Removing the Bed

After Jake and I did some work on the truck, he also threw in an old  Multiple Spark Discharge (MSD) to help the engine crank better, get better gas mileage, and have a more complete combustion.We had the truck running a lot better than it had been. To my rookie ears, the truck sounded 10 times better than it ever had and this truck would be lasting for years and years. To Jake's ears, my engine was on its last leg, but it was running and he knew I wanted a bed, not an engine.

Not sure how it go so blurry

Pulling off bed with tractor

We first had to unhook the wiring from the taillights, unbolt the gas tank and set it on the ground, and finally unbolt the 6 bolts  that attached the bed to the frame. Once this was done, we used Jake's tractor to remove the bed from the frame. One thing to learn about old vehicles, especially old an Jeep truck, many bolts underneath the truck don't like to come off. Therefore,  unhooking the bed or gas tank isn't always super easy. After we loosened the bed, the bed seemed to be stuck on something, so Jake pried on the back corner to get it loose from the frame. It came loose, but not before it ripped the back corner up a bit. My craving for destruction was fulfilled, but I was also nervous as I watched the bed of the truck get torn open.

This is the truck doctor - Jake

Notice how the gas tank is laying down precariously on its side after we took off the bed. We stabilized the gas tank to the frame using a pipe and some wood along some ratchet straps. We needed to move the truck closer to the house, so we fired it up as it like this and moved it close to Jakes garage so that we could work on the frame. After taking off the bed, we noticed the part of the frame were in really bad shape and would need to be fixed before we put on a new bed.

The big question was, "How do we fix the frame?" There are no frame parts that you can just go out and buy, and besides few car places would be willing to work on a frame, and definitely not for cheap.

The million dollar question was "What schmuck would buy a truck with a rotting frame?"

          

Oh yea.....me on the left----->