Repair composit Bed

I bought a damaged 2019 Tacoma.The bed is cracked clear across. It is off the body so I can see both sides. It is cracked right above one of the webs but does not extend clear through.

From looking at a number of rear ended Tacomas I can see it is common n many rear end collisions. Does anyone know if there is a "kit" to reinforce the area. Or had any experience in repairing it themself.

Thanks
Jim

 

It’s fiberglass right? Should be able to fix it with some 4 inch tape and epoxy. Do you have any boatyards near you? They can do this work.

 

I’d replace it with a ute tray from Norweld or patriot

 

Welcome to The Forum! And good luck!
Bed repair
Bed repair or replacement?????

 

Would it make sense to drill and screw a bunch of 1" inch wide 1/4" or 3/16" thick flat steel bar to the bottom of the bed, under the channels, across the crack like a series of "stitches", and just live with the crack? I would think as long as you did a lot of them, and they were long with several screws per bar nicely spaced with big enough washers to keep the load nice and distributed it would be a solid, quick, and very cheap repair. Wouldn't look pretty though as you'd have a lot of screw heads visible in the bed but something tells me you don't need this truck to be pretty, just functional.

I just realized this wouldn't work because all the webbing underneath. Could work on the top though but it would be even uglier.

 

Other than cost, I like this idea.

 

Short answer is no.
Get a take off and swap the sheet metal or replace it with a new one or go with a utility like previously suggested.

 

I do composite repairs (Carbon Fiber, Kevlar, Fiber Glass) on Military Aircraft and it's possible to repair it, however it does require certain equipment and materials to accomplish the repair. Most repairs require a heat blanket with thermos couplers and specific temperatures during the curing process while being enclosed in a vacuum bag for a specific time.

 

If the beds are fibreglass, couldn’t the OP just fix it like a normal fibreglass boat repair? I realize the temperatures have to be within a certain range but would he really need vacuum bags and thermo couplers? I’ve experimented with carbon fibre making motorcycle fairings and I can see the necessity of vacuum bags for molds but....Truck bed repairs?
With fibreglass repairs i’ve always just drilled small holes at the end of each crack, ‘V’ ground the cracks with a Dremel and then epoxyed it. If it’s major damage or if i want more strength i’d use some fibreglass matting too.

 

It’s not just fiberglass, it’s got other material in there too. Definitely some Fiberglass though because it’ll make you itch if you’re not careful when drilling into it.

 

You are correct in that you can repair it anyway one can with what's available and if it works for you or that person all good. Vacuum bags are not for just moldings but a requirement for the strength of the repair when it comes to composites. By vacuuming the repair you extract all the excess resins and compress the fibers to give it it's strength. When laying multiple layers of carbon fiber you just don't lay one layer over the other of equal size but in different sizes with each layer overlapping it with a bigger patch. Each layer is then positioned with the fiber angled in different degrees (45-0-+45-0) depending on the layers required. $.02

 

https://yakima.craigslist.org/pts/d/yakima-2018-toyo-tacoma-bed-liner/6960867005.html

 

That would be the way to go!!!