I've been highly motivated lately to get this thing back together, so it's time for another update. Continuing where I left off last time, I made more progress on the bed floor raise. After cutting the front panel down to size it was just a matter of welding it back together. Again, my friend helped me here to get this right. After completing the weld through a series of tacs, we ground it down and cleaned up the edges of the paint. At this point, I have not decided how I will finish off this surgery. I know leaving bed scars is popular these days, and I'll admit it does look kinda cool, but I'm not completely sold on it yet. I also don't want to run the risk of attempting to blend it in and it end up being really obvious. For now, I will defer the decision until I am completely done with the bed.
Next, it was on to the bedsides. The same principle applies here except you have a few more things to consider. First is how to incorporate the wheel tub into the shortened sides. I am going to section the tubs so that the top lines up exactly with the top of the recessed area on the sides. That being the case, I can cut a straight line across my bedside to remove the excess material. I chose to make the cut at what will be the center of the recessed area like I did on the front panel.
I actually just needed the side panels here since I am eliminating the outer wheel well for more tire clearance. You can see here the cuts I made to achieve this. I also had to drill out a few spot welds on the ends of the panels. Once removed, I simply slid them up until they were 5 1/2" higher and the edges served as my cut lines for the sectioning job. The width of my cutoff wheel (0.040") left me the perfect gap for butt welding the panels together. Once cut, the extra section was removed and ultimately will end up in scrap.
Finally, it was time to weld the pieces back on. For now, we just tacked it in a few spots so I could test fit everything. I also took this opportunity to roll the fender lip over so it made a smooth edge on the tire side. Eventually, I will add some sort of filler pieces or bracing to the outer fender because the bottom edges are prone to flopping around while driving. I learned this on my last truck. The only other thing that must be done is moving the bottom edge profile of the rear bed post up 5 1/2" so it mates up with the bed floor like stock. Once everything is assembled for good, I will tac the fender to the bed floor like stock.
At this point, I was at a good spot to take the time and test fit everything. We made quite significant modifications to the frame, suspension, and bed sides and it was a good sanity check to make sure everything was close to lining up. Within minutes I was able to throw a few bolts in the front panel and bed side. A pleasant surprise was that the holes that are used to bolt the front panel and bedsides together are spaced 5 1/2", so I didn't even have to redrill these! Other than being shallower, the bed bolted back together like stock while retaining the same character lines. the tailgate will also close up like normal. I will just have to make a filler panel to go in the gap created between the bed floor and tailgate when it is open.
Now it was time to step back and get the first solid look at how the ride height will come together once everything is reassembled. I don't think I could be any more pleased with the stance. It will change slightly once I get the full drivetrain in, but overall it is exactly how I envisioned. The tire clearance front and rear is excellent as well and I was able to achieve just the right amount of tire tuck that I was looking for. Also, the body lines matched up perfectly with no shimming to the bed. Guess I didn't need that extra 1/2" afterall!
From here, it's back to the grinder and welder to finish off the bedsides and wheel tubs. Once these are completed the suspension mods will officially be complete. Then I can redirect my focus to the powerplant since, afterall, I would actually like to drive this thing!