47-55.1 Rear roll pan

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by youngrodder

I used the same Mar-K rolled pan on my last build. I welded mine on so I could weld the seams at the side and body work them smooth for a cleaner look.

It looks like you extended and smoothed the bottom edge of the bed sides to blend into the roll pan. Did you find a corner piece to do that, or is that all home made?

Could you post a picture up close of the bottom bed corner and the roll pan so we can see what you did up close?

Thanks. Beautiful truck!!!

[youngrodder]

Originally Posted by TX3100Guy

It looks like you extended and smoothed the bottom edge of the bed sides to blend into the roll pan. Did you find a corner piece to do that, or is that all home made?

Could you post a picture up close of the bottom bed corner and the roll pan so we can see what you did up close?

Thanks. Beautiful truck!!!

My Mar-K roll pan came with sides. I simply welded the sides of the roll pan to the bed sides and body worked the seam smooth. Nothing was added more or less welded and body worked.

Thank you
Marc

[leegreen]

The near corner of one of youngrodder's pictures looks like a rounded bottom on stake pocket, but I think it is just perspective:

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by leegreen

The near corner of one of youngrodder's pictures looks like a rounded bottom on stake pocket, but I think it is just perspective:

Attachment 2255240

In looking closer, I thinks its a combination of perspective and the color blending in the fact that the bottom of the bed stake is flat. I was imaging a nice rounded end on the stake that blended into the side of the roll pan.

It was a nice dream while it lasted.....LOL

[leegreen]

Tough to join stake pocket to roll pan with a curve, I dont see it. might be my aversion to things that will rust out kicking in though.


The roll pan is a large section visually, the stake pocket is left hanging unsupported, maybe just extend it down?

[dsraven]

I like LG's comment and photoshopped pic add in. it could be added to at the lower edge to make the stake pocket longer so it is roughly as long as the roll pan. extend the slight arc of the pocket so it looks natural there like it was made that way.

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by dsraven

I like LG's comment and photoshopped pic add in. it could be added to at the lower edge to make the stake pocket longer so it is roughly as long as the roll pan. extend the slight arc of the pocket so it looks natural there like it was made that way.

I too like that idea. I just wish my metal work skills were and equal to his Photoshop skills..... LOL I'm not sure I could replicate the double curves on the side of the bed stake piece to allow it to wrap all the way around.

[leegreen]

sooner or later you will see a rusted out bedside you can cut the curved section from for an extension

until then hang a taillight in front of the bottom of the stake pocket and call it done

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by Tempest67

I don't know about Mar-K roll pans, but I made mine and bolted it in.

that's good work Tempest 67, nice sheet metal fabrication

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by leegreen

sooner or later you will see a rusted out bedside you can cut the curved section from for an extension

until then hang a taillight in front of the bottom of the stake pocket and call it done

My plan has been to drill into the side of the bed stake to mount my turn/tail/brake/backup lights (see photo below) but your comment just gave me an idea. I may try to fashion a metal plate/plug that would fit up in the stake pocket (from below). It would be held in place by the two bolts on the front and the two on the back of the stake. By having a hole in the center of the plate, I could mount the tail light without having to drill holes in the stake and have the light hang down instead of on its side.

[leegreen]

It would not be a horrible job to make extensions for the stake pocket. This test took about 10 minutes:


Next step would be to refine the dimensions and make second prototype.
The far side in 2nd picture kinked a bit as I did not get the side bent tangent to the bead edge and the beads are slightly too close to each other. It also needs longer sides welded on to make a finished part.
A couple hours would probably turn out passable curved extensions.
This was 21 gauge, it would be harder to make this out of 18 for a structural repair.

If you are into this sort of thing the tools are not expensive.....

I used a cheap bead roller and 1/2" beading die for two parallel beads in a flat sheet(Princess auto, jegs, eastwood etc under $150 on sale)

A bench mountable sheet metal brake to bend the sides down, (the cheap sort you use c Clamps to clamp a flat plate down. $50)

A shrinker to shrink the flanged edge and give it some curve. ($150 at harbour freight)

some kind of welder is also needed

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by leegreen

It would not be a horrible job to make extensions for the stake pocket. This test took about 10 minutes:
Attachment 2255440
Attachment 2255441
Next step would be to refine the dimensions and make second prototype.
The far side in 2nd picture kinked a bit as I did not get the side bent tangent to the bead edge and the beads are slightly too close to each other. It also needs longer sides welded on to make a finished part.
A couple hours would probably turn out passable curved extensions.
This was 21 gauge, it would be harder to make this out of 18 for a structural repair.

If you are into this sort of thing the tools are not expensive.....

I used a cheap bead roller and 1/2" beading die for two parallel beads in a flat sheet(Princess auto, jegs, eastwood etc under $150 on sale)

A bench mountable sheet metal brake to bend the sides down, (the cheap sort you use c Clamps to clamp a flat plate down. $50)

A shrinker to shrink the flanged edge and give it some curve. ($150 at harbour freight)

some kind of welder is also needed

EXCELLENT Work! So far on your list of tools I have the C-Clamps and the welder....LOL That is some masterful fabrication!

[skip99]

Smooth!

[leegreen]

very nice, any build pictures?

Why the net?

[dsraven]

if you have a plan as to what you want, but dont have the metalworking tools to match the plan, you could make a 2 sided form out of MDF with routered in details. then use a light gauge of sheet, for ease of bending. place the oversized sheet into the form and then squeeze the form together in a vice or use threaded rod etc to press the form together. if you were making somethinglike LeeGreens shape the sides could be added after the main form was made as they would be wrinkled in a form due to the amount of shrinking needed. just leave a small overhang out of the sides of the form and then hammer form them around the outside of the wooden form. I seem to remember a video that japhands (make it custom) did using this method to build the floor of a battery box or something like that.
I have made stake pockets before using a U shaped piece of formed sheet, then cut out the corners where it needed to bend along a long curve, made the curve shape required on the side pieces, pushed a piece of wood inside the formed part to help keep the shape and dimension the same, then tacked the central "flap" back along the curved part and tacked it on both sides as i pushed it together against the wooden backer.some tape also helps to keep the parts held tight and square but the part needs to be kept cool as you tack so the tape glue doesn't go gooey and also so the part doesn't warp. they would be different than what you want, likely, as the outside edges were smooth, not with a detail, and the corners were square. where there is a will there is a way to make it happen though.

[leegreen]

Easiest option is to cut a section from a rusted out stake pocket

for a easy fabricated version I'd probably skip the curve and make it straight. Bend the U shape with a wood block and vice, grind some 1/4" flat stock into beads to weld on. Or just tack on some 1/4 round stock for shape and fill the edges with filler sanded round and only take pictures when it is done. Even 'pros' do stuff like that.

next harder would be curved, making u shape out of three pieces of sheet bent and tacked together, then add beads from solid stock as above. if it was curved inwards as I showed above, the beads could probably just be a couple inches long and taper to a point.

Third option might be to bend the beads out of 1/2" round stock and weld sheet metal to them.

I don't think hammer forming the double beads would be easy, but hammer forming for the 54 and newer stake style that did not have beads would be viable.
You could make a die out of a bolt, a form out of a block of wood with a groove and hammer the beads into flat stock then bend the sides. I was able to crudely bead some 1/8" sheet with an air hammer and a shape to pound it into.

But most importantly: don't let the Internet talk you into making your project larger than you need it to be.

[dsraven]

skip, your truck looks awesome. I like the high mount brake light option as well, it blends right in. do you have a tailgate as well or just the netting I have seen in other pics? it reminds me of the netting we used on our firetrucks to haul dirty hose back to station for cleaning.

[suburban99]

My 50