While parked in front of my house a very nice lady and her dog plowed into the back of my 1992 F150 xlt. It needs a new bed/bumper at a minimum, maybe tailgate. (dual tank).

Since I have to replace it, what are the pros and cons of replacing it with a flat vs a box bed. (and availability). It was a farm trunk, but is not now. Don't own 4 wheelers or a 5th wheel. General suburban use. It had a camper shell but I don't expect the shell to survive the bed replacement.

Thoughts?

 

I think you should post pics.

Generally, flatbeds are built for work, and they're too heavy for 1/2-ton trucks. If you built one light enough for an F150, it would be nearly useless, and wouldn't be worth what it costs. IDK what you mean by "box bed". Is the camper shell damaged now?

 

Damage is as seen. Though the bumper is distorted on the passenger side a bit due to the twist on the driver side. Tailgate is also pushed in on the driver side and twisted out out on the passenger side about an inch, though still locked up. (I have not opened it).

Camper shell is not damaged that I can see but when I last looked at a new pain job I was told it if it was removed from the bed it may not go back on.


Up close

 

I can't imagine why anyone who knows anything about working on vehicles would say that. It's fiberglass - not tortilla. It's just as strong & rigid today as the day it was unmolded (unless it has been cracked, overheated, or exposed to strong solvents). This one was on this truck for a few decades. I needed it off one week, so I took it off, stood it on-end against a fence for a few weeks, then put it back on, without assistance.

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In any case: you have nothing to lose by taking it off. It has to come off to remove the bed, which has to come off at some point for the truck to get fixed. If the camper is ruined, the insurance will have to pay for a replacement anyway.