Best way to remove 8' bed....

[mocetane]

1988 F350 4x4 7.3 SRW
Previous owner welded a 1/8 plate 4x8' in the bottom of the bed. Want to take bed off. Found good one for $300. Tanks leak and need new innerds.
I assume it bolts up from underneath??? My K2500 had Torx head bolts from the top.
Any tricks to removing the bed??? Thanks

 

[Roland_Jenkins]

No tricks as long as you have three friends to help you take it off. Otherwise, make a H frame with a eye hook in the center and lift it off with a cherry picker or a hoist.

 

[Agnem]

1988 F350 4x4 7.3 SRW
Previous owner welded a 1/8 plate 4x8' in the bottom of the bed. Want to take bed off. Found good one for $300. Tanks leak and need new innerds.
I assume it bolts up from underneath??? My K2500 had Torx head bolts from the top.
Any tricks to removing the bed??? Thanks

If the bolt heads are blind, they have a square shank in a square hole. Unfortunately, if the nuts don't turn and the bolt does, then your really battling uphill. The holes will round out, and then your only choice is to drill the heads off.

 

[DIESEL_COP]

If you run into the turning bolt problem you can use a grinder to remove the head (or torch care ful of the fuel tank side and rear one passenger) lift the bed off. then you can grind or cut the bolts off to remove. you would probably want to get new bolts anyway and only if you don't care about the old bed any way

 

[towcat]

If you run into the turning bolt problem you can use a grinder to remove the head (or torch care ful of the fuel tank side and rear one passenger) lift the bed off. then you can grind or cut the bolts off to remove. you would probably want to get new bolts anyway and only if you don't care about the old bed any way

Here's a trick i've learned over the years from parting out trucks......
You're going down the right track on grinding the heads, but if you take off just enough to square off the bolt, you can put a vise grip on the bolt head and get a helper to keep the vise grip from turning as you are unbolting from underneath. I had a cheap SOB of a partner in the salvage business and he issued only one cut-off wheel per bed job. The guys learned real fast how to economize the wheels and time(they were paid by the job not hourly). If the part came up damaged, they got to keep the part and not get paid if it wasn't sellable.

 

[mocetane]

Thanks for the replys. Hope I can get the POS off without having to grind/torch off the 4x8 plate when I have a leaking tank.

 

[Pacific]

You do have to remember diesel isn't as dangerous as gas you can get a little more brave with cutting tools that cause sparks.

I never seen anywhere someone suggesting a recip saw (sawsall) for cutting bolts. Removing the bed bolts is a pain in the *** especially if you live in the rust belt. Most of the time to get a P/U bed off a truck from this area you have to cut the bolts or drill the head of the bolt off.

You have to just warn your neighbours that they may hear some real foul language the day you start removing the bed

 

[jdkline]

It may be less flammable than gas, but you still don't want an open flame around it for too long. Once it hits it's flash pint it goes pretty good. Personally wouldn't thinka cutting torch on sealed fuel tanks would be an issue with a diesel, would not do it with a gasser though.

 

[mocetane]

You have to just warn your neighbours that they may hear some real foul language the day you start removing the bed

They are used to that by now. Just thinking about having to mow the lawn will trigger an avalanche of