[landarts]

So Saturday morning I wanted to get a few items checked off the list to help get the ball rolling a little faster. The first order was to get the bed off of the truck and test out the gantry lift I built for the first time. To do that I needed to get a few parts I have been storing in the bed for the Devil Cowboy out and put away for another day.

The reasons for removing the bed are many. First, the time frame to get this truck done and back to Bestview is important to me. Second, this bed is savable but not on this project. Many areas have thick layers of filler, and four of the six stake pockets are ripped up. Also, the floor has a few holes to patch and it is wavey. Third, I have a very nice bed I picked up a couple of years ago that someone cut a truck frame in half and made into a trailer. This decision will save me about three weeks of work on the bed. Fourth, it needs to come off anyway so I can do some work on the back of the cab so it can be painted

After removing the bed I will break the bed down into separate parts and tackle the refurbishment on that bed another day. I have a few other beds that I have broken down and saved all the parts so it is possible I could assemble a mix of bed parts to make a good one.

Next up will be lifting the cab up so I can remove the body lift pucks and install the new rubber mounts. Prepping the interior to get it ready for medium blue paint.

Pic 1-Bed coming off with the help of the gantry lift
Pic 2-Different view of the bed being lifted off
Pic 3-The body lift puck that is getting tossed
Pic 4-Back of cab drinker side, with a small hole to patch
Pic 5-Back of cab captain side, larger hole to patch