Get out your thinking cap, I could use your ideas.

I have these strips that will go on top of the wood in the bed of my 51' ford F1. They were fabricated to be installed against the bed sides and attached. The deal is I have raised the floor (wood) in the bed 3" and the angle would look best if it tucked (faced down) instead of being exposed.

SO, the question is how would you go about bending the 90 the opposite way. I cant fit the strip into a break and get to the middle where the bend is so that is out of the question. I thought run it through a roller to flatten it out and then I could get it in the break. My last resort would be to cut the flange off with a shear. Thank for your imput. Jay

 

You can never unbend it.

What I'd do with home equipment is run the plasma using the side as a guide. Leave like 1/8" attached to the offending piece, maybe a bit more....because it will help to keep things straighter when tacking it together.

However, that's a lot of welding ....are you sure you can't find a way to use as is?

 

If I were to do that and since it will be hidden, cut it off and spot weld a piece of flat(unbeaded) angle to the bottom to attach to the bedsides.

I just raised mine 2"'in my Chevy, but I like the original look of the angle. Good luck.

Miker

 

These strips won't be hidden. They go on the outside edge(missing in this picture) and have the bead on them to match the other strips. I'm just looking to clean up the look, as the flange pointing up will be distracting.IMHO

 

Why not use the same type strips that you have on the other boards?

 

No I mean the piece underneath will be hidden. Cut off the flange on your finished piece. Spot weld another (smooth) angle underneath. Attach to bedside. Viola!

 

What about asking the guy you got the kit from to make ones the way you need to have them, make cost a few bucks but he has the machinery.

 

I would just pait it to mach the bedsides, and then it would not stand out so much

 

Why not just trim the flange down so it will be below the height of the wood?

 

Called today Horkeys wood and bed parts. I was told that they had a factory make them, and thats the only way they are being made. Believe me, I woulda spent the coin!

 

I think they would look fine pointing up, IMO

 

This truck has a lip (or flange) stock on the bottom of the bed side that the wood is to tuck under. These flanges are made to copy that. If I was to use the same style stips as the rest, I would end up having to trim the one bead and end up with what I would have if I cut the flange off these.

That's the plan, but shadows and such will draw your eye toward the fact that it just doesn't look like it belongs.

 

The flang on the right and left sould go down > Should it not?

 

^^^^^ That's the question, I would like the flanges to go down, BUT HOW. As these are not stock pieces, they have made them for people to hide the stock pieces if theirs are rusted or beat up.

 

This is the stock bed side. The flange at the bottom (or left of the picture) is the stock end strip, incorperated into the bed side. These pieces were made to go over them and make what could be an ugly flange look better or match the other strips.

 

If these are 16 gauge mild steel.
Go to a sheet metal shop see if they have large press with flattening dies, flatten than rebrake. Some machine shops also may do this. Living in So Cal you are bound to find a shop that could do it just pick a bigger shop

 

Flattening dies??? That's new to me, forgive my ignorance, could you explain the process. Is it flattened in small sections?

 

can you just turn them upside down with spacers so as not to crush them ?? .. steve

 

From looking at it in these pictures, I would just cut off the offending brake and be done with it. Or get two more strips like the rest of them and mount them.
They may be off a little but that would be better than not having that extra raised beads against the bedside. I think it would look fine.

 

I retired from the sheet metal industry after 45 years we had a press that had a set of flat dies that we used to flatten hems on metal, they were 12 foot long we flattened 10 foot pieces all the time. First you use a set of smaller v-dies turn the piece over and land the top die on the 90 than bring it down to just near flat than change dies to the flattening dies in and bring it down to gauge thickness. Than you put the v-dies back in and re-brake. The 90 degree is not quite as sharp but it would pass in your installation. Find a shop with at least a 80 ton or bigger press

 

The plasma, flip, and re-weld trick is gonna be the best looking option. Clamp them down to a good solid steel surface and weld them up. Go slow, then use a sanding disk to smooth everything back up. Nobody will ever know what you did... Other than us, and we won't tell.


If you try to flatten that metal it is going to warp the shit out of it. It will be more obvious that using them as is.

Kevin

 

Would this be an odd request to a shop?? I wonder if they would shy away because of not wanting to flatten or ruin the bead that was pressed into it? Thank you for your imput, pushs me in the right direction.

 

What if you took the edge that is going up and folded it. You know, make the edge half as tall. I think it would give it a better look, and after its installed you could wipe a bead of seam sealer down it and paint the edge so it doesent show any gap, if there is any.

I think if you fold it over toward the bedside it would fit nice and tight.

 

Yes it would be an odd request and my shop would probably put a disclaimer on it but still do it and it would work. The whole piece is never in the bite of the dies at any one time, so your rolled edge would never be near the dies and beings that you are not going over 90 it also will never hit top or bottom dies. A good sheet metal shop with a selection of dies can do many things with metal. we have put a quarter section 1 1/2 radius in 10 ft 16 gauge mild steel and you never see a crease, as mentioned above about warpage that might be inclined if you were to flatten in small sections

 

To add to this what about buying another set and after cutting the upward facing flange weld the new set to the bottom and cut the bead off. At least this way you have alittle more material to weld to and clean up and then your flange will point down and then you can tack it to the bed side under the wood.(behind the fender so you dont see the paint damage) the sides looked painted to me. Did i get it right?And you would have to make a filler block to take up the space between the underside of the board and the old existing rail.so you dont have to worry about applying any pressure.

 

Take the wood out of the bed and redo it. Seems like an easy job.

 

!!!

 

yeah, that....

 

I don't understand why you can't use the same type as in the middle ? Thats what I did on mine 'cause I didn't like the stock angle on the sides.

Later, Mark

 

Cactus has the cure. Slice it off with a plasma but leave enough of a lip on the angle to let the top beaded plate to rest on TOP of the angle, then just plug weld through a series of holes instead of full welding.

Best idea yet for home tools.