Bed Bolts

Likely covered a thousand times before. Today I needed to move the bed slightly aft to install a Bed Buddy Motorcycle Setup.

I removed the 6 bed bolts. All came out without any complaints. Found the two center bed bolts a bit corroded. Apparently the steel support sleeves must get water in them, possibly from the top, maybe from some other point.

Point is, might not be a bad idea to occasionally pull the bed bolts and apply a corrosion preventative compound.

I have been spraying the underside and frame of my truck, almost since new, with CorrBan 22. Threaded ends of the bolts had no corrosion, only the shanks within the spacer for the bed.

I applied CorrBan into each spacer and coated the bolt shanks with Mastinox. When time permits, those two bolts I will remove again, flush any crud out of the spacers, recoat and reinstall.

Simply an FYI if you deem it applicable to your truck and where you live.

 

Toyota using torx head bolts with the rust really made removing anything on the bed a Pain

 

As I mentioned, my truck has been get corrosion protected by myself for years. The 6 bolts on mine are Torx style, yes they were tight, but luckily came out easily. Guessing the CorrBan kept the threads from corroding.

 

Florida doesn't use much salt brine for snow helps too

 

The heads of my bed bolts have a lot of surface corrosion. Guess I should pull them for cleanup or replacement. What's the recommended torque specification for those bolts (2008 Tacoma)?

 

I spray the truck myself, so the underside and frame box areas get coated pretty well. The stuff I use is aerospace expired CorrBan. It wicks, creeps and displaces moisture. Self heals also when small items might wipe it away.

Those bed bolt pockets, simply something I had never accessed before.

True the govt may not treat our roads with salt and such to control winter. Rest assured though, close to the ocean we have ample salts, sands and more to corrode your truck in various ways.

 

Although I agree that some bolts might need this process, I'd question it in this case. My reasoning? How often in the life of an average truck do you remove them?

BTW, Toyota applies a thread locking compound to these bolts to prevent them from coming loose. That's done for a reason. Applying any kind of corrosion inhibitor will negate the thread locking capability.

 

no wonder those bolts are a bitchx2 to get out if they are using a Loc-tite type compound on them, having a Torx head bolt doesn't help either they strip strip strip now you got real issues if the bed needs to come off, on my 1st GEN they used a heavy grade bolt with a 17mm head which would come out with a cheater bar somewhat easy, I just hope I never have to remove the bed on my 2nd gen

 

Granted the bolts showed corrosion. The bed has steel sleeves that prevent the bed bolts from crushing the composite bed structure. Those sleeves if filled with water will likely corrode away over time.

Agree, very seldom are the bolts removed. Possibly a reason to corrosion proof the area.

Asfor thread locking compound, if these had it, the compound was removed as the bolts came out. Ironically though, once I slightly loosened the bolts, they easily came out with no running drag.

This was posted as an FYI, not a mandatory compliance item. Accomplishment is entirely at the owners discretion.

 

I pulled mine an put anti-seize on them as a preventative measure.

 

just use a torx and breaker bar, or a pb blaster soak and impact drill?

 

T55 Torx and a breaker bar worked great

 

I may try this cause eventually you may need to get a new fuel pump, vapor canister in and removing the bed would be the easiest route to do it

 

To help the Torx55 get a good secure bite, I used a brass hammer and tapped the top side of the breaker bar to seat the Torx bit into the bolt head.

Once loosened, mine easily removed.

 

Toyota did not use any thread locking compound on bed bolts on a 2006 Tacoma, maybe they added it in later years but definitely not in 2006.

If thread locker is put on a bolt and the bolt is tightened and the thread locker is allowed to fully cure a corrosion inhibitor will do absolutely nothing to the thread locker.

Bed bolts go into steel tubes which fill up with water and that rusts out the threads making the bolts tough to get out. A big ass pipe wrench on the outside circumference of the bolt makes getting bed bolts out much easier.