Bed floor patch panels

[69f-100]

So far i'm not having any luck finding a bed with a good floor in it, so i guess i'm going to have to use bed floor patch repiar panels from one of the vendors when the time comes. Has anyone used these with any success? They seem to be readily avalible from various vendors, so i would guess they are being used or they wouldn't be offered. Here are a couple i have found.

http://npd.dirxion.com/WebProject.asp?B ... flx&from=2 Page 219 $32.5


http://www.rustrepair.com/PANELS/FORD-6 ... REPAIR.HTM $53.71

Their is about a 20.00 difference between the two. I'm not sure which one i should use? Maybe the more expensive one is thicker and a better fitment? I don't know? If anyone could give me a little help here I would appreciate it.

[basketcase0302]

I would personally call them and ask what the gauge, (thickness) of the panels are if it were mine.

[69f-100]

What guage is the factory floor?

[basketcase0302]

69f-100 on Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:05 pm
What guage is the factory floor?

I'm not really sure. It seems I remember a discussion on it here through the years but can't find it. The closest thing I can find is the body builders specs which I also don't see it on:
http://www.fordification.com/tech/images/bb70/p143.jpg

Maybe someone else can pipe in here that knows a little more. I do have a metal gauge thickness measuring tool here I've used in my trade for man years, (but no bed to measure the thickness on).
Here's a cheap one:
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/9 ... t-_-960637
Sheet metal gauges are opposite in regards to their numbers, (The larger the gauge number, the thinner the metal). So the panel with the lower gauge number would be the preference.

[69f-100]

I would personally call them and ask what the gauge, (thickness) of the panels are if it were mine.

I couldn't get ahold of them so i sent an e-mail to both of them. I'll wait and see what they say.

[69f-100]

NPD got back with me and said that thier panel is 19 guage steel. I havent heard from rust repair yet.

[tylerb43]

I just removed my factory steel floor, I can mic it for you and let you know the gauge. 19 gauge (.042") sounds pretty thin for a bed floor, but we'll see.

[basketcase0302]

if i had to guess Tyler, I'd say 10 gauge on our trucks metal?

[bjde0b]

I thought bumps were 18 gauge, but I could be wrong.

[69f-100]

I just removed my factory steel floor, I can mic it for you and let you know the gauge. 19 gauge (.042") sounds pretty thin for a bed floor, but we'll see.

Tylerb43, let me know what you find out. Why did you remove your floor?

[tylerb43]

Tylerb43, let me know what you find out. Why did you remove your floor?

I measured .060" on the factory floor, which is 16 gauge. For those that aren't familiar, .018" (the difference between 16 and 19 gauge) may not sound like a lot, but it really is when it comes to panel rigidity. The sheet metal on the cab is 18 gauge, if that helps the perspective.

69f-100: I removed the factory floor to install a custom wood floor, check out my build thread, I think around page 21 is when I started cutting it out. I know, I know, crazy right, but sometimes you just gotta roll with crazy ideas. And I seem to have plenty.