So. Goals are finally happening.

When I originally bought the truck, I searched high and low to find a low mileage, decent priced truck that came with a flareside bed. But i never could find one as they were considered "rare" in my area and most had an added couple grand to the price. So I eventually settled on a styleside, with the goal of one day converting the truck to a step side. Fast forward 8 years and it is finally happening. I obtained a flareside bed off a totaled truck in my area for a total of $250. That was for bed, tailgate and bumper, delivered to my house. (Facebook market place can have some incredible deals!!!)

The bed is in amazing shape, and is perfect... well close to perfect. On the passenger front side of the bed, the fiberglass has been pretty damaged to say the lease...







I have worked with metal before, but fiberglass is something I haven't touched. With metal, I know I could bend the piece back into shape, grind it, stitch weld it up, add some filler and be done.

So, can the same be done with fiberglass? Do you think this is reparable? I've got more time than money (plan to prep the bed for paint as a winter project.) Could I cut out some of the damage, back it with cardboard and fill it with new fiberglass like I have seen videos of guys doing to older Corvette bodies? Your honest opinion is appreciated.

 

Fixable yes, Cheap, No.

 

How expensive? I can get a new bedside shipped to my door for $250. Do you think it will be more than that?

 

I would order the new bedside.

 

+1. You will be money ahead to just get a new one.

 

You'd have enough in fixing that beside that you could almost buy a complete used bed, I'd go with the bedside, it will be far cheaper and will cosmetically look better

 

Stepside fan here too! Got my truck from Tenn. to get one (I am in NY).

Fiberglass is fairly easy to work with and that is a small repair area. Pick up some resin and cloth (even Home Depot sells it). Layer up some cloth and resin on the backside (as I recall there is nothing behind it to get in the way), when that sets up fill the cracks on the front and sand.

 

The consensus seems to be to just replace the side. All replacement sides that I have seen online come with the holes to mount the OEM fender flares. So, going that route what would be the best practice to fill those small holes? (My truck doesn't have flares.)

Again I have never done fiberglass. Metal I could just weld them up and grind smooth.

Bedside in question: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-For-...53.m1438.l2649

 

You could fix that for less than $100 bucks if you do it yourself.

Get something flat (like a 1x6) that you can clamp to the back to hold it all together.

Take a piece of wood and make a cutout of the profile (flat down to the curve under) from the other side.

sand it as flat as you can, then mix up some resin with a little chopped 'glass mixed in and use a mixing stick or something to press that mixture into the cracks (if you have to, grind the cracks out a little so you can get the pieces to lay down).

sand it flat again.

use the profile template you made to ensure the outward facing shape is correct.

cut a couple pieces of fiberglass cloth that will fit on the back side, mix up some resin and lay the cloth down, paint on the resin. Lay the next layer the other way (cross grain) and paint it in.

check the profile again.

paint.

a Saturday afternoon job with beers, no sweat. Fiberglass is much easier to work than metal - makes a hell of a mess tho.

 

That was kinda my original idea. I thought I could template off the other side, use it to hold the damaged one in place, and then fiberglass it. But it seems most think it wouldn't be worth it. Again I'm a newbie to fiberglass.