Removing bed divots?

[70bus]

While the correct answer is ‘replace the metal,’ I am looking for other options on my bed, which has several spots hammered well below the plane of the bed. Any use pounding out from below? They don’t need to be flat, but better would be nice. Also, besides seam sealer, any suggestions for the seams? Weld them shut someday?

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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[skills@eurocarsplus]

you're never going to get the metal right by pounding it

it was stretched when the dents were made. pounding the dents out will further stretch the metal, and it will need to shrink some so it doesn't oil can

I would just replace the bed, which is what you don't seem to want to do. The only other way is to remove the bed floor and work it that way. doing it in place is a suicide mission imho

you can drill out and remove the bed and replace it faster than you could even fix one dent.
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[Eric&Barb]

Personally welded the seams shut. Only way to be pretty sure on a flat surface to seal it up.

When sheet metal is dented in like that, trying to hammer it up will not help. The very sheet metal has been stretched, as in longer from point "A" to "B" so no longer able to be a straight line. If you did hammer it up without any additional stretching from the hammering (definitely doubtful), you would have humps in the bed that would be equal to the dips you have now.

You really need to SHRINK the now stretched metal, but with corrugated metal like that it maybe hard to do. With fairly flat sheet metal using a shrinking disc has worked well for us. You might as well get one and try it out. There are two sizes, thinking that the bigger one might work better since it heat the areas faster, but you may still need the smaller sized disc at same time to get into the smaller areas. So two angle grinders would be needed to go back and forth quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=metal+shrinking+disc
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[70bus]

A combo of not wanting to replace the bed, and not having cash to do so! There are a number of things that could have been done when at the body shop, but cosmetics were axed by the budget.

I will try shrinking disks. And welding the seams eventually. Easiest is a bedliner but that seems wrong, even on a bed this beat. My main concern was standing water due to my local climate, but as I live on a hill I doubt it will be truly horizontal very often.

Dents will make installing bed slats an interesting process...
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[skills@eurocarsplus]

[TDCTDI]

Dude, you bought a work truck that got worked hard, probably when it was several years old & had no value. If that’s the worst of it, preserve it & consider it part of its history.


There is no “working that out”.


Treat it, paint it, & toss plywood over the top of it until you can afford to replace it.
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[70bus]

That's a possible option for the future... but assumes wallet, equipment and skills are up to it. Also space for the work. But I appreciate the advice on shrinking disks, and will just work with what I have for now.

I've got a router, so maybe I'll make the underside of the bed slats conform to the dents :)
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[silkvw]

Your SC cleaned up real nice! Wish that I could drop by and see it.

I know it's hard to justify the cost of a new bed. Mine has been worked on, but is not perfect. Do your best and get out on the road!
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'64 single cab Big Bend Bus Bash 2015 '16
'59 camper BBBB 2017 '18 '19 '20 '22 New Mexico
'70 Ghia........Bonneville,........TX Mile,........142 mph......(sold)

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=641871&highlight=

[70bus]

Thanks silkvw; when I picked it up, Jeff Gagnon (body man) said "I'd just drive it." Which I planned to do, but the tranny/rgbs, spindles, brakes, wiring etc etc needed rebuilding (not to mention a motor getting built), so I saved what money I could on the welding: just enough so it didn't break in half! I might do the bed at some point, especially if the seams are a big(ger) problem and start causing serious rust below. Meanwhile I might hit the bed with epoxy primer and some rattlecan two-part just to stop the rust a bit.

I love the variety of cars on here, from to-the-nuts resto to swiss cheese with a motor - and in-between ones like mine. I also really appreciate the folks who let me know when 'it's OG or don't bother' as it saves me a ton of wasted time, money and energy. Short-cuts that give me a few years to save pennies for OG are always welcome, though.
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[zimblewinder]

Back in PG era (Pre Gerson) I took out my 23 window floor and shrunk it down perfectly with a large shrinking disc. It was a pain in the butt and I had to work the dips from the top and the bottom but it did work really well. Check out the photos from my gallery at the time. The only other option back then was the WW funky red panels that were trash and I couldn't stomach having floors that were so far from the original profile.
Before

During - see the flat side vs the wobbly ribs still to go in the background

After - as you can see it's dead flat here.

\
One to go

so as you can see it's doable. Would I do it again??? Hard to say as it is a bit of pride to say its the original floor (petty I know )

Dale
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58Euro 23 343208 The Ultimate Zimblewinder Machine.
59 mango standard
Wanted- splash pan supports, og pressed bumper coach bolts, ivory blaupunkt knobs (early), armrest alloy strips, NOS door mechanism