Body and frame welding needed

[chief_shotts]

I live in the PNW, specifically Portland, OR area and am looking for a competent welder. As you can see in the photo my truck used to be a drw and is now converted to srw. I'd like to fix these wheel wells. The wheel arches are easily obtainable from lmc and others. They just require some welding. What's not pictured here is the 6inches of frame that was removed from the rear of the frame from previous frame owner.. I'd like to fix that aswell... I can also source that section of frame.
I've called around to different shops in town and the common theme is that they don't want to deal with old stuff or they are too busy/ understaffed.
Is there anyone on this forum that lives locally (Portland, or and surrounding areas) that is willing and interested to do the work or knows someone that can do this work.

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[Trucksareforwork]

Probably could swap the bed for what it would cost you to buy and have somebody else weld patches. Long beds in good condition aren't super expensive over here, and you'd be painting either way.

 

[xm20k]

If it was me, I'd get a set of bed sides from another truck or AMD if you don't want to deal with anybody else's mods or rust/rust repair and paint it. The cost of a welder that could stich panels in and blend them decent enough to be body worked will cost as much as a new set of bed sides.

If it's single stage paint and not base clear Paintscratch.com sells spray cans of GM colors that blend very well, half my truck is touched up with it and you can't really tell, even were I painted the sahara roof to buckskin.

 

[SquareRoot]

Damn. That thing is in two zip codes!

 

[edgephoto]

Buy bedsides as was mentioned. You will spend way more time and money making those look right.

If those sides are decent someone will buy them off you. That should help lower the overall cost. These beds are bolted together with a couple small welds.

 

[chief_shotts]

Buy bedsides as was mentioned. You will spend way more time and money making those look right.

If those sides are decent someone will buy them off you. That should help lower the overall cost. These beds are bolted together with a couple small welds.

ya I'm leaning towards doing the whole bedsides now.

 

[edgephoto]

Buy them from Auto Metal Direct. Everything I bought from them fit as good or better than NOS

 

[Bennyt]

Was someone planning on converting to a short bed? Wondering why they'd remove 6".

 

[xm20k]

Was someone planning on converting to a short bed? Wondering why they'd remove 6".

Maybe they cut the rear off because they had some sort of hitch, or something welded into the rear they wanted to keep and couldn't just unbolt it.

 

[Grit dog]

I live in the PNW, specifically Portland, OR area and am looking for a competent welder. As you can see in the photo my truck used to be a drw and is now converted to srw. I'd like to fix these wheel wells. The wheel arches are easily obtainable from lmc and others. They just require some welding. What's not pictured here is the 6inches of frame that was removed from the rear of the frame from previous frame owner.. I'd like to fix that aswell... I can also source that section of frame.
I've called around to different shops in town and the common theme is that they don't want to deal with old stuff or they are too busy/ understaffed.
Is there anyone on this forum that lives locally (Portland, or and surrounding areas) that is willing and interested to do the work or knows someone that can do this work.

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Holy ****! Someone picked up a die grinder after way too many beers….

 

[Grit dog]

Agree, find some bed sides if the floor and wheel wells are cherry and you get them cheap. Otherwise find a new bed. Not hard around hear like other places.

 

[squaredeal91]

Welcome from SW Oregon.
someone probably wants a good dually bed. Sell it or trade for regular bed maybe.

 

[Ricko1966]

If you pull the bed, cut and fit your new section in place,make fish plates. Diamond shaped plates with a big hole in the center and drill bolt holes in the four corners. Use the fish plates and bolts to hold everything in place. If you can drive it to someone and all they have to do is run a bead around the fish plate,another inside the hole on the fish plate and then the seam. Shouldn't be hard or expensive to get that done. Any farmer down here could do it. Just showing these as examples Id make my own to fit what I was repairing the best. But you weld the perimeter and tgen aroundbthe inside of the hole then up and down the seam. It will outlast the rest of your truck.

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[fast 99]

Have lengthened shortened and repaired broken frames. Weld in a doubler that does not have vertical welds such as a diamond shape. Will last using proper methods. One of our trucks we added 24" behind the cab to make into a rollback. Was used hard for over 200k.

 

[77Dmax]

That much patching on the bed sides is not cost effective and will not last a long time before flexing and popping off filler. The vertical welds of the patch have no meat for strength. It'll be a mess.