Will it be ok?

Hey TW peeps.
Awhile ago i picked up some used rtt bars. They were used on a 2nd gen. I had to drill some new holes and do a lil sanding and painting.
Ordered some T nuts from Amazon.
Got them installed.
I guess my holes were a tad off on one side of one bar. When i mounted it there is a small gap between the bar and the bedrail. I stuffed a couple small rubber shims in.
Does anyone see this being a problem with a tent installed and 2 people in it? I guess some of the weight would be transfered to the actual rail system. I really dont want to have to redrill and repaint lol.
I think it will be fine but i would like another opinion.
Pics attached.
Thanks TW

 

Put a proper metal shim under it or slot your holes.

 

I would slot the holes and bring it down. A little more time and work is a lot better than damage to you or your truck.

 

You will damage your aluminum cargo rails if you hit any sort of bump with the weight of the RTT and the rack coming down on those rails. Put in a solid shim or enlarge the holes so it’s sitting on the bedside.

 

The bed rails? Aren’t those steel?

 

Slot the holes. Two minute job.

 

I believe the T-Nut rails are aluminum, but could be wrong

 

They are not 500 lbs in single shear strong no matter what they are.

 

Noob question ...
Easiest way to slot hard steel ? Lol

 

That bracket is not hardened steel haha. But, it is steel. Do you have a dremel tool? A drum sander bit will do it quick.

 

Well i used an 18v cordless drill with a brand new drill bit when first trying to make holes. I couldnt even begin to penetrate the steel. I marked it basically lol
Had to put it on a bench with a vise and use a oldschool corded drill while continually dipping the bit to cool.
I dont have access to this stuff at the moment.

 

Gotcha. I forget about tool access and level sometimes.
You do need to let that bracket rest on the ledge before putting any weight on it though. Slotting it is easiest way.

 

If you're going to use a drill, I'd start by drilling a small hole about 1/8" above the existing one. Then step up the drill bit size a little each time until you get to the size you need. Eventually you should have a slotted hole.