Here's a closer view of one end of the frame bracket so you can see the relationship between the bracket and the bed of the truck.
Now we measure and drill for the rails in 10 places:
The whole plan for installing the rails and brackets is to assemble everything loosely as the holes are drilled so that nothing gets out of alignment. Once all the hardware is in place, we slowly begin to tighten up the bolts a little bit at a time in a systematic pattern. The end result is that everything is pulled into proper place without any distortion, gaps, or undue stress on the metal.
And the finished product with all hardware tightened up. (The fifth wheel platform is not in the pic as it was a lot easier to lift and fit things without the extra bulk and weight.)
Some comments for those interested in doing this yourself:
First, make sure you have all the tools, etc. on hand before starting. I forgot a couple of things and had to make several trips to get them. That meant I had to set all the tools, etc. aside and drive the truck out of the garage to the storage unit and back. I also did not have the 9/16" drill bit needed so I was stuck with enlarging 3/8" holes with a tapered grinding wheel. That really slowed me down and I should have known better.
One other tool I did not have that I found myself wishing I had for this job is a round tapered alignment bar similar to what steel workers use only smaller. It would have made assembling and aligning the rails much easier.
Second, I have a Makita impact wrench with long extension and impact sockets. It made the gradual, systematic tightening of all the bolts much easier and faster. It also made it super easy to really tighten down everything. If I had to do that with a hand wrench or rachet, I don't know if I would had the strength to complete things given the contorted reaches to some of the bolt heads. If you can get your hands on one, you won't regret it.
Reese gives you a little spacer for each rail bolt. The spacer fits in the grooves of the truck bed floor and allows full tightness of each bolt from the bracket up to the rail. The spacers need to be placed fairly exactly or they'll prevent full tightening and deform the sheet metal. I got out a roll of masking tape and made little handles for each spacer so that I could move them around as needed during the tightening process. It worked really well.
It's late fall and the outside temps are in the mid-30's during the day here. While I don't have a heated garage of my own, I can use one of the bays at my volunteer ambulance service. This is definitely a project that you want to do out of the weather. It took me about 4.5 hours to complete the job so having a place where you can comfortably work matters.
For the average shade tree mechanic, this isn't a particularly challenging project, but with the need to lay on your back on the floor working with your arms extended upwards for periods of time can be exhausting, especially for someone over 60. I rate the difficulty as a 6 out of 10 for myself.
There's lots more to come and I'll add to this thread as I go along. Near future projects for the truck are:
* Remove factory AM/FM/CD and replace with aftermarket HD radio and then move the GPS and satellite radio receiver off the top of the dashboard.
* My UHF GMRS two-way radio needs to be installed.
* Emergency lighting for EMS response needs to be installed.
* DW is getting me a new cross bed tool box for Christmas. It's the low profile kind that won't interfere with the fifth wheel trailer in tight turns. That will be a bolt-in item so it is on the "to do" list.
More in next post...