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Pulling the bed, with pics.


Revhendo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2013
Messages
50
Vehicle Year
1995
Transmission
Manual
I got to say right from the start, if you just bought your first tool set from China Freight and do damage to yourself, others or your truck, I and the Ranger Station ain't taking the heat for it. This is just a pictorial on how I did my lil job here and I thought I would share to help others.....
Be responsible.

So, here's the skinny. I had to replace my fuel filler neck (apparently a common thing) on my new to me Ranger. I read up a bunch on here about how to do it and decided that pulling the bed would be the easiest way to go about it. I've been wrenching for the better part of 30 some odd years and dropping the tank is never fun. I'm the type that always seems to miss something when dropping a fuel tank, whether it's a hidden ground wire, the seventh vent line on the back, or the extra 10 gallons of gas in the bottom. This usually ends up with me doing some version of Satan's Twister in the driveway, the neighbors are hiding their kids eyes and the cops are walking up the driveway ready to taze the perv under the pickup. Never pretty.

On a scale of 1 to 10, this ranks as a 2. Stupid easy. (Perfect for me).
The tools you'll need are a;
7mm socket for the filler neck,
T55 Torx© bit for the bed bolts,
A pocket screwdriver or small pick for the tail light connector,
A couple of tie down straps,
An engine hoist, (Or a friend or two)
(Yes, I just listed your friends under "Tools")
A selection of lubricants, (penetrating oil, anti-seize, a good six pack for you and a cheap twelve pack for your "tools") (C'mon, they're coming over hammered already).

The bed isn't that heavy, it is just cumbersome. It's lighter if you take the tailgate off, a couple of folks could lift it off. I actually did have assistance with lining it up to avoid scratching anything. I would probably drop the bumper if I was going solo on it. If you're going to set the bed down, you might think about taking off the mud flaps. They will stay prettier that way. Just sayin....

For prep, I hit the bolts with the penetrating oil from underneath the day before then went inside and had a beer.

The first thing I had to do was remove the bed liner. Pretty easy if you pull up in the center and release the edges. If you can, get a friend to help, these things are awkward. If you have spray in bed liner, start scraping.



The bed bolts have a T55 Torx© head on them. I used my bit with a half inch breaker bar. Remember, leverage is your friend on these. Use a long breaker bar or a long pipe. They're tight. Seriously resist the urge to use air/electric tools here. Just trust me. Loosen all six bolts. I just left them loose in the holes.



Remove the filler cap and three 7mm screws that hold the neck on.



Under the left rear corner is the tail light connector, the pocket screwdriver comes in hand to undo this lil dude.... (it's the big one in the upper part of the picture. Thanks to cvar for the picture, my phone wouldn't focus on it).



I put the tie down straps on so I could hook up my hoist, or you could bait your friends out with the cheap beer.....



Pick and pull.....





It really makes everything easy to get to, whether your doing the filler neck, fuel sender, or suspension work.



If you didn't kill the bed bolts pulling them out, put some anti-seize on them when you put the back in. If you ever have to go back and do it again, you'll be glad you did.
 
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Looks good.

I will definitely second the "use a big breaker bar and not air tools" comment and the remove the mudflaps first. (did not do that with mine, ended up removing them shortly after setting the bed on top of them, lol much easier to do while the bed is still on the truck)

And you do realize you put your daughter under the "tool" category, right :)

AJ
 
Looks good.

I will definitely second the "use a big breaker bar and not air tools" comment and the remove the mudflaps first. (did not do that with mine, ended up removing them shortly after setting the bed on top of them, lol much easier to do while the bed is still on the truck)

And you do realize you put your daughter under the "tool" category, right :)

AJ

LOL, Okay Okay, the girl had to go off to college.....

Yeah, the Torx bolts can be a PITA if they get rounded out or you bend the splines on your bit/wrench.

I want to thank everybody for their input on this. I realize it isn't earth shattering tech, but if it helps, it's well worth it.
 
I would very much like to hear more from you on this subject. You must know by now your article goes to the nitty-gritty of the subject.
 
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Good write-up!

The only possible thing I can think of to add would be the one that it looks like you didn't really encounter. I pulled the bed on an 89 Ranger I got. I started out with the impact gun on the bed bolts, which only really ended up making a lot of noise (smaller compressor and probably a bit too much hose). So I went to the breaker bar and cheater pipe.

I snapped off 5 of the 6 bolts. After the first one or two snapped off and I nearly fell out of the bed over the side I was trying to brace myself in the bed so that if it would snap off I wouldn't tumble over the side. Fun times. Worst part was, I was sober when I did it.
 
Good write-up!

The only possible thing I can think of to add would be the one that it looks like you didn't really encounter. I pulled the bed on an 89 Ranger I got. I started out with the impact gun on the bed bolts, which only really ended up making a lot of noise (smaller compressor and probably a bit too much hose). So I went to the breaker bar and cheater pipe.

I snapped off 5 of the 6 bolts. After the first one or two snapped off and I nearly fell out of the bed over the side I was trying to brace myself in the bed so that if it would snap off I wouldn't tumble over the side. Fun times. Worst part was, I was sober when I did it.

There's your problem right there. I do believe beer was listed under "Tools". :beer:

I had read about the issues with the bed bolts in searching this out and was ready to head down to the hardware store to pick up some hex headed replacements if needed. I would probably hit up the Ford dealer to get the clipped nuts that are originally used and just slather them in anti-seize if I had to replace them.
 
There's your problem right there. I do believe beer was listed under "Tools". :beer:

I had read about the issues with the bed bolts in searching this out and was ready to head down to the hardware store to pick up some hex headed replacements if needed. I would probably hit up the Ford dealer to get the clipped nuts that are originally used and just slather them in anti-seize if I had to replace them.
:icon_rofl: :icon_rofl:

After almost going over the side when a bolt snapped, I was kind of glad I was sober or it might have hurt more. There were things laying alongside both sides of the truck that I really didn't want to fall on, lol.

But don't worry, I do usually have beer around to help in lubricating any repair work.
 
Thanks for posting this! I have had the new fuel filler neck in my basement for over 3 years now... I really need to get going on this.

I am good at not over filling my tank resulting in spilling new gas at the station now. Will this also improve fuel economy? I would imagine some gas spills out and evaporates while driving with a cracked filler neck.
 
Awesome, I will be doing this to drop the rear of the shop truck. Looks like it makes life a whole lot easier!
 
I've had the bed off 3 times now, i've used Air tools every time without issue on the bolts. Maybe i'm just a lucky case. But i never thought of the hoist, i know what i'm doing next time! You'd think its dumb common sense, its not... thanks for the idea! :icon_thumby:
 
I've had the bed off 3 times now, i've used Air tools every time without issue on the bolts. Maybe i'm just a lucky case. But i never thought of the hoist, i know what i'm doing next time! You'd think its dumb common sense, its not... thanks for the idea! :icon_thumby:

Honestly, I didn't even think of using my air tools on the bolts. I've had problems in the past with some pesky Torx bolts. Add in what I've read here from some other folks and well, you get the idea. I probably can now that I've had them out and killed them with anti-sieze.


Glad I could help. Anytime I can help folks smarter than me even smarter, it's a good day. :icon_cheers:
 
That write up looks better than the first time I read it...

I've recently removed two beds...92 and 96...on the 92 I used a Johnson bar with a 3' pipe extension and then an air gun...the 96 was actually pretty easy compared to the 92, and I managed to score a set of the clips and decent bolts.

I could not find when them anywhere when I did my 88 about 7 years ago...not for under $20 per bolt/clip...that would have been $120 just to replace the hardware!
 
That write up looks better than the first time I read it...

I've recently removed two beds...92 and 96...on the 92 I used a Johnson bar with a 3' pipe extension and then an air gun...the 96 was actually pretty easy compared to the 92, and I managed to score a set of the clips and decent bolts.

I could not find when them anywhere when I did my 88 about 7 years ago...not for under $20 per bolt/clip...that would have been $120 just to replace the hardware!

Do you have to replace the hardware when removing the bed?
 
Do you have to replace the hardware when removing the bed?

When I did my original 88 the bolts simply would not come out without snapping them they were so badly rusted. So I had to run around (the nearest parts store was 40 km away) trying to track down a set...I went to Ford dealership and the price from them scared the crap out of me...but I found similar bolts for a few bucks a piece from a place called Brafasco (or Brofasco...can't remember).

On the last two beds I took off I soaked them in PB blaster and let them sit for a day or so before even trying to crack them. This worked much better and not one of the bolts actually broke off...but about half of them were badly corroded and not really useable. The other half (6 of them) were in very good condition and even the clip nuts were useable...

So, the short answer is...maybe, depending on the condition of the bolts and clips...

It's a real PITA when the actual clip nut snaps so the bolt turns but there is nothing to hold the clip nut and the bolt just spins...
 
Great write up.
I have done similar recently and ran into a small snag initially.
My enging crane was not long enough to reach over my lifter Rangers.
I used a 4' section of 2x2 with a chain to reach far enough to get the bed up.
I also reached from the side and had to put the rear tire between the crane legs. That worked well to keep it from tipping.

Rich
 

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