tuned88 wrote:First off, sorry for the lame photos. They weren't representative of the truck as it actually is which is bent but not that much. Here's a better shot.
I measured from the ground to the bottom of the frame (towards the rear) and found the passenger side to be 5/8" taller than the driver side.
Here is your problem.
tuned88 wrote:From the photo below, you can see the bed referenced to the horizontal line on the cab. That difference is about 1/2". I can lift the bed from just behind the driver door and lift the bed about 1/2" due to the rusted and not-supporting-anything bolt.
The bolt doesn't support anything. It's only job is to hold the bed down firmly on the frame rail.
I recently had a local shop remove the extra leaf springs that came with the truck when I bought it. Previous owner was a glass shop that really loaded her up. I'll take it back to them and have it tweaked level. The idea of swapping every other spring side to side is brilliant as well as checking for a broken spring. Really appreciate all the feedback.
- still got my first first car 20+yrs later : 69 f100 sorta kinda pretending its a Mercury M100 w/a 70 f350 sport custom cab (factory buckets) 67 grille with 69 ranger cooneyes 68 merc box and hood,some supercool fiberglass fenders i scored way back when, 76 f150 disc brake frontend..currently running a 90 5.0HO 4bbl/c4 auto & 3.50 posi...originally a 360/c6 f100 Ranger with dealer added towpack (incl. kelsey hays trailer brake),boxside toolbox,behind the seat stowage & belly tank...only original parts left on 'er are the frame,rear end,rear springs,and rear bumper...
I shot a photo (page 1) from under the truck clearly showing the rusted-out cross member at the driver's side corner of the bed. I think the repair of that issue will level the bed. But measuring the frame-above-ground height revealed that the leaf springs are not equal left to right. Fixing that will be a gross adjustment that the entire truck will benefit by (I hope it doesn't screw up my alignment!). But the bed attach point has to be restored to get it level to the cab. That's what I'm thinking anyway...
I'm still betting on the springs fixing the bed alignment problem. Yes the support needs fixed but best I can tell it has not caused any sinking of the bed. The area the bolt runs through is bad but the main structure still looks intact meaning the bed is sitting at the correct height in relation to the frame. Either way both need fixed.
We'll find out, I'm getting the springs worked on next week. Then regardless of that outcome, I'll get the bed repaired. Unrelated, found me a pristine '68 tailgate with all the hardware for $80
