Rust starting on bed rail

I pulled the plastic liner out of my 2003 the other day to check on the bed (and to decide if I want to just go with a Rhinoliner instead) and noticed that the plastic liner had started wearing through the paint in the rear corners of both top bed rails. What’s the best way to repair this myself without having to go to a body shop.

 

I'm curious what others will say here. If it were me I'd probably spray on some bead liner. I'd tape a line 1"-2" down from the top of bed rail and wire wheel the rusty spots down to bare metal then sand the rest of the rail. Then primer and paint.

 

Thanks. My neighbor suggested taking it to a Line-x place (I think that’s what he called it) and said have them spray the whole bed and top of bed rails. I’m assuming that’s the same thing as the rhino line stuff I’ve read about, just installed by somebody else?

 

Very timely... I just did the same (remove a bedliner) and have similar issues.
Yes, Line-X is same thing as Rhino; just different brand.
Mine is just worn paint and not rust (yet). I think I'm just going to do paint (inside the bed). The place I get my propane tanks filled won't do it on a bed that has a bedliner or Line-X (they're like 170# when full) so my choices are limited. Otherwise, I'd do what you are thinking of (Line-X bed and rails). There are do-it-yourself roll/brush on Line-X alternatives too.
Not sure what I am going to do with scuffs on the outside of the bed just below the rails.

 

Oh wow. Why won’t they fill your tanks? Is there something bad about the Line-x stuff? Are they concerned it might hide some rusty/weak spots?

 

Static electricity concerns with bedliners and Line-X. They want the tanks to be sitting on metal.
I didn't think Line-X would be a problem, and thought about bringing a grounding strap but ya know their propane their rules...

 

If you can afford it, I highly recommend Line-X. They did a great over-the-rail liner job on a 2002 Tacoma I had years ago. It will take care of the rust issue, and will look great for years to come. I've seriously considered taking out my plastic liner and having my bed done with Line-X also.

 

Appreciate all the feedback. For some ready. The Line-x site doesn’t seem to work from my phone so I’m going to get a quote using my laptop. I’ll let you know what they come back with.

 

That's a weird one. So the propane place would refuse service to the ~2.5 million or so 2nd- and 3rd gen Tacomas?

 

Only if they had a sprayed on bed liner, apparently.

 

Started cleaning up the bed today and noticed a couple of rust spots. Should I treat these with something like Gemplers Rust Converter before having a Line-x coating install? Or would the Line-x do the same thing?

 

Sadly I'd say most of those look like they're rusting from the other side up. If you were to clean them up with a wire wheel / flap disk, chances are it'll end up being a bunch of holes that'll need to be addressed before anything can be sprayed on. I could certainly be wrong, but that's exactly what the bed on my tundra looked like before patching it

 

Oh. Should I lift the bed and treat those from underneath before even considering the LineX? I’ve pulled the bed before using my lift, so it’s not that big of a deal. I replaced my emissions canister and gas tank last year with bed off.

 

I can weld in some small patches if needed. Does anyone sell bed-patch kits?

 

Look to see if there’s Bullet Liner installers near you.

It’s nearly the exact same product as the Line-X UV (or whatever they call it) but much cheaper. Plus the texture is a lot nicer IMO.

 

I'd definitely give it a peek, might get lucky and it'll be fine! To my knowledge no one sells anything but the entire bed floor unfortunately though. I used sheet metal for mine

 

Just add a grounding strap. Problem fixed.

 

I just went to the BulletLiner website and it looks like you could get that liner color matched to the truck. I’m not sure I would go that route, but is that correct? The closest shop is about 1.5 hr from me so I sent them an email for a quote (and a time estimate on an install). Will let you know what they tell me in their response.