Once the front of the bed sides were straightened and squared I fitted the header panel, primed it, and drilled holes for the plug welds.
The original header panel had extended bottom corners that I needed to replicate.
The corners fill in these gaps on either end of the header.
New pieces welded on.
With the bottom corners finished it was time to weld the header in place. I started from the bottom center and worked outward, keeping clamps on either side of each plug weld spot while welding.
The sides were butt welded to the bed corners.
And a tube was welded across the top to replicate the boxed section on the original header. The gap between the floor and header will be seam sealed just like the bed sides were. .
