Sliding Bed back away from Cab

[Inman789]

I need to clean, prep and paint the backside of my cab and front of the bed

I am an older guy and where I live now, I dont have a group of able bodied (beer drinking) buddies to help lift my 8' bed off my '73 K10.

I also dont have a need to disassemble it for the clean/pain process if I dont have to.

Has anyone ever put the truck on jackstands, removed the rear tires, disconnected the wiring and fuel filler neck and tried moving the bed back some to gain clearance?

Am I missing something that would make that impossible?

 

[Grit dog]

You can slide it back approx 4' with no issue...lol. It may sit a little crooked when a bed crossmember is on top of the hump in the frame, but nothing prohibitive as long as you disconnect everything (add ground strap and rear diff vent to your list).

That said, IF you have the room and you should be able to find/bribe enough folks to help, having the bed sitting on a cart makes it much nicer to work around.

 

[smullen]

I have seen guys use like a cherry Picker like engine lift where they attached boards under the rails then straps from them to the lift and I've seen youtubes of them just using straps from the lift to the bed corners.

At some point coming up I'm probably going to need to pull the whole bed off and now that I've moved out to the country, its hard for me to get more than 1 maybe two folks at most to help. Even getting them both at the same time is a hassle. So, when I get to this stage, I think I am going to build a bed stand/cart, lift it up with the engine puller, roll the truck out and the bed cart under it and sit it back down.

 

[Inman789]

Thanks. I saw a few cherry picker configs too. Maybe that is the way I will end up going but honestly am not really sure I need to completely remove it. Though if I had the resources that really would be the best. I am just looking for "B" is good enough to get at the back of the cab and the front of the bed.

Will give it a try and see how it goes.

Thanks

 

[Inman789]

Thanks @Grit dog

 

[Inman789]

Thanks @smullen - sorry you guys, still learning forum etiquette

 

[hoagster]

The rear light harness is on the driver's side there is a disconnect close to the rear so you won't have to worry about brake and turn signal wiring. You will have to disconnect the lic plate light and any trailering plugs from the bumper if applicable.

 

[Grit dog]

@Inman789 let’s see this bad boy truck you’re getting ready to fix up!
If ya do put it on a cart, maybe this picture will help. I tried to use the min amount of lumber possible. It is strong

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[Inman789]

Thank you all very much. I will get some pictures out this weekend. My immediate focus is patching the driver's rear bedside behind the wheel well.

Thanks

 

[75gmck25]

Don’t forget to disconnect the gas filler hoses from the bed. There is very little play in them and the bed won’t move much without disconnecting.

 

[Bennyt]

I used 3 body work stands from HF to hold the bed.

Not all the cherry pickers work well. Look for one that has a long reach. The cheaper HF does not and while it's what I had and used, I don't recommend it.

 

[smullen]

I used 3 body work stands from HF to hold the bed.

Not all the cherry pickers work well. Look for one that has a long reach. The cheaper HF does not and while it's what I had and used, I don't recommend it.

Any Ideas what HF actually calls them?
With as big of a POS as my Pile is, I might need to look at some.

I searched by Bodywork stand and Body work stand. Got a fender cover.

I was thinking about building something out of 2x4 or 2x6s and putting some casters or something a bit bigger on it, to be able to roll it around on concrete or gravel.
But If I can find something premade that fits the bill for the same or cheaper, even better.

 

[Bennyt]

200lb capacity portable work stand

I said 3 but it was actually 4 now that i think about it. I used 2 up front and 2 in the back. I put them inline with the bed if that makes sense. Also I used ratchet straps around the stands as I didn't totally trust the chains/ hinges. I know they say rated for 200 pounds but with most HF items I usually limit to 50%

 

[Inman789]

Thanks all. I think HF is Harbor Freight. Thanks again!

 

[Soundmound]

I used the HF saw horses. The pair held the bed rock solid and has a capacity of 2000#. $50. It's $84 for the 4 body stands and cap is 800#

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