Bed removal, is it really this easy?

[vigness]

2003 FX4

Need to do some work on the gas tank, the fuel lines, and add some wire front bumper to rear for tow flat tail light. Took a look at a video on all that's involved in dropping the tank. Looked at the bed, and I'm scratching my head, is it really that easy. Six bolts in the bed, the gas filler neck, and the tail lights... it can't be that easy...

 

[RustyShackleford94]

It is indeed that easy. Why people drop the tank to do fuel pumps is beyond me.

 

[ericbphoto]

The bed bolts can be a pain if they're rusted. A good quality torx bit and long 1/2" breaker bar should get it. Mine were really bad the first time I took them loose. Now I recoat them with anti-seize every time I put them back.

 

[cbxer55]

I just helped a friend remove the bed off his 2002 Lighting. With the exception of badly rusted bolts, it's easy. He soaked them overnight in some kind of spray on oil. Even after that, one of the plate nuts broke. But it still beats dropping the tank. One guy on LightningRodder.com, simply cut a real nice hole in the bed floor overtop the fuel pump area. Made a real nice access cover to replace it. And can now work on his pumps anytime he wants by just removing the access cover.

One can also put the axle on two stands, remove the tires, undo the fuel filler hose, remove the six bolts, remove the tailgate, and simply slide the bed to the rear to expose the fuel pump area. You don't have to slide it far.

 

[vigness]

Yeah, I think I'm going to give those bolts a good Rust Buster bath every day this week, then have at it this weekend. Now I have to crawl under and find the other end of them. Good news is I have a set of 'ramps' straight off the gravel drive. Just pull / back out onto them and have an instant extra six inches to play with. Laid a stall mat between the rails, so no lost bolts in the grass or gravel.

Anybody know what size Torx that is?

 

[ericbphoto]

99.99% sure it's T55

 

[vigness]

Will have to hunt, I think I may have that and a few others near that size... somewhere.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yeah, it's T55, super easy, the fuel filler neck should be 7mm, and the tail lights just have a connector by the drivers side frame rail, stupid easy, with an engine crane and a couple 2x4's screwed together at the right width or two people pulling the bed is the way to go...

On my '97 F350 pulling the bed is dumb, it's carriage bolts in from the top with nuts on the bottom that are behind the front fuel tank, of course the bed square holes are stripped, but on that pulling the front tank is way easier than on a Ranger. The rear tank is a different story, that one is a pain in the rear...

Here's how I pulled the bed on my '97 Ranger a few months ago, apparently in February from the file name :

 

[sgtsandman]

I agree that pulling the bed is easier. The hard part is pulling the bed bolts but once you get over that hill, it's a lot easier than dropping the tank.

 

[vigness]

Thanks for the pics. I have a '98 with a 3.0 I can rob parts from, overheated the engine and have two cold cylinders..., and then there is the other '98 with a 4.0 I'd love to do some horse trading for a little engine work on the '98 4.0. Yeah, overheated that one as well. Is there a way to search for other members in my area? ( SW of the Kansas City metro ) For some odd reason the bits and pieces from the '05 F-150 with bad cam phasers just won't interchange.

Kinda on that subject, are there any reasonable options for putting a second tank on an '03 FX4. I have a good chance of doing some long cross country trips for work, and 19 gallons is just enough to piss me off. Going to see if I can mount the tank from the '98 3.0 across the front of the bed... who knows.

Part of this with the '03 FX4 will involve a 50 / 50 split of driving and flat towing, so looking at my front bumper / tow options. I'm not too concerned about appearances, the truck only has to last a year or so. It already has a BAD rust problem below both doors. Thinking about just pulling the front bumper and putting a strip of 6" or 8" channel in it's place and add tabs for a tow bar I already have. Going to be pulling from a big truck pintle hitch, so the low down bolt ons like Blue Ox are at a bad angle.

Still haven't made up my mind to pay $100 to the dealership to toggle the tow flat option in the transfer case... if it exists. There is no wire on pin #3 in the 4x4 control box harness. I have most of the parts for a Shifster MK2 that will bring the knob up in the cab instead of crawling under or cutting a big hatch in the floor.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

dropping the tanks sucks. Alot of crap falls into your mouth.

 

[Roert42]

Easiest way I have found to deal with crusty bed bolts.

Try and remove them with a strong impact gun and break half of them in the process. Remove the bed. Cut the clip nuts off with wafer wheel. Install new set of clip nuts and bed bolts.

You'll probably need to replace a few of them anyway, even if they don't break they will be pencil thin from the rust.

 

[RobbieD]

Pulling the bed is the way to go on this.

A few years ago replacement bed bolts and clip nuts were outrageously expensive from the Ford dealership. Anybody know where to get replacements these days at a reasonable cost?

 

[Roert42]

$30 for a set of bolts and clip nuts off amazon. They have an Allen instead of torx on them, but they work the same.

 

[ericbphoto]

He's in Kansas. Maybe the rust won't be that bad.