[SOLOLUCKY]

wwll My CCLB had the common rusty bedsides of our gen trucks. But were covered up by fender flares when I bought the truck. Once I saw the rust creeping out from under the flares well..ok its time.
Now before I get bashed for the body work I will say this. The bed rails under the floor are crap, floor looks good, and it only needs to last a few years til I am ready to pull the trigger to flatbed the truck...And I do not claim to be a "body man".

So with that being said..Here is the process of the fender fix.
I watched a bunch of videos on this. And knowing the bed rails are shot I was not gonna go crazy expensive repairing this bed but do want it to look decent. So I came uip with the triple expanding foam method as being my best shot. What do I have to lose really.

So the pics will tell the story best.

for some reason I can only add (4) pics so see part 2 for the rest.

 

[SOLOLUCKY]

rusty bed sides part 2 of 2

I planned on reinstalling the fender flares anyways so the fact that the wheel arch was not in its stock location meant little to me.
BUT I had nothing to reattach the top of the flare to..problem. well nothign a little foam couldn't fix right?
so I attached the bottom screws in their original locations, pressed the flares back where they belong and gently began applying foam from behind to fill the void and adhere the flares to the body. gently meaning little bits of foam at a time as the statement "triple expanding" means something! SAo over 1 week I had filled the void solid, trimmed it to hidden behind the flare, and primed the foam with flat black paint.
And did not turn out bad at all I think for less than $100 and about 2 weeks of effort.
I also did the rust that was forming on the bottom of the tailgate inside and out while the truck was down.
Now rust free.

On a side note, If you look up in the wheel house you will notice (2) finger sized hose. That is where I believe the water infiltrates our fender and the rust starts. I filled those holse with foam so not near as easy for more water to get on top of the wheel hose and to that fender area. Not to mention that the repair is about 4" deep into the fender.

Thats my fix.
But Youtube was a big help brainstorming the process and the foam...well cheap and easy to work with.
Technically correct? no. But did it achieve the results I wanted? yes indeed.

 

[Patriot]

Good job. Got a link to part 1?

 

[Patriot]

I found it.

 

[nighthawk285]

You can just make another post to attach more pictures, no need for a whole new thread :thumb:

 

[Patriot]

I think we need a mod merge.

 

[nighthawk285]

The one that already happened? :wall:

 

[Patriot]

Nice ninja mod move.

 

[SOLOLUCKY]

my bad...was at work when i posted all this and, well, brainfart i guess. thanks for merging them...now i know.

 

[nighthawk285]

All good bud! Looks good as a temporary fix! Just keep in mind with any future body work you may do that foam has a nasty habit of holding moisture and starting the rust process all over again.

 

[SOLOLUCKY]

nighthawk285...gocha...if it was not for the bed being near the end of its life i would have gone with a patch panel..but in its current state a flatbed setup is in its current future.
a flatbed is pretty attractive with its extra width but the exterior of the current bed is still good so maintaining it was on the books.

Also as a side not to others, keep in mind the 2 holes in the wheelhouse is what allows water to fly into the corrupted areas that start rust. Plug them ASAP!! but for most it may be too late.