bed pitting

[sillbeer]

Hello,

I'm not sure how to fix this area on my bed. It's right at the seam just above the trim. It's rusted and started pitting. Should I just use a good quality bondo or is there another option? Also there seems to be some silicone in the crack all the way down the bed that was painted over before. Should I dig that out and put another sealant in it's place?

Thanks,

-Destin

[fordamericana]

Bondo won't last if there is rust present, remove the rust first then chose weather it is best to fill it in, or maybe do surgery.

[sillbeer]

I'm for sure going to remove the rust. I just didn't know what the best fix would be being in the area it's in.

Thanks,

-Destin

[fordman]

definitely sand that down as soon as possible. get the rust down to bare metal. that seem rust can and will eat into the bed seam and mess up the inside of the bed as well as the outer bed panel. the seam sealer that is in the seam now can be scraped out and replaced. they make two kinds of sealer. one that goes on before you paint. and the other after you paint. as far as the pitting. i am not sure what is used to fill pitting.

[hivewax]

Melt some lead on there or slap some metal epoxy and sand down.

[Joshpow]

Get it good and clean and then reseal it. Lead the seam or weld is nice. Or, get it clean and put more seam sealer in it. Just make sure its clean and sealed. Previous owner of my truck didnt and I got holes all the way through the seams. Inside out and under! I just had to go buy me a bed cause it was so rough. Needless to say Im cleaning seams this go round. Bondo only hides the problem.

[sillbeer]

Thanks for the replies. Seems like welding the seam would be very difficult to get it even and smooth all the way down. I have a Miller 211 but I don't feel my skill level is were it needs to be for a job like that. I'll probably just dig the old sealant out and sand blast the seam real good, clean it out and reseal it. I'll also take a wire wheel or a flap sander to the pitted area and get it down to bare metal. I'll start a build thread here pretty quick. I have the whole front end apart and about to start bead blasting it. I also have a gallon of Por 15 on order through my local Napa.

I ordered these yesterday. Hopefully they'll be here by the middle of next weekend.

http://www.tptools.com/p/2945,371_DeVil ... n-Set.html

-Destin

[Joshpow]

You gotta weld it up and grind it close to smooth as possible. Then lay a little filler to true it all up. I agree though. Thats only reason mine aint getting welded. I aint that good!