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I started today to remove the hat channels from under the floor skin. Nuts and screws, not the weld nuts. Having read about the the various ways folks attack these old Philips head bolts I got to thinking. Some ground off the heads, others drilled the heads (much like drilling out a pop rivet) I'm sure the torches also came out and the blue wrench was used. I started the day by removing a few after wire wheeling, soaking with PB and using the correct bit in my air ratchet. Then things started going wrong, killed the head recess @#$%$. Time for a new plan!
I sure others may have tried this and all I can say is it's working great for me. I dug out my nut splitter that I haven't used in years and went to work. I split each nut twice so the two half's fell off. Knocked out the screw and after I glass bead and if need be run a die over the threads I can reuse them. I would rather buy standard SAE nuts then chase after the screws. Also no chance of messing up the sheet metal with a grinder or torch.

What type / model of nut splitter are you using?

I need to get one when I work on my tool box.

Thanks,

Paddy

Paddy, Mine is probably 40 years old. No doubt it isn't the most up to date style. Yet mine is made in the USA and works. What seems to be the newest design is below. Remember the bottom of the tool box is hex headed bolts into weld nuts. They gave me no issues backing out.

http://store.harryepstein.com/cp/NutSplitter/175.html

The slight off-set in the newer style seems like a plus.

Thanks Wayne!

I will have to look for a made in USA angled nut splitter.

Thanks again,

Paddy

I guess I got really lucky with mine. I used a 3/8 impact gun with a correct phillips head socket. I only had 3 that would not come off so I used a die grinder with a small zip disc. I found that 95% of all my bolts came off freely. I cannot figure why. I thought they would be mostly seized. Maybe the truck was stored inside most of its life I'm not sure but the body had almost no rust at all. I'm thankfull for that.

Wayne,

Did the bed bolts have lockwashers or the dished spring steel lockwashers unter the nuts?

I am reassembling mine and I don't recall what they where.

Rick

Rick,
The 5/16-24 Philips screws that held the channels to the floor skin all had simple lock washers. Just finished up the take down of the box bed, next is to straiten out some dents and remove 4 brackets that the FD brazed to the floor.