Bed and Gas Tank Removal HELP!!!

[Jeremy_C]

I've been working for 3 days and can not get the bed off. The nuts are stuck to the bolts, an wont come off. I've soaked'em with ever kind of lubrication I can think of, and the nut just turns the bolt.

My fuel tank started leaking, so a cuttin torch is pretty much out. I cant even get the dang fuel tank off. How can I get this crap off my truck with out a cuttin torch. I've tried grinding the bolts, but my grinder sucks ass.

I give up. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[divorced]

When you tried grinding the bolts, did you gring the head or the nut? I have ground the head down before to get a bed off, but if I remember right the square part of the bolt (like a carriage bolt) didn't fit though the holes very well, use a long punch and hammer to make them fit.

 

[divorced]

The fuel tank should come off fairly easy if you try to remove the 8 bolts that hold the brackets, I've never had any problem with these.

 

[dyeager535]

YOu can try grinding a slot in the carriage bolts for a LARGE flat blade screwdriver, if you can get help from someone to hold that while you try to break the nuts off/free.

 

[divorced]

Or possibly weld a nut to them.

 

[diesel4me]

Its a pain,but you can drill the carriage head bolts off in the bed from above,and chislel the rest of the head off--since you have gas leaking,I would refrain from using a torch or grinder,they both throw lits of sparks,I usually use a BFH and a long mason's chisel.about 12" long with a tip about 1-1/2"wide.I took one bed off I got for free with the chisel and hammer alone,while I held up the guy in the ramp truck for a half hour--my friend decided to junk the truck(with a nice rust free bed)and he already called the scrap guy-I think I set a new worlds record for removing a bed with just a hammer and chisel!.The key is too keep the chisel real sharp,wear thick leather gloves(in case you miss /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif)and swing the hammer real hard!.Actually,the bolts I chopped off sheared easier than I thought they would witout drilling them,and I didnt muck up the bed floor as bad as I anticipated either.
As for the gas tank,those brackets and bolts can be a bitch to get at,and are often rusted badly enough so no wrench known to man will fit or remove it,and the chisel wont fit in there--we use an air chisel at the shop,or sometimes if the brackets are rusty and rotted,and the tank is junk,we just cut the straps and bend the brackets down with a pry bar enough to get the old junk tank out,and buy new straps and brackets from GM(not too terribly expensive)or rob some good used ones from the junkyard. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[rcurrier44]

I assume you are not going to be using the gas tank again and are going to replace it. Just syphen out the rest of the gas and fill the tank with water...hose any standing gas off any surfaces and torch the bolts off.

 

[nvrenuf]

[ QUOTE ]
The fuel tank should come off fairly easy if you try to remove the 8 bolts that hold the brackets, I've never had any problem with these.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm with Divorced, you can remove the tank by unbolting it's mounting brackets from the inside of the frame and then drop it straight down (after disconnecting the hoses and wires). Removing the bed makes it convenient to work on but it is not necessary.