Super basic bodywork question.

[Elliott]

Aside from unwrapping the foil on a gas station hamburger, I have no experience bending sheet metal or doing body work of any sort. But, I noticed today that the beat up old wrongside bed is rubbing up against the cab. To many loads of gravel I suppose, it is just bowed forward in the center of the front panel and there is no daylight between the bed and cab. I imagine it's all rubbed and rusty. How would a total bodywork noob go about separating the two. I am not too worried about dinging up the bed, it's pretty rusted out in some spots and I really want to stick a nice styleside bed on there.

[cooter]

you can usually manhandle the front panel, just get in the box and pull back. if this doesnt work, take a ratchet strap and drop it down between the cab and box (wherever it will fit) and tie one end to the frame and the other end to the bumper and ratchet your way to a straight panel

[DukeRoche]

I don't have a clue to your answer but as a noob who is getting ready to do some body work himself its a shame we aren't closer to each other. Confusion loves company.

[Elliott]

genius! I will need to start a new thread now about how to get these ratchet straps out of their packaging.

[sgettin]

had the same pblm hooked a fence stretcher to the rear frame at bumper area hooked that to a couple log chains with the slip hook end set at the top bed rail of the front bed panel. put wood blocks between panel and hooks so the hooks didn't dent the bed. not sure what kind of bend you have but usually you start pulling from the outer edges of the bend/dent and work your way toward the center of the bent area. if you start in the middle you can end up with a nice S curve.

[huckdeuceman]

Sounds right to me!! good luck....

[Toyz]

genius! I will need to start a new thread now about how to get these ratchet straps out of their packaging.



Note it is not yet opened. There's probably a tool for that

[huckdeuceman]

HAHAHAHA...TOO FUNNY!!