Removing a good stake pocket from a beaten PU bed

[GB SISSON]

This is for a tonner and they are not reproduced. I have a partrs truck in the woods with one nice stake pocket and I need it to replace one on my current project. It is not near electricity. I hate to torch around it because the bed sides themselves are very straight, but from a later year like a 51. I have a cordless drill and a cordless 'multi tool' and a cordless angle grinder. How best to remove this pocket. I have never removed one. Thanks.

[deuce5wndw]

I have used a sheet of sandpaper to find all of the spot welds and then used a spotweld cutter to drill them out then a hammer and chisel to carefully remove. I always plug weld the holes to make them look like a spot weld when I reinstall.

[deuce5wndw]

I forgot to mention the rivets! Drill or grind the heads off then do the spot welds.

[CA Victoria]

PM sent-
A spotweld cutter leaves a big cut. A drill bit appropriately sized and a dremmel with a tungsten rotary file mixed with allot of care will get er done. A heavy duty Hyde scraper with a sharp edge will separate the spot welds with less distortion than a chisel. The pockets on my 35 bed I just removed had 12 rivets and 14 spot welds! Each.
Go slow.......

[Karl Wescott]

Consider a large spot weld cutter (or an annular cutter) from the bed side. Try to only cut the bed, then grind the remainder from the back side of the pocket. Or be really crude and use an angle grinder from the back side.

[GB SISSON]

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Yikes you guys... working from the backside seems extreme, but the Idea is we save the stake pocket... The part we want. I just love neat old trucks , so we can go to the dump and pick up a load of lumber etc.... I live in wet country. I see many posts and a lot of adds on BAT, CL etc that expound the virtues of 'real Henry steel' etc. As far as I'm concerened a lot of parts like running boards and fenders should be rerproduced in fiberglass. I have glass running boards on my 'truck based woody'. I brush painted them with rustoleum 'rusty metal primer'. They look like the straightest original running boards I have ever seen. After all, who buys glass boards and paints them with a 3 dollar brush? Just sayin'

[flatford8]

I’ve got a set of ‘glass running boards for my ‘37…..I managed to find two sets in “need help” condition ……I’ll figure out something with those……. Mark

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by flatford8

I’ve got a set of ‘glass running boards for my ‘37…..I managed to find two sets in “need help” condition ……I’ll figure out something with those……. Mark

Brush paint them about like a six year old would. The more 'texture' the better. They don't look like fiberglass repros after that.

[cas3]

I do not have a spot weld cutter, probably should but it never happened. I generally try to find dead center of the weld, punch it and start drilling with a very small bit as the weld is hard. Start with about a 1/16th, and once you have a hole the next ones will be easier. You will have to go thru the box sides, but holes are easy to fill if you ever want to use the sides. once you get up to about a 3/16 hole you could try prying with something thin, and that should tell you how much is left to either try to break it off, or drill another size bigger. The bigger bits may not have to go all the way thru, just cut the weld. After the first one, you will know what it takes to win. Last, straighten out the flange a bit, and plug weld it back on your good bed. Good luck

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by cas3

I do not have a spot weld cutter, probably should but it never happened. I generally try to find dead center of the weld, punch it and start drilling with a very small bit as the weld is hard. Start with about a 1/16th, and once you have a hole the next ones will be easier. You will have to go thru the box sides, but holes are easy to fill if you ever want to use the sides. once you get up to about a 3/16 hole you could try prying with something thin, and that should tell you how much is left to either try to break it off, or drill another size bigger. The bigger bits may not have to go all the way thru, just cut the weld. After the first one, you will know what it takes to win. Last, straighten out the flange a bit, and plug weld it back on your good bed. Good luck

Sounds perfectly logical. I would expect nothing less from a solid Midwestern citizen such as yourself. Tomorrow, sunny and fifty degrees. My drill batteries are in the charger.

[john worden]

To maintain the factory appearance of the reinstalled pockets do the following:
Cut or drill from the box side only enough to separate the pocket from the side without drilling through the pocket welds. Sacrifice the box side because it can be repaired later if necessary.
Clean up and straighten any damage to the pocket flanges.
Make holes in the side directly in line with the pocket welds for plug welding. Unless you plan to stress the box sides these welds don't have to be large.
Carefully plug weld without burning through the pocket welds.
Finish or not the welds to your satisfaction.
You now have refitted pockets that appear to be factory welded.
I have removed and welded all the pockets onto new box sides for both a 42 and 37 Dodge PU using this technique.

[GB SISSON]

Thanks to all! Spent all day Saturday on the truck and it looks the there are 'other plans' for my Sunday.