fleetside bed mounting holes rounded off

[swb85]

The two square mounting holes on my bed closest to the cab are rounded off, so carriage bolts just spin when you try to tighten/loosen them. Anybody ever come up with a creative method to repair the squares? Other than some carefully placed weld beads, I'm having trouble visualizing a way to fix them......

[MONTEZ]

I'm in the same boat. Luckily I'm in the proccess of completly rebuilding my bed so , I may just end up welding, grinding and reshaping the holes. I am also conscidering having washers made and possibly welding them on the bed floor to prevent it from happening again in the future.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by MONTEZ

I am also conscidering having washers made and possibly welding them on the bed floor to prevent it from happening again in the future.

This is a really good idea! Thinking out loud here....... something like 1/8" or 3/16" flat bar or plate, use a plasma cutter or torch to cut out a round piece, and cut a square hole in the middle (or use a square drill bit), then weld them to the bed floor. Maybe drill a smaller hole on each side and plug weld it to the floor that way, then grind smooth......

[MONTEZ]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

This is a really good idea! Thinking out loud here....... something like 1/8" or 3/16" flat bar or plate, use a plasma cutter or torch to cut out a round piece, and cut a square hole in the middle (or use a square drill bit), then weld them to the bed floor. Maybe drill a smaller hole on each side and plug weld it to the floor that way, then grind smooth......

I know a guy with a water jet and a guy with a cnc plasma. I could ask either about doing it and see what they would charge. If they can make one they can make a million lol.

[glock35ipsc]

LOL, no kidding! My steel supplier has a cnc plasma and 2 cnc lasers. That's who I have do my stuff since I sold my cnc plasma, and I get our company's price to boot.

[benoit454]

I ended up clipping the ends of the round head so I could put a wrench on the ones that stripped, worked really good.

Also a good idea for anyone going to take theirs loose or put em back in, have somebody stand on the bolt head with all their weight on it, use plenty of penetrating oil and inpact them suckers. Maybe even torch from the get go if you got one.

[swb85]

Originally Posted by MONTEZ

I know a guy with a water jet and a guy with a cnc plasma. I could ask either about doing it and see what they would charge. If they can make one they can make a million lol.

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

LOL, no kidding! My steel supplier has a cnc plasma and 2 cnc lasers. That's who I have do my stuff since I sold my cnc plasma, and I get our company's price to boot.

If either/both of you end up having something made, please let me know and I'll send money for some!

[iroc12valve]

I've allways just done it stupid and used a 5" bolt (3/4") and a washer in the bed, it looks a little funny but it works great, and theres allways bedliners that make the head irrelevant( by covering it up) just drop the bolt in the bed and then if your goin solo you can put a breaker bar in the bed and itll catch a bedside or the wheel well then go underneath and thread the nut

if your gonna leave the bed exposed then use stainless bolts They make it look really durable

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

LOL, no kidding! My steel supplier has a cnc plasma and 2 cnc lasers. That's who I have do my stuff since I sold my cnc plasma, and I get our company's price to boot.

It doesn't even need to be that high tech. The simple hydraulic metal working machines like the Buffalo we had in our fab shop have square punch press dies. We used them all the time when making guard rails with square pickets.

Take a heavy gauge 3/8" fender washer and punch a square hole through it. It would take all of five seconds to make one. You might need to press it flat after the punch press but that would just take a few more seconds if needed.

You could make a jig to drop the washer in that perfectly centered it on the punch press too.

[MONTEZ]

After thinking about it, I've seen "square hole" washers used a lot in timber construction, I'd be willing to bet that Lowe's, Home Depot, or Fastenal would have them.

[ont_guy_38]

Can't remember what years but maybe 80,s Ford truck had a torx head on the box bolts , no worries if the hole is rounded out or not

[MONTEZ]

Originally Posted by ont_guy_38

Can't remember what years but maybe 80,s Ford truck had a torx head on the box bolts , no worries if the hole is rounded out or not

You know what, that the best idea I've heard so far. I think the newer fords have them. I'm pretty sure that's gonna be the way I go. I'm scared to fix it, just to have it mess up again if I ever have to pull the bed for any reason.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by MONTEZ

You know what, that the best idea I've heard so far. I think the newer fords have them. I'm pretty sure that's gonna be the way I go. I'm scared to fix it, just to have it mess up again if I ever have to pull the bed for any reason.

Use galvanized carriage bolts and reinforce the hole with a square punched washer welded to the back side and you will not have any problems in the future.

[MONTEZ]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

Use galvanized carriage bolts and reinforce the hole with a square punched washer welded to the back side and you will not have any problems in the future.

They would have to be welded from the top unless you wanted to cut the cross sills.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

(or use a square drill bit)

All good ideas, but I'm that no one caught this!

Good call on the punch press 68TT. We don't have one here, and they don't work well with what we build, so I never thought of one. A fist full of washers and a couple of minutes time and, wallah!

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

All good ideas, but I'm that no one caught this!

Good call on the punch press 68TT. We don't have one here, and they don't work well with what we build, so I never thought of one. A fist full of washers and a couple of minutes time and, wallah!

There is a drill bit that cuts square holes. Rounded edge triangular head offset to the center line of the drill shank. Wobbles around and cuts out a square hole. Really dang expensive.

[MONTEZ]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

All good ideas, but I'm that no one caught this!

I thought you were being serious. We use square drills in our MAZAK's.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by MONTEZ

They would have to be welded from the top unless you wanted to cut the cross sills.

I am in the process of doing this now on my 67 bed. I am cutting slots in the side of the bed support rail to fit the washer through and am going to plug weld it in place from the top. Not an easy task to do by yourself.

Tough to hold in place but I think I have a way of doing it by making the piece more like an alignment shim with a tab on the side rather than a round washer only. Maybe a tab tacked to the side of the flat washer that you could hold it in place with by tacking it to the slot you cut in the bed cross rail.

[MONTEZ]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

I am in the process of doing this now on my 67 bed. I am cutting slots in the side of the bed support rail to fit the washer through and am going to plug weld it in place from the top. Not an easy task to do by yourself.

Tough to hold in place but I think I have a way of doing it by making the piece more like an alignment shim with a tab on the side rather than a round washer only. Maybe a tab tacked to the side of the flat washer that you could hold it in place with by tacking it to the slot you cut in the bed cross rail.

My original plan was to get some washers with the same OD of the bolt head made that had a 6 hole pattern around the square so that I could weld puddles in the holes attaching it to the bed floor and grind the welds smooth. then with the bolt in place I doubt many people would realize that the washer doesn't belong there.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by MONTEZ

My original plan was to get some washers with the same OD of the bolt head made that had a 6 hole pattern around the square so that I could weld puddles in the holes attaching it to the bed floor and grind the welds smooth. then with the bolt in place I doubt many people would realize that the washer doesn't belong there.

That is a lot of holes in a small washer. Maybe only four plug welds with one on each flat side of the square cut out.

I don't know if there will be room for any plug welds on a washer the same OD as the carriage bolt head. You might have to go a little larger.