Need advice on what to do with old bed liner and while we are at it sealing up these scratches.

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Dryriver1

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You have abbreviated my user name a number of different ways in this thread, but it is "SRO" That I like the most. So I'm gonna make that official.

So the way most people one the internet say to do it is with a heat gun, and a lot of time.

I've got two cans of the TCP stuff coming that should be here this afternoon. We will see.....

SRO
Keep us updated on that TCP.
I am curious about it.

Sorry on the different abbreviations on your name SirRobyn0 . I mean no ill intentions.

Sincerely,
Dryriver1
 

Soundmound

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Oh, and while I'm dreaming of things I'd really like but are unwilling to pay for I'd love to have a softopper.

SRO
I just picked up a tri-fold soft tonneau from Tonno Pro/Lund for $300 shipped. Cheapest one out there and so far juice seems worth the squeeze. Comes assembled and is very easy on/off. JIC you make the leap.
 

Dryriver1

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SRO,..... looks pretty good.....as long as it holds up, you may have a winner
I agree 100% with Mr Perry!
Looks pretty good.

Hopefully it works well for you.
Hoping for the best for you on this issue.
 

SirRobyn0

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Keep us updated on that TCP.
I am curious about it.

Sorry on the different abbreviations on your name SirRobyn0 . I mean no ill intentions.

Sincerely,
Dryriver1
No need to apologize I was sincere when I said I like "SRO" And intend to adopt it. Way back in time there was a company called Sterling Recreation Organization they used "SRO" as their abbreviation. They were known for their then state of the art movie theaters in the 70's & 80's. So I kind of connect with that because one of my favorite drive ins was SRO owned, actually one of my first dates with my wife was at that drive in, of course it's long gone now. So I'm taking it and thanks for giving it to me!

SRO

@Soundmound I may get a tri-fold yet and I'd love to see pictures and get your report on it when you get it. I've had extensive talks with grit dog in the past about a bed cover and my only thing is I'd like to keep my bedrails so it would have to fit inside of that and I know there are some made like that.

SRO
 

Radiohead

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SRO,
Brother has a velcro roll up style on his ■, but it uses the top rail so that won't work for you. His Titan has a tri fold that fits inside the top rail, but I don't know who made it so I guess this is one of those fabled $#t posts because I wasn't much help at all. Sorry
 

HotWheelsBurban

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No need to apologize I was sincere when I said I like "SRO" And intend to adopt it. Way back in time there was a company called Sterling Recreation Organization they used "SRO" as their abbreviation. They were known for their then state of the art movie theaters in the 70's & 80's. So I kind of connect with that because one of my favorite drive ins was SRO owned, actually one of my first dates with my wife was at that drive in, of course it's long gone now. So I'm taking it and thanks for giving it to me!

SRO

@Soundmound I may get a tri-fold yet and I'd love to see pictures and get your report on it when you get it. I've had extensive talks with grit dog in the past about a bed cover and my only thing is I'd like to keep my bedrails so it would have to fit inside of that and I know there are some made like that.

SRO
Don't they have a rail, like angle aluminum or something, inside the top edges of the bed wall and fenders, to put that style tonneau on? Dad was interested in doing that on the '75 because he didn't want to have all the holes for the snaps in the fenders. I have seen trucks that had those and they really rust bad there. And Lord knows our squares don't need ANY HELP to rust.....
 

Soundmound

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Mine is also on rail, but I bought it for that very reason. I hate the stake hole pockets and it neatly covers them. When I get to it many years from now, those damn aftermarket tie downs and stake pockets are getting shaved!!
 

Camar068

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Ok guys I got the stuff in. Bed liner Pro by TCP is the product and it comes in a spray can. Wholesale price was $18 a can and I bought two. At that price if this is a total failure then it's not a huge loss. So I test fired it on a scrap of metal.

I'm happy to report that it does not have the awful sharp up raised texture like some DIY bed liner stuff has. Actually it looks a lot like the stuff currently in my bed, but of course it's much thinner. Obviously I can't tell how it maintains pliability down the road.

I intentionally took pretty close pictures so you can see the grain of the "texture".

First coat, those artifacts in the upper left corner were on the metal before spraying, so that's not a good representation of how it came out of the can, but does show that this stuff will not cover flaws well.
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And after the second coat:
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That flawed area is more in the middle of the second coat and you can see it's much less noticeable. The grain or texture is about the same in the second coat but these are all inside the shop photos and the lighting sucks.

I'm going to go over all the areas of the bed after work that have missing liner. Let it dry overnight and then decide if I need to hit those areas again or roll the entire floor of bed out.
I'm guessing as slick as paint if not a little grippier? But not a "super sled" as plastic liners? How many cans to cover the bed?

Thanks Dude
'Maro
 

Grit dog

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I was just thinking on warming it up and peeling it off not necessarily burning it off.
I guess maybe I kind of didn't explain it that way.
SR0 mentioned when he pulls it breaks a piece off.

I was wondering if it could be peeled off once it is warmed up.
Gotcha. Idk, that may work. Never tried.
It would have to break the bond fairly well imo to be worth it or there’s a lot of wire wheeling off everything that can’t be scraped and the head has so many recesses and contiurs.
 

SirRobyn0

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Well I applied a couple of coats to the areas that the old liner was torn up. I'm not really ecstatic about how it appears. The main thing is it would take a LOT of repeated coats to build up to the level of the pro liner. However this stuff is bonding to the pro liner like crazy so that's a good thing. So I don't think I can get away with covering the entire floor and letting it rip. I think because of the height difference between the two liners, it would be to easy for the higher one to be torn up, if I'm having something shoved in the bed like a pallet.

@Camar068 it's much thinner than a pro bedliner and it has even less texture than mine does. So whatever gripping it does is going to be from it's compound.

I would never apply it to bed that hadn't been linered already, unless it was all scratched to helll and I was to cheap to buy a drop in. I like it better than other aerosol bedliners but I still don't like the product in general.

Pictures:
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So that's what we have. It's sealed, and I can always shoot a little more on tomorrow to be sure it's got a good water tight seal, but something absolutely has to go on top of it ASAP. I will let you all know what avenue I take.
 

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DoubleDingo

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And just like that it's fixed......until the next haul of 55 gallon drums.....then a reapply is in order....
 

SirRobyn0

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And just like that it's fixed......until the next haul of 55 gallon drums.....then a reapply is in order....
Right like I said I feel like it is sealed so I'm happy about that, but it looks like chit still. Yes this is a work truck, but it's also a nice truck that I try to keep in good shape. Yes I could just keep patching it up, but still it will bother me how bad it looks.

I've got a roll of rubber-cal on the way to the shop. Should be here on Monday sometime. $45 will be enough to cover the entire bed. It's a 4X20 foot roll so I should be able to cut it to length and then cut it to fit around the wheel wells and have total coverage. I feel comfortable that I can seem the two together in the middle with tape. I can't remember what it's called off hand but on the farm we have a couple rolls of this stuff that is aluminum backed, is pretty thick and super sticky tape. We use it to patch leaks in the duck and goose ponds pools. I feel confidant that I can make one mat out of it by by applying a strip of that tape to the back of the mat to seam it together. My only concern is the possibility of the mat blowing out of the bed. I don't really remember how heavy it is in a big piece. I guess if that is a concern once I have it, we'll figure out what to do then.

This rubber-cal is not a thick squishy product like a typical bed mat would be. It's more of a stiffer rubber and about 1/8" thick. I think I will be able to slide 55 gallon drums on it, but if not I'll slap one sheet of plywood in for the barrel hauls, like @Grit dog had suggested.

SRO
 
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SirRobyn0

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The rubber-cal showed up to the shop today one day late. According to the USPS they could not deliver it yesterday BC we were closed at 2 o'clock in the afternoon! I think not! Anyhow it's here. This stuff is just like the stuff I have on the farm in terms of it's thickness and pliability, but the ribs are much smaller and there are many more of them. I guess that's ok. I can't really think of reason why that would effect it for my purposes. So with any luck I will get to bust a move on this near the end of the day at the shop. Hopefully this works out. Just got to lay it out, cut it and put the two halves together..... Oh and then I gotta make sure it'll stay in the bed under it's own weight!
 

SirRobyn0

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Got to install it this afternoon. I took a number of pictures so this will be take multiple posts. I misspoke when I said that it was 4X20 roll, I bought a 3X20 roll, which is fine since the bed is 6 feet wide. In reality the roll was 3' 1 1/2" wide, so I currently have a 1 1/2" overlap in the middle. I had originally planned to butt the edges and tape from underneath. I'll ask for advice on what to do with the overlap in the end, so that's something to think about as we go.

Unfortunately I was working out in the "back yard" of the shop so it's in direct sunlight. I first cut the roll in half so I'd have two 10' pieces to deal with rather than the full 20'. All I used for tools was a tape measure, a white marking pen, a straight edge and a razor knife.

I started with the passenger side, pics:

Below: unrolled.

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Cut and installed.
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I think I cut it ok and got a pretty good fit.
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More in the next post.
 

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