Closed - Internal Stiffeners

i mean the stuff costs money. not looking for free. i can do what ever. I work at a business where mcmaster will have them here the next day as well.

 

You're good I got you.



Just let me know if you get your own hardware beforehand.

 

‘Thank you! I noticed after taking pics. I have taken them loose and decided to paint them semi-gloss to match bed rail.

 

You’ve probably thought of this, but the alignment wouldn’t even matter if you cut a larger bit of material out instead of having the large hole and little slots. Plus the wiring harness clips would still work. Sort of like this (credit to rxyota for the original pic):


Whether you feel like that leaves enough material/rigidity is a different question.

 

I feel like the hole is already oversized for a single piece of wiring loom to go through and the alignment thing is pretty much just cosmetic.
Something that one comment brought up earlier which is much more of a concern imho is that the way these are installed, if your bedsides are already bowed these will effectively lock them in that position.
Make sure your bedsides are in the position you want them in and held in place if necessary before your start drilling. Some have mentioned using a ratchet strap if they are really bad

 

One thing I forgot to mention, or something others should do is post a picture of the rear of their truck with the tailgate up.

This way you can see if there's a considerable gap from one truck to the next.

Here's the first bed stiffener set I ever made, and pictures of the before and after (including using a ratchet strap to close up the gap).

Gap before bed stiffeners -



Ratchet strap to pull it in closer, and install -



And post install -

 

I miss my 1st gen so much…

 

Blerg. Who the Flouff put all that extra crap in the way on the passengers side? More wires, plastic shelves and boxes, why can't I get my head up in here... WHY IS THE TAILPIPE IN MY WAY!?

OK - I'm done ranting.

Passenger side is installed. Things just got too hot in the sun for a final disassembly, paint, and loctite.

I even left the tail light off to come in and shower, I'll put it back on after dinner.

 

Looks great!

Can you share what you used to adhere your strap savers to the exterior bracket?

Yours look absolutely flush, unless that's how they naturally sit?

 

Bolts.

I didn't put anything in there. I have some double sided tape that I may use, but I'm not sure it is necessary. It may keep some water out, or it may hold any water that gets in, in place.

Since I got an extra pair of tie downs early to test fit strap savers, one with a bottle opener, I may try to powder coat them and see how that holds up.

 

Like the strap savers! How can I get some?

 

Something like e6000 may work great for that application. It has excellent adhesion, and it's stretchy when it dries. I'd spread out a thin layer, clamp it down, and wipe away the squeeze out. Should have all the properties needed to keep the strap saver flush and secure for years. I'd be concerned about a gap with tape.

Best part is, even though it has a crazy strong hold, it is structurally sound enough that if you don't want it, you can just peel it off clean. It's stronger than it's adhesion to other objects. Think of it as a really really strong and durable caulk, but it's a glue.

 

When your batch comes up, there will be a couple of questions.

1. What kind of tie downs do you want (drivers and passengers)?
   1. No tie down , structural only (no strap saver)
   2. Tie down.
   3. Tie down with bottle opener.
   4. Limited edition F-bomb (no strap saver)
2. Do you want strap savers?

If you want strap savers there is an additional $10 charge paid to me. (via PayPal). @Kwikvette has a small stock of them, and will ship them with your hidden stiffys.

There are pics in the first post showing the different tie downs.

 

You'll have to ship him a set; the install instructions are his as in he already got them and installed them

 

Ah, got it. Sorry @RxYoda Didn't notice you already had yours. I'll send a PM.

 

What spray paint are people using on this?

 

Used flat black myself, but going to go with semigloss to match the beside. Considering silver, also considering powdercoat…

(cans/brand are in some of the early pics of my process)

 

Any Rustoleum variant works; I've had a lot of customers use the 2 in 1 stuff on outdoor Halloween ornaments and more and they've held up fine to rain and shine.



Cleaning everything with acetone (and if need be, scuffing the surface) and applying primer will aid in better adhesion.

The self-etch stuff works really well but meant to work as a single coat.

 

Just an update, got another welding table arriving this coming Friday so I will have the necessary room instead of tossing shit on the floor

By that time, I expect at least 1 or 2 more installs to occur which will give me enough confidence to start on batch 2.

Didn't mean to hold everyone up for so long but the intent was to rectify any issues with batch 1 (if any).

I often make parts for people, welded or not, but normally I wouldn't have such a complex setup done without a vehicle physically here for testing.

Thanks for everyone's patience and understanding!

 

I’m way behind as that coating messed me up. Worked on other stuff I needed first, so hopefully can do some groundwork tomorrow. I did take pictures of my gaps and plan to caliper tomorrow for accuracy’s sake (@Kwikvette’s).