Floor and rocker options

[K5Rob]

WOAH. That is NOT how it should be lol. Somebody replaced that floor but didn't have a welder and bolted it to the cross rails and everything else. Holy cow I've never seen anything like that

This is what it should look like. The only bolts should be across the front edge (and they're alot smaller than what's all over your floor), the holes for the seat to bolt to and a few "bed bolts" to bolt it to the frame rails.

You must be registered for see images attach

The cross rails are supposed to be welded to the floor

You must be registered for see images attach

Wdym by “front edge”?
Are there bolts in the wheel wells?
Also are there bolts on the step-up just behind the front seats? Do you have any pics of this by chance?

 

[K5Rob]

Well I finally got around to doing some body work. Busted most of the bolts out a and replaced the uni strut with solid channel and used the existing holes to plug weld everything up. I still have 2 body bolts by the tailgate I need to replace with carriage bolts but the forward two are done. The bed was lined with some rubber crap which has been a pain to work with. The PO’s welding was passable and I cleaned it up lightly with a flap disc. Thinking of trying the raptor liner product when Im all done with the floor work. That step up behind the front seats still has bolts and I may have to leave all or most of them, not sure yet but thought I would at least provide an update as of now. OEM pics would help tremendously!! Not sure I can plug weld these without a backer so therefore I am not sure it’s worth the trouble but I am open to ideas! Rockers are in as well and the parts from AMD fit great. The front floor patches are still left to do but should hopefully be done soon

 

[Grit dog]

What are we doing about this area? Are people making their own panels or is something else available?

Cut out some factory metal? I know solid cabs are probably rare by you but probably some with good center sections?

 

[Grit dog]

TotallyHucked, you dont happen to know what the underneath of the back floor (bed) and the step-up from the front floors is supposed to look like?

For more context, my rear floor looks like its been replaced but is loaded with bolts. The step-up is as well. Underneath the rear floor is cross braced with a couple rows of uni strut, not really a terrible idea i suppose. The strut is bolted to the floor all the way across. Just wondering what is supposed to be there, if anything. Added a few pics for reference. Not that I am looking for original but Im a decent welder and might be able to do a little better than the last guy…

Yikes! If that bed is solid and doesn’t squeak or sag I might consider painting it up good in place and dropping in a plastic bedliner to make it pretty.
Or get a new bed floor provided the sides don’t need rust work too.

 

[K5Rob]

Yikes! If that bed is solid and doesn’t squeak or sag I might consider painting it up good in place and dropping in a plastic bedliner to make it pretty.
Or get a new bed floor provided the sides don’t need rust work too.

Thanks grit dog. Everything is nice and solid. The solid struts I used are 14 gauge and take place of the thin factory hat channel. The bed panel actually appears to be newer so no need to replace that. Unfortunately the truck was rougher than it appeared and it has been patched up before but somebody did a halfway decent job at least (mostly thick plate), why he used bolts on the back half I am not sure but that is mostly taken care of now. These unfortunately were hidden by old nasty carpet and I didnt catch it. All the body mounts appear to be newer which is nice. Im gonna have to be creative with this one as money is tight. I am not looking to undertake a restoration, this will be a worker and I plan on using the bed at times when needed. I think the raptor liner (if anyone has tried this let me know - doing the best I can to remove all this rubberized stuff) will make the interior floor look decent enough when the welding is done.

 

[Grit dog]

^My opinion may not be the same as your goals, but you said work truck.
1. Waste of time to try to remove all that previous bedliner unless you find some magic method that blasts it all off with say no more than a pressure washer.
2. I wouldn’t put down another diy bedliner. If anything just patch up what you’re damaging. It looked decent enough.
3. My suggestion on a plastic bedliner if you don’t like the “look”. Ain’t nothing going to make that bed floor worth showing off short of a replacement. No sense in the time and $ to polish a turd that you’re gonna beat up and scratch up.
JMO and all in keeping with minimal out of pocket cost.

 

[K5Rob]

^My opinion may not be the same as your goals, but you said work truck.

So i decided to use a roll on bedliner just to give everything a uniform appearance and also I did some heavy patching up front, floors, rockers etc and cleaned up some of the PO’s work as well and the textured bedliner just helped hide the seams and blend everything in without making a mountain out of a mole hill. Just thought Id share. A little glossier than Id like but overall I think it was a good choice.