Composite Bed Irritates Skin

A. Itlate in the thread.
1. I thought the bed wall caps were plastic...
2. And foremost. Whatever you chose to put on it it MUST BE CLEAN.
3. Consider 220 grit paper and gently but throughly sand it to create tooth. ( sand paper does the work not you)
4. Clean it again. ALCOHOL, Nothing oily.
5. Urethane adhesion promoter type primer applie in thin passes.
6. Urethane top coat.
Raptor coat is not a bad choice. Use the SYSTEM.
Having said this if we are talking plastic.
Would not recommend epoxy in the composite bed either.

IT MUST BE CLEAN!

28 year vet painter.

 

One more time. IT MUST BE CLEAN.
Painting is in the prep.

To initially clean it, wipe in one direction with alcohol repeatedly. Lightly sand with 220.
Rub it with a RED SCOTCH BRITE PAD.
CLEAN IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
Very light passes of promoter primer.
Light passes of Raptor Urethane.
You can buy a couple aresol cans off Amazon.

All coats apply lightly. Follow the material instructions.

 

I'm intrigued by this method, but I'm curious how durable it would be. Is it something that (if done correctly) could last years, or is it more of a once per year type thing? It would only be worth the effort if it last 3-5+ years.

I would probably only do this for the side rails, not the full bed.

 

Birry. In my humblest of opinion.
There could indeed be a need for new bedside caps.... If a good urethane application won't do.

In other worlds.. I knew I would load my Taco (G2G) down with 900#. I knew what my intentions were. I changed my rear leafs to accommodate my load. ( Thanks Lew - Alcan Springs).

Paint.... my buddies used to say they could blindfold me " and I could taste it, and he would tell you what color it is"

Beit, house, boat, car, aircraft there are simply suitable materials. And, in each of those mentioned. Areas of construction would benefit from certain materials. Example...
Body Schutz... The rubberized coating on rocker panels...

A house.... It doesn't require epoxy... Beyond all the EPA... the house breathes. It expands and contracts.
Lets talk epoxy.... A chipped appliance.
Let's talk the upper and lower surface of an aircraft wing... The abrasion suffered from water vapor. The need to maintain those surfaces.
You ask... Will it last? One must also understand the substrate(s). Their related prep properties and will the "coating" be not just compatible, but is itI still effective in purpose, cost effective, and ENGINEERD appropriate.

A layman sees paint as paint... Paints are coating engineered for application.

The initial thread - was irriation to his arms.
If the initial thread was a "coating" that resists abrasion. You would still be reading me. Teflon. BAC 701 Black, Crown Metro, Desoto.

I will 100% say. The initial thread starter AFTER PREP. PROPER PREP. Could brush on LATEX, he will feel better, it will last ( for some time) would he be content, but would he be in tune to another coating more suitable to his application and outwardly familiar.

I haven't stepped out to G2G to see if my bed caps are plastic... But my hunch is.... Toyota engineerd the bed caps for abrasion an use. Plastic.

Urethane " flexes". It stands a chance. Latex, flexes it stands a chance. Vinyl - stands a chance. Body shutz ( rubber) stands a chance.

Go ahead - put epoxy... You'll roll up next to him and say " dude WTF?:

Paints are engineered coatings. For substrate and purpose.

A CAR WASH once a week he said... Spinning brushes at RPM...

Will Raptor work, last? IT IS ALL IN THE PREP.

Folks we all share a joy in our Tacos. MAKE IT NICE OR DO IT TWICE.

Note... My father was a spray painter for 40 years... Me - 28
From Naval ships, 20 years of Boeing Aircraft, Keystone helicopters, military choppers Bluegrass Army Depot, Porsches Atlanta GA. Show cars - Kingdome Seattle Washington.

SAFETY, let's go there... Nobody else has.
If the initial poster hasn't considered a respirator with his coating of choice he should.
Even if it's only a 3m dust mask with charcoal. It must have charcoal.

My father, master painter. In his Era. It's what killed him. Guys/gals our builds. DO THEM SAFELY.

 

Birry, SteelCity2 has a very good point.
Using a heat gun, heat it a bit to help relax the spurs.
You could try has idea with a heat gun.
Also, any auto paint supply store should carry WHITE SCOTHBRITE. It's meant to clean an polish.
Warm it... White Scotchbrite it in tandem

Heat may lay it down, the Scotchbrite will help burnish it ( like polish to a mild degree).

I agree with SteelCity2. It's a very good initial option to try first.
It's gard for anyone us to grasp the extent of your issue. Buy I do like SteelCity2's idea.

Good luck.

 

The bed is composite fiber reinforced polymer. Top caps are standard abs plastic though. Shouldnt be anymore irritating than other plastic bits all over the inside and outside of the truck. You're positive it isnt something being applied like a uv protectant or wax?

 

Maybe just spray the top of the rails with some plasti dip or similar coating?

Would figure that's the cheapest solution. Or even cheaper, throw down a strip of duct tape on each bedrail.

 

I'm still not sold on the composite fiber reinforced bed. I see trucks that are 20 to 30 years old on the road in the rust belt with steel beds that are not rusted through.

 

Yes, I'm sure. I always thought the top caps were simple plastic, but the way they sparkle and the way they irritate my skin says otherwise. I agree that other plastics like the door handles have a similar sheen or sparkle, but I've never had those irritate my hands like the bed caps. Several people have reported the same phenomenon. Maybe someday we'll figure it out!

Is it possible that the bed caps are some kind of fiber reinforced ABS? The bed and the caps are definitely different materials, but the caps also have some kind of fiber in them.

 

Might just be a personal allergy issue... I have 185k on my bed and no itching issues at all

 

Is your truck mostly garage kept? Or does it sit in the sun all the time?

 

No, my truck is out in the weather come rain or shine. wish I could keep in my garage but my garage is only big enough for one, maybe two motorcycles.

 

This is definitely a real issue. Maybe with only 2.5 gens? I finally just decided to take mine off, and will be replacing them with metal caps from KBVooDoo

 

Drilled a hole this weekend for Matt Gecko LED lights and had the “fiberglass itch” in my arms the next couple of days. Didn’t occur to me where it came from until I saw this.

 

Yeah, it didn't occur to me for a long time. I recall having itchy arms multiple times, and always being confused by it since there was no source of fiberglass in anything I was doing. I only made the connection in the last year or so.

 

Nope, this is DEFINITELY an issue on some trucks. My bro's 06 xrunner -INSTANT itch of the fiberglass type. Happened to both myself and my co-worker today from leaning on the dam bed caps.

My 08, not so much, but I've experienced it before.

 

I have 2008, so its not only 2.5 gens. The top caps are made of a composite material of some type that breaks down and causes this. The people saying it is "just plastic" are wrong. A friend of mine was leaning on the bedrails just the other day, and started looking at his arms with a puzzled look on his face. I asked if his arms were itchy, and he was like "Yeah, how did you know that?"

This is 100% an issue, and I would love to figure out a solution! Replacing them might be the only option.

 

Late to the thread and I have a 2011 Ram 1500 that has the same issue with bed caps. Looks like solid black plastic but if my bare forearms touch it, yikes! Hands not so much so def same issue... I may replace the caps from your comments.

 

Same issue here. 3rd gen Tacoma. When the inner part of my bicep touches the bed rails they immediately start itching and I break out in a temporary rash. I thought it was just me at first. I’m glad I found this thread.

 

too long didn’t read. Plastic in vehicles often has glass. So do light poles. That’s why they don’t feel good to touch.

my bed doesn’t matter. I don’t touch it.
When I slept in my truck I had a bed rug.
Blankets. Sleeping bag. A platform to not be against the wall. That was what I touched.

plastic is hard to adhere to. If someone has money to blow, coat it with something.
Thats what you get when you buy a plastic bed.