should I fix the damage first?

Edited: 10/21/2007 8:44:00 PM by Tacon19s

So I finally found a complete bed for my taco. It has some slight damage and I wanted to know if i should fix the damage before I raise the floor of the bed to do the bodydrop. It has a dent above the fender well that is a little bad but my main concern is the hit from behind that looks pretty serious to me(i know nothing about body work really!!)it looks like the hit from behind kinda flared the bedside some...and obviously the rear of the bed floor is pushed up a good 1.5".the pics arent that good b/c the bed is black and makes it hard to tell but check it out and let me know how serious it is and should I fix it before the body drop...thanks

Fix it first while the intergrity of the bed is still solid with the bed floor in it

It looks like that would have to be pulled out somehow. Theres probably another way but the way it's buckled Pulling it is the only way I can think to fix it. I would probably try to fix it before cutting it but then again it migh be better to cut it up and just build a new floor for it or maybe use the floor from your old bed if you still have it.

-off topic-I had that same bed with the same damage that I got from a bodyshop for free, I guess they didnt wanna mess with it. I cut the bedsides off and sold them for $400 and used the center of the floor to fix an 89 bed that had been cut.

the thing is, I bought this bed b/c I have been searching for one for over a year that isnt either ruined or $2000. So I actually went ahead and bought the passenger bedside thinking I would just completly build my own bed and then last week I found this one for only $260. So, I really would rather try to get this fixed. and no the other bed is in a scrap yard totalled....bout how much would a repair like this run me?

Shit man I have no idea, it might not be hard at all. I know I would find a way to fix it but usually with me its alot of trial and error. Maybe with the bed mounted on something solid, like the truck i guess and a come along attached to something else you might get the buckle out then shape it back up with some hammers and dollies. No idea what a b/shop would charge but I bet it would be pretty high.

yeah, mount the bed solid and maybe putting some heat on the wrinkled part of it and getting a good pull maybe would do it. but the thing with that is the very front mounts of the bed is all I have to hold it down..frame has been back halved and I didnt think I would be using a stock bed so I havent made the other mounts yet...doubt I will take it to a shop cuz I am thinkng it will be a pretty high price as well.

I would opt to scrap the whole floor and build a new one with new mounts that are strait. It is possible that when you cust the floor from the bed side that the buckle will lesson if not go away. I wouldnt put any heat to it unless you want a bigger mess.

I wanted to keep the stock bed floor. and you are saying I should go ahead and cut out the floor and then maybe try and straightn it out?

Can anyone else give me any more advice on how to go about this????

The bed need to be mounted to something and use a comealong to slowly pull the bedfloor out and down a hair and it should pull the majority of the dent out of the bedside. Dont use any heat or you will warp it. If something like that came into my shop I would charge about 200 for the pull or 250 for pull and bodywork.