Struggling with a 2018 F-150 aluminum bed side replacement

I thought swapping a damaged bed side on a 2018 F-150 would be a two day job, but the aluminum panel bonding and riveting process took me nearly five full days. The structural adhesive from 3M had a much longer cure time than I planned for in our shop's cool temperature. Has anyone else found a faster method that still meets Ford's repair specs for these?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatt_fox682d ago

Used to think those aluminum bedsides were just overpriced tin. Did one last winter in a 60 degree shop. That 3M adhesive took 48 hours to set enough for rivets. Had to build a tent with a space heater around it to hit the cure temp. Now I just plan for a full week on any aluminum panel job.

graymiller2d ago

Wonder if the humidity in your shop was fighting the cure too.