Damaged bed from factory, revisited....looking for repair ideas

[flyin99]

After a couple or so weeks of ownership, I noticed some damage on pass side, between tailgate and under the brake light. (pics included....Left pic left side and Right pic damaged right side)...They gave me a couple of options as far as putting on a new bed side or just giving me cash and I do want I want with it.....I went with cash......now, here we are 3 years later and it bothers me and it doesn't, BUT I was wondering if some type of seam sealer or something could be used to fill in the void and then I could use touch up paint to paint it? Would any of that set up hard enough to make a somewhat permanent fix? Thoughts on this? Thank you all!!

[Likarok]

More likely damaged in transport or at the dealer before you bought it!

[Donstar]

I would take it to a collision repair shop and ask what they can do for you. I have taken small repairs such as this to vehicle body shops explaining that it is a cash repair (not insurance) and I need to go the the most inexpensive route. They like these little jobs to fill in between their larger projects!

[flyin99]

Thanks guys. Yeah, I've had it at a body shop, to see what they thought. They said bed side replacement.....I mean, I guess I could, BUT unless your looking for it, you can't see it, but I know it's there. They also said you'll definitely be able to tell it's had a bed side put on it......that's what makes me ....wonder about pursuing it any further.....I don't know. Thanks again!

[flyin99]

More likely damaged in transport or at the dealer before you bought it!

We (dealership as well) are thinking it was at the GM plant, because the missing pc of metal was folded back inside that area and when I pulled it out, it had no paint on it......something from the factory happened.....

[Likarok]

If the dealer supports that it came from the factory that way I would settle for nothing less than a whole new box!

[flyin99]

If the dealer supports that it came from the factory that way I would settle for nothing less than a whole new box!

Yeah......I/we discussed that, but they even said if you get a whole new bed, it's going to be in pcs and need to be painted, as "you don't get a whole new bed, already together and painted. Said it would still be done at the body shop ....so at the time, I declined having all that work done.......maybe I should have.....I dunno.

[Dnt]

Sometimes stuff is missed at the factory. If it is indeed unpainted then there was a conveyor or parts carrier issue before the paint shop. This one must have missed the QC check (GC was probably on break outside smoking a cig when this one came through inspiration point) No way that I would replace the entire body panel. I would try to find a small local body shop and get them to apply some seam sealer and maybe some touchup paint. The big corporate body shops are not going to have a checkbox for something like this in their processes and controls forms LOL

[bndawgs]

what about trying to fill the void with some JB weld?

[flyin99]

what about trying to fill the void with some JB weld?

Hmmm.........never thought about the JB.....Might work better than seam sealer.

[redwngr]

Body shops get boxes and/or box panels to repair wrecks.

 

Should be able to fix you up.

 

Might need to ask at more than one body shop to find one offering solution that fits what YOU think needs to be done.