Installed D-Rings in the Bed (Pics)

i am about to do this, i have a set of rings (got a set of a wrecked tacoma at a salvage yard for 15$
i cant get my bed bolts off though, i cant budge them
any advice for loosening them would be appreciated
thanks guys

 

breaker bar and/or a bowl of wheaties is the consensus

 

I used the torque wrench I borrowed from the auto parts store. It was pretty long. I did have to buy the right size torx driver bit, but it was only around $6.

 

My cheap army D-rings still work well but they rust like crazy. Before you install them it might be best to give them a good shot of quality primer and paint.

 

Mine came off pretty easy. I didn't even have to use a breaker bar, just the torque wrench. they were only on there with about 35ftlbs I think.

 

just bought 4 military issued, with shipping came 21 bucks...i think my toyota dealer has them at 25 per...so now i will feel confident traveling with my gsxr in the back!

 

Put the rubber bed mat in last night and cut openings for my DRings. Also, put the front chock in for my bike. Pretty happy with everything.

 

Completed my D-ring mod today. I have them hanging under the rails and from bolts at the tailgate as well.

I wrapped the hanging D-rings with rescue tape to help silence and protect.

I made smaller mat cutouts because I can always cut more later if needed. When I go camping I pick up gobs of little granite rocks in the back. I hope slots will minimize the amount of crap slipping under the mat. It also helps the D-rings stand up when "deployed" and to stow them I simply lift the corner of the mat and the D-rings drop flat under the mat.

 

Where did you get your jack mounting kit?

 

kinda screwd it you have rhino linning in the bed right?

 

Excellent job! This is what I also did in terms of cutting the rubber mat. It was easy install and its worth it.

 

nice man! truck looks good too! i was wondering wear did you get your D-ring? and the T-55 socket? i'm wanting to do this, this week. thanks!

 

Just wanted to follow up...I've used my DRings several times now for my motorcycle, ramps and track gear and they've been one of the best cheap mods I've ever done to anything!

 

I just completed this mod. AWESOME! .. I bought the Army D-rings and these things feel stronger and look heavier duty then the stock ones. The only "tricky" part was I had to enlarge the holes to allow the bolt to pass through. No biggie.

 

Those slots are a pretty slick setup. Nice work...looks like it could have come from the factory that way.

 

I have a question to anyone who has done this mod and still keeps a rubber mat in the bed: Is water/debris getting stuck under the mat an issue? I live in the wet (muddy) pacific northwest and all I can think of when I see that mod is how much water will collect under that mat and stay there.

 

I wouldnt think so. The bed has "grooves" so the mat actually is about 1/4" above the bottom of the bed. Any water will just flow out the tailgate or through the drain holes in the front.

Also, the bed is not metal. Its a composite material, so who cares if some water sits on it for a little while.

 

I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that torque wrenches are not designed to remove bolts, especially not as a breaker bar. If it doesn't straight up break the torque mechanism it'll certainly render the calibration totally usless.

 

I have twigs, rocks, empty shell cases, and some dirt under my bed mat. It is always an adventure to lift the mat up and see what is under it!

 

I finally did my install yesterday. Four of the 5 for $5 rings under the bed rail bolts, and one of the military surplus D-rings under each front bed mount bolt.

I figured out a decent way to make the 5 for $5 rings quiet. They are normally loose enough to rattle pretty badly, and I saw others on here who had done things like hit them with a chisel to crimp the tube a little. I decided to try another approach.

Here's what you get from ArmySurplusWarehouse.com:




And here's the culprit for the noise: lots of open space between the ring and the bracket:



Here's the solution I'm trying. Notice they are UV black and weather resistant (for outdoor use):


The rest of the pictures are annotated and probably self-explanatory.