Installed D-Rings in the Bed (Pics)

Might be easier than breaking a bed bolt loose. Just cut a 1/16" thick steel plate 4" or 6" square or round. Drill hole in center and paint. Drill matching hole in the bed. Put a straight wrench (no dog leg at the head) in a pipe, put nylok nut in wrench, put nut over hole in plate, and tape the wrench head and nut to the plate. Fish the plate up from the bottom and have a buddy with a ratchet in the bed on the bolt and anchor side. Have him/her tighten, work the wrench free, then drink beer. Easy peasy.

 

I also installed the larger Sprinter D rings, The old part number has been changed, Canadian part number is 05170492AA $15.24 CAD still a great deal.

 

posting so I can find this one later

 

Nice mod, thanks for posting. Did you cut the bed mat so you could pull it out if needed? I thought I would just drill through the bed mat and mount mine on top.

 

didn't have to drill the hole bigger? ive got some cheap d rings and am planning on doing this mod come summer. tried doing it before winter hit but I had issues trying to loosen the bolts haha damn rust. hopefully I have better luck next time. but it I could get some rings that don't involve me drilling the hole bigger that would be ideal

 

Get the Sprinter D-rings, they don't need to be drilled to fit. I put 4 on my truck.

 

Any pics of the Army ones installed? I like these ones.

 

Anyone have an updated link for the army surplus D-rings? The original link doesn't work.

 

Try these

 

Got a pair of the Toyota d-rings. I cannot, for the life of me, back one of the bolts out, and I chickened out over fear of stripping the bolt. I may have to drill new holes in the front corners. I read somewhere on here about using two of the three drain holes...but I'm not sure that's a great idea.

 

I'm doin this. The mat, the rings the whole enchilada!

Way cool.

 

I pulled my two front bed bolts tonight - not hard to remove at all after having hit them good with wd-40 hours in advance. Used a hand file to knock the ridges off to get the washers off. Wire brushed everything. Will spray with flat black rustoleum. Waiting for two OEM d-rings while the paint dries.

Plan on removing cleaning and painting the other bolts and maybe adding two more rings.

 

I'm fortunate in that I have a press, which is the easy way to get the rings off. I also gave several coats of black Rustoleum to the bolts to retard rust. I've had several guys ask me, while helping me load, if the truck came with all those tie-downs...

 

Anyone know if the stock rear D-rings are bolted into frame or other structural member other than the composite bed?

 

Answered my own question - the bolt threads into a nut affixed to a metal beam. So better than I thought which was good to see.

 

Don't give up on cracking the bolts loose. I got under the truck and soaked each bolt end in PB Blaster and let it sit for a while. Still took a bit of force to break them loose.

 

I agree - and spray from the to top too - let it sit overnight - seat the bit good and hit the wrench handle a couple of stiff blows with a hammer. I think the drain hole is not the way to go so would encourage working on that bolt.

 

I used the handle from my floor jack as a cheater, just make sure to hold the bit in place or it will strip out. Having an extra set of hands helps.

 

Finished result - removed, wire brushed, and flat black Rustoleumed all six bolts. Put a bit of grease on them on the way back in. The front two got OEM D-rings. Happy with the result. (The distortion of the two at rear is an artifact of the camera.)