MJ Bed Dent Repair Advice

[Gawynz]

The bed of my project truck has several golfball-ish sized dents along the top, any advice on cleaning it up? I can't reach it from the inside, so I was thinking a stud welder/puller followed by hammering it down straight as I can, then finish it with hopefully a small amount of filler during the paint process. Before I head this route I'm curious what if there are better ideas?

 

[NYCEGUY01]

Is been a few years since I had one of those but I seem to remember the 93 and older S10 truck bed caps fit pretty good. Shiny and no bondo needed...

 

[mbryson]

I have a harbor freight stud welder that you use to see if those would pull. I used it once about 7-8 years ago on a TJ tub and haven't used it since

 

[anderson750]

I do not play a body man on TV, but have a friend who owns a body shop and have talked a lot about body repair. . Without acesss.....outside of replacing a bedside, about the only option is pulling it, hammering the edges and smoothing with filler is the only option I can think of.

 

[Gawynz]

Thanks for all the feedback. I like the bedcap idea, I'll have to look into that. @mbryson thanks for the offer, I may take you up on that, I'll reach out if I go that direction.

 

[Hickey]

I want one of these dent pullers:

26/27 minutes in-

 

[Gawynz]

Well that things neat.

 

[DaveB]

My son was down at the neighbor's business with his Comanche when he first put it together and the neighbor fired up his monster fork lift and backed in to his back bed and shoved his truck across the yard. It damaged the bed so much that I found another bed. We couldn't get mad at him since he gave him the truck in the first place.

 

[XJEEPER]

Using Marc's stud welder, a slide hammer and some carefully applied heating should allow you to get most of those dents out of the MJ bed.

 

[STAG]

Personally I hate stud welders and I’d be leaning towards cutting the spot welds, removing the bedside panel from the rest of the bed and then hammer and dolly with the panel in a comfortable position. Then paint the inside of the panel and the mating bedside panel while the panel is off.

 

[N-Smooth]

I think it’s a 35 year old truck and you should wear the dents with pride but to each his own. I’d get a fake patina paint job on that thing and RUN IT!