Replacing corner bed strips?

[rdwhite01]

I'm am taking my pickup bed apart in preperation for paint and new wood on my 1957 short bed pickup. In the process I discovered my corner bed rails are not in the best of shape and need to be replaced. While I don't want to replace the whole bed side, I am unsure if trying to remove and replace the welded corner bed strips is worth the effort? Has anyone suscessfullly removed and replaced these welded corner strips and still ended up with a great looking pickup bed? If you have accomplished this task, what is the best method and what are the pitfall I can run into on this job.

Thanks for any help.

Rick

[5Mike7]

I think I know what you're talking about, the ones on my '59 were rough and thin, little grinding, little airchisel, little more grinding and then I welded in angle iron where the original were.

Actually made it look better than original.

[dwcsr]

Like 5Mike7 said it can be done its a chore and they do sell the rails and parts for them. Some of the board vendor have them.

[MAR-Ktech]

The replacements can be bolted or welded on. Replacements are available from most vendors with the square bolt holes and cut to the correct length. Some people use angle covers to cover the old angles if they are still sturdy but just ugly. The instruction http://www.mar-k.com/54-72anglestrips.pdf may help if you decide to replace the angle strips.

Mar-Ktech