or shorten them where required, ya? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 By the way, I'm ordering a fuel tank and sending unit today, and I remembered that I actually have a brand new set of fuel tank straps here from the 1985 F150 that I junked a couple years ago. Problem is, the straps I have are for a 19 gal side tank, and the ones I need are for the 16 gal tank. Would I be crazy to modify the 19 gal straps to fit the 16 gal tank? I know new straps are only under $20 bucks, but still...I have these new ones here I'd like to repurpose (and I have my 1984 to measure for correct length). Should be no big deal to lengthen and/or shorten them where required, ya? I think shortening is easily done. Lengthening might be more difficult. I'd go for it were I you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 I think shortening is easily done. Lengthening might be more difficult. I'd go for it were I you. Wonderful work, Cory. You are very talented! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 I think shortening is easily done. Lengthening might be more difficult. I'd go for it were I you. Right? Gary I can see you rolling your eyes...I've welded the frame together, the body, the bed, and everything else and now I'm concerned about a couple gas tank straps?...LOL. Get 'er done the man says, and carry on!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 Wonderful work, Cory. You are very talented! Thanks David, but I think it's less about talent and more about necessity!! As part of my offshore survival training, I've learned a lot about the Oil Rig "Piper Alpha" that burned/sank in the North Sea 30 or so years ago. The few men that survived jumped off the side of the rig...90 ft to the water, in the pitch black night, 120 miles from land. I was watching an old interview, and a reporter was asking one of the guys how he summoned the courage to jump. He looked at her kind of funny, and in his thick Scottish accent said that it wasn't all that hard to find the courage when the whole rig was on fire...lol. This poor old truck, if I don't weld it all back together, it will never get finished by me or anybody else, so we need to figure out how to do these things!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 'least you have a couple of copper plated clamps for welding that up. It looks like you took good measurements and your sheet metal guy made what you asked. That panel should be good as new when you are done! I actually don't have any copper plates, but was going to look for some today. I do have some aluminum plates 3/8" thick.... Ha! on the measurements! I first cut the rusty lip off, then laid the new piece of top of the panel so I could scribe my line on there. I then went all along my line, and drilled 1/16" holes on my cut line every couple of inches, so it gave me a pretty good guide. I bought this same panel new from Mar-K for the other truck, but I was ordering a bunch of stuff at the same time...and this truck I'm trying to keep under some kind of budget. That panel is $277 USD new, so about $360 CDN, plus shipping and tax it would be a $500 item for me, so it was worth trying to fix the old one. I meant the threads on your clamps won't get all mungged up with spatter. I do have a few bits of 1/4, 1/2" copper and a collection of washers that I use, for heat sinks and free from welding over when all that matters is that there is steel there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 I meant the threads on your clamps won't get all mungged up with spatter. Ahh, OK, gotcha. I borrowed the clamps from work, I'm going to need them for my stake pockets this weekend as I weld them on the box sides. They sometimes have to clamped in about 6 places to keep everything square. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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