[landarts]

Sunday I was able to get into the project for some of the tear down discovery phase. First item was to remove the farmer bumper with the wrap around sides that were crunched. Clean out the dirt, mud and miscellaneous items left in the back of the truck from previous owner. Was able to break off the first two bed bolts the rest I used 4.5" angle grinder and a large punch to remove. After that I was able to attempt the removal of the P.O. installed Gooseneck hitch. The Gooseneck hitch was built out of heavy duty plate steal and bolted to through the frame directly over the axle. The only problem was it was a dirt and moisture trap that destroyed the bed in that location. I will need to cut out that section, then treat and weld in a section of bed floor. Not sure yet if I will need to replace that bed support until i get it onto the bed dolly for further inspection.

After all that I removed the tail light housings, cut all wiring to the rear of the bed and removed trim from passenger side of bed where there was some damage. Lifted up the bed and put two 2x4 runners underneath to get it ready to move over to the bed dolly for future repairs. Not worried about the old wiring since this truck will also get a new American Autowire Classic Update 510089 harness. As I remove the old harness I will be salvaging any of the connector bodies that are still good for future repairs or replacements.

img 1 - Shows the Gooseneck location

img 2 - shows the damage it did to center of bed

img 3 - shows me holding a straight edge to the rear passenger corner panel area to show how far it was pushed in

img 4 - shows the small tear in the fender on the passenger side where the damage started