Patching a hole in truck bed from old gooseneck?

[Nathan_OR]

Hey guys, I know a lot of you out there are experts at welding so I thought I'd ask for some advice.

I have a hole in the bed of my truck, about a 10" square, from a popup gooseneck hitch which had to be removed due to improper installation. Just imagine a square hole cut in the bed sheetmetal in the middle of the bed and you'll have the right picture in your head.

We are going to have a spray in liner applied (suggestions there as to Line X vs. other brands would be appreciated too!). Before we do, we want to have the hole patched, but I'm wondering if I could do it myself. I can do some welding, though not an artist like some of you guys. But this doesn't need to be structurally super strong, because it won't bear any trailer weight or anything, just needs to be good enough not to crack under bed flex. And it doesn't have to be pretty, because I can grind down the rough edges and then the bedliner should conceal the rest.

So how would you guys approach this, given I can only access from above? I was thinking of screwing a plate, about 12"x12", up tight against the bottom, then welding around the edge trying to get some flow in between the two plates (under the bed, on top of the plate) before applying a bead around the edge of the hole, then grinding flush. Then I could remove the 8 or so screws, caulk the holes, and let the bedliner cover those holes up.

Any problems or suggestions for how to do this better/stronger/faster?

Should I take it to a body shop or is this something a complete amateur could tackle?

Thanks for the advice guys,
Nathan

 

[George2615]

If you want it to look real pretty, head to a junk yard and cut out a similar sized patch from another pickup bed (maybe they have one that's rusty around the edges they can't sell) then mig it in place or put it up from underneath and pop rivet it in (metal might be too thin to stick weld). Once you spray in the bedliner you'd hardly notice it. I've heard Rhino spray in liners are good. My dealer sprayed in a 3/8" thick liner in my 02 pickup when I bought it and then in my 05 but don't know what brand material they used. I wanted my 07 done but my dealer doesn't do spray in liners anymore. Now they sell bed rugs.

 

[AlanB]

JC whitney and others offer bed patch panels cheaply that match the countour of your bed.

Work type truck, cut a patch an inch oversize, grind down the area, apply weld through primer, weld patch in place and then undercoat the bottom and do your bedliner in the top.

Very valuable truck, take the time to space an air gap, then weld up the gap. HF etc. has nice little clamps to center and space in the patch panel.

If you overlap, (which is what I would suggest) then make sure you prime, seal and undercoat the edge as it will be a prime place for rust.

Definetely something you can do.

Watch for gas tank placement, line placement, and vent tubes etc.

 

[schmism]

If you want it to look real pretty, head to a junk yard and cut out a similar sized patch from another pickup bed (maybe they have one that's rusty around the edges they can't sell) then mig it in place

+1 thats what i would be doing... finding some bentup/rusted bed in a junk yard and cut off a chunk you need.... should only be a few bucks.

 

[Marcussen]

You could find a garage where they install the hitches, they may have the cutouts in their trash can. When my hitch was installed they gave me the piece they cut out. Then you can use one of the repair methods listed above. If not Jcwhitney or a junk yard is your best bet.

 

[AlanB]

JC Whitney: Auto Parts & Accessories

 

[Nathan_OR]

Guys thanks a lot, that's exactly the advice I needed! The truck is a 2000 F250 so JCWhitney doesn't have the panel I don't think, but I can definitely check out a junkyard. It's going to end up under a 5th wheel hitch, so I don't really care much... if I don't find a panel easily I'll just use flat stock.

Thanks,

Nathan

 

[AlanB]

Flat stock will make it very diffficult to make a good repair.

I would speak nicely to the install shops till I found one, or the Junk Yard.

 

[Nathan_OR]

Update for the curious:

I removed the old popup gooseneck htich, and found that things weren't exactly as I had thought. The top plate for the old hitch and the crossbars it bolted to had sandwiched the bed for about 1-2" around the edge of the hole, crushing the ridges in the bed almost flat. Welding in a perfect patch piece is not possible... in fact flat stock is a better fit than ridged bed material.

So, I changed plans slightly: instead of trying to weld and seal the thing up, I'm going to halt rust, prime and undercoat the exposed edge of the hole in the bed, then manufacture a new 1/4" top plate with a hole in it, seal and prime it, and bolt it down to the new gooseneck (B&W turnover gooseneck) with carriage bolts. Then I'll apply the spray in liner.

I'll take some pics to show you guys what I'm doing, and thanks again for the help.

@ AlanB: I may be revealing myself to be a bad welder but what do you mean by "space an air gap"? I've always just butted edges or lapped faces and then welded the seam. Sometimes I'll bevel the edge if the stock is thick to get more weld into the seam, but I've never actually put spacers or anything in there... is this a technique that good welders commonly use? How big should the gap be, a few mm? Thanks for the welding class

Nathan

 

[AlanB]

I said it poorly, sorry.

Use these clamps.

Eastwood Co. - Intergrip Panel Clamps Set of 4

They are also available through Harbor Freight.

My main point would be, that you do not want extra tabs and flanges hanging about there, if you are truly looking to do a great job. Those extra little things tend to act as places for rust to set in and get started.

This type clamp pretty much insures that there is no extra tabs etc to hold moisture and dirt.

I am guessing that this is a "work" truck, and function is over ruling form here, and the repair you listed above will probably be much more then adequate.

If you were restoring a 1966 Mustang that your granddad bought new, and you want to hand to your grandkid, that would involve this type of clamp and a lot more fitting and fabrication. (that was the project I was helping a guy with when I read your post )