How to Remove a Ford Truck Bed
by Russell Wood
Trucks are utilitarian vehicles, handy for taking loads to the dump or hauling parts home from the store. But if the bed of your truck becomes damaged in an accident or you want to swap it out for a flat bed, you first must take off the stock bed and place it to the side. The unbolting and disconnecting process is fairly easy to do on a Ford truck, but the bed is heavy and will take some help from a friend or two to get it off the vehicle. This should take about 30 minutes to complete.
Step 1
Open the tailgate of your Ford and unscrew the taillights from the bedsides, using the Phillips-head screwdriver. Then unplug the bulbs from the back of the lens, using your hands, and push the wiring harness in through the taillight bucket in the bed and down to the ground. This will ensure that when you lift the bed, you won't pull the wiring harness off too.
Step 2
Open the gas door, and unbolt the gas filler neck from the bedside using the 1/4-inch ratchet and socket. Then push the gas filler neck into the bed.
Step 3
Unbolt the bed from the frame, using the 1/2-inch ratchet, extension and socket. Depending on the length of your bed, there are as many as eight bolts holding the bed in place, all along the frame. Push the bolts up through the frame and out of the bed.
Step 4
Place your assistants around the bed so that you can distribute the weight of the bed evenly among the people. Lift the bed vertically off the frame, lifting with your legs. Be careful as you lift around the wheels; you may have to lift the bed higher to accommodate. Lower the bed to the ground.
Things You'll Need
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- 1/4-inch ratchet and socket
- 1/2-inch ratchet, extension and socket
- 1 to 3 assistants
Writer Bio
Russell Wood is a writer and photographer who attended Arizona State University. He has been building custom cars and trucks since 1994, including several cover vehicles. In 2000 Wood started a career as a writer, and since then he has dedicated his business to writing and photographing cars and trucks, as well as helping people learn more about how vehicles work.
