Pickup Truck Accessories

markbuck · February 1999

My preference for bedliners is a rubber bed mat. Around $70 for a good one, easily removable, stuff sticks well, good for dirt and rocks. I think the ultimate is a sprayed in liner plus a rubber bed mat. You can always get the mat first and add the spray in later. The spray in will cover the side scratches well and you procrastinate the spray in liner purchase (time value of money...)

Thau · February 1999

I got a Duraliner for a little over $200 for my 99 F150. Very happy with it so far. It has slip resistant surface. I figure it will take me about 30' to remove it for annual inspection and cleaning(if needed), and probably an additional 20 mins to put it back. I don't mind doing that once a year. I feel that it give more of the handle on the condition of the bed. I can alway put a spray on later if I want to. Just my $0.02. Happy trucking.

kjtg · February 1999

The drop in will cause scratches in the bed, and rust. They were able to sand down and spray the liner in my bed, works good and looks better then the drop in..

quadrunner500 · February 1999

Yes, but at least there is a bedliner you can lift up and still have some paint under it. With the spray-in liners, the paint gets sanded off during prep. Bye Bye! It might cost more to restore the bed to its original clear-coat painted finish, than it would to restore to a line-x/rhino finish. Thus the reasoning in some circles that at trade-in time, a urethane liner can actually decrease the trade-in value.

akjbmw · February 1999

At this point in time, I do not want a spray in. A permanent bed liner, like a lift kit, is a sale killer.
However, someone will like it. Its your truck. Its likely not the most expensive option that will be added. Go for the gusto!

Rich · February 1999

thau,
Remove the bed liner for annual inspection???? Inspect for what and by who?

quadrunner500,
If you sand the bed and then spray it with something, what is the difference if the something is paint or urethane? Something is covering the bare metal. The only possible detriment to a spray in liner is if it wasn't installed when the truck was new and sprayed over rust. (The same would be true for a repainted bed.) I guess I just don't understand your logic.
Rich

quadrunner500 · February 1999

Rich,
Not saying I'm logical...but in the past, when I purchased previously owned vehicles, there was greater perceived value to me on something in original condition versus something that was customized by the owner. That applied to wheels, lift kits, engine mods or whatever. But you also stated that the only possible detriment to a spray in liner is if it wasn't installed when the truck was new, or was sprayed over rust. I can think of other detriments to replacing the like new painted finish. The urethane linings that I have seen look nice when new, but fade rather quickly from UV exposure. Rust, by the way can continue its progress even under paint or urethane if it is already in the metal.

Thau · February 1999

Inspection means that I visually look to see if there is any stratches that need to be taking care of before I have rust problem. Since I do not have any prior experience with bedliner, and this is my crazy way to safeguard the bed of my truck

Regards
Thau

ladyblue · February 1999

Thau:

I'm no expert on this, but I have installed a couple of drop-in bedliners. I would not recommend removing and re-installing them on a regular basis. You run a real risk of breaking the bedliner, even though they are somewhat flexible. Besides, you may actually CAUSE scratches taking it out and putting it in.

Thau · February 1999

Thanks for the advice. BTW have you gotten your new truck yet?

ladyblue · February 1999

Thau:

Nope! Still waiting. It should be any day now, any day.........

texaninfl · February 1999

DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHERE TO GET THE HEADLINER WITH THE RADIO AND SPEAKERS BUILT IN FROM JCWHITNEY OVER THE NET?
oops sorry about the caps

goldwing1 · February 1999

Just reading the last 20-30 posts. I have a '99 F150, XLT, SC, LB, 4WD.

I did get a soft tonneau, snapless, and it looks great. It was a pain to push the plastic strip into the metal frame though.

I had the dealer install the mudflaps in front of the cab steps and they look fine. Still had perhaps 1/2 inch of clearance.

I ordered an overhead console from Cabella's. This should make storage even better inside the cab. It was $50 plus shipping. Look into it. The factory should have had this standard.

tmd01 · February 1999

Here is my opinion on bed liners. I have a 14 year old Toyota truck with a Dura Liner. The liner has stood up well. I've even hauled broken batteries in it, with out destruction to the liner or truck. But here is the rub. The liner rubs off the paint. The paint on top of the bed ribs is completely worn off. Many times I had to remove the liner so I could use my cargo hooks for carrying something heavy, like pianos. I had to have plywood to replace the liner. Why not cut holes to access your hooks?, some will ask. What good will a holy liner be when I carry sand? The sand will get up under the bed and then I have real problems. Also, when you take off the liner, you have to reinstall it at the same temperature as you took it off because the liner is temperature sensitive. The holes you have in one location for screws will be off if it is colder when you put it back on; it will have shrunk, a lot! I've had as much as 3/4" inch in a 6 foot bed. So now along with worn bed paint I have numerous holes along the bed rails. For a while I got tired of screwing it in and out. so I just dropped it in. It stayed in placed 364 days out of the year. it would just be that one bad cross windy day when it would get sucked out. There is no feeling like watching your liner in your rear view mirror fly above the freeway and wonder where it will land. Now I know there will be people out there accussing me of being an idiot, but I'm a real careful guy when carring loads but I just got tired of punching holes in my bed rail. So now the liner is permanently srewed in again and I don't take it off to inspect under it cause it's a real pain to put it back on. Spray liner for my next truck!

garthr · March 1999

Has anyone experience with a truck cap using the front compression boot?You take out both windows,the rubber boot seals between.I've only seen one in my life,many years ago.I'm buying an ARE MX cap and considering this option from ARE.Most manufacturers offer them,but even the folks I've spoken to at ARE seem to know little.I'll use a Steel Horse carpet kit in the bed(from JC Whitney).There is also a boot for around the window openings if they are left in.My major concern is water leakage around the boot,and climate control from the extra volume of a 6.5 ft bed.This is for a F150 reg. cab.

ladyblue · March 1999

garthr:

I think the reason you don't see to many of those boots is people have the same concerns you have - water leakage and climate control. I personally wouldn't want to try heating or air conditioning the truck bed. I also would worry about exhaust fumes, since most tailgates don't seal tightly, leaving gaps for fumes to enter. Also, I could never see a practical reason for a boot - you can't get from the bed to the cab without climbing through that small window space anyway, and since you're not supposed to carry passengers in the truck bed, it's not like you have to communicate with anyone back there.

Is there a reason you would need constant access between the bed and cab area? If not, go with the sliding windows on both the cap and cab.

quadrunner500 · March 1999

That ladyblue is a smart cookie!

Rich · March 1999

OK, Ladies and Gentlemen;
Please no MCP remarks now. I just don't know how to describe the reason for the 'Boot' for the back window of the cab.

Back when a pick up with a slide in camper was the only RV for a family, the boot was an isolation but control option. Mom and dad would be in the cab while kids were in the camper. The open boot allowed mom to control the kids while dad drove. Also about dinner time, mom could cook while dad continued driving. For sleeping, one of the kids could sleep on the cab seat. The boot was a both a pass through and a sound through.

None of them ever worked really well and required that the camper be a permanent fixture on the truck. Dad would use the truck and camper as a daily commuter vehicle. Even today, if you drive past any of the major aerospace firms in Southern California, you'll still see many daily commuter campers. (Why the aerospace parking lots? I don't know.)
Rich

ladyblue · March 1999

Sounds like Ricky and Lucy in that Long, Long Trailer. But, alas, the days of happily tooling down the highway while our loved ones rolled around unfettered in the back of the family pickup are gone.

my375284 · March 1999

Hi gang. Have really enjoyed the discussions on bedliners (spray on). Here in Montana, we have no (0) Line X dealers but some good Rhinoliner dealers ($399. for my F250 Superduty 8' box). PLEASE Rhinoliner users, let me know your evaluation of the product.

my375284 · March 1999

N.A.D.A used vehicle guide shows the following add-ons for spray On bedliners. $250 for a 1998 truck, $225. for 1997, etc.

stanford · March 1999

my375284: Check the Rhino liner conference, why don't'cha?

wheeler2 · March 1999

Mud flaps, where can a person get real functioning decent looking flaps for front and rear. About 12 miles of my 17 mile drive to work is dirt roads. I would like to protect the paint on my Dodge Ram 1500 that should be delivered at the end of the month. I have looked at the stainless steel flaps made by Putco and at the rubber ones available from Dodge, the front ones don't seem to come down low enough to stop debris from chipping the paint and aren't wide enough to prevent heavy mud build-up underneath the truck. Please post a site or the name of a catalog (yes I have looked in JC Whitney) that has something like this, also do these usually come with mounting kits?

br1 · March 1999

Anyone have or know someone who has a sport master hinged tonneau? They look like they would be great for my truck. Reason: I haul bikes, wood etc and a hard cover won't do and I may tale it off for extended periods so rolling up and putting in a corcner is nice. But I also use the crew cab to haul my family on trips so the hinged portion is nice for getting at stuff in the back. Just wondering about sturdiness - funcitonality or any problems etc.?

my375284 · March 1999

Also looking for mud flaps. 1999 Ford Super Duty SC PSD. 265/75 tires.

gablazer · March 1999

Currently looking at getting a Ram 2500 with the Cummins. One option in the accessory catalog is a jake brake. Good or bad (Other than being noisy)?

Comments?

Bill

lemoyne · March 1999

I had a compression boot on my Toyota 4x4. Seemed like a good idea at the time and saved my $100 I would have had to spend to get a slide in window on my cap. The only problem was that it rubbed the paint off where it made contact with the cab.

catfish4 · March 1999

Thau,

I had a drop in dura liner for 10 years in a 1985 F-150. I removed it to install a goose neck hitch.
The bed was in good shape very little rust, but did have some rubbed spots. I had coated the bottom of the bed with a thin coating of grease prior to original installation of the bed liner.
I bought a new F-350 SD CC. I will remove the goose neck hitch modification and reinstall my bed liner back in the 1985 F-150. I plan on keeping "old blue" at least another 5 years. I have no complaints about the service of a drop in liner after 10 years of use. I plan on using the same liner for at least another 5 years. If I needed a new bed liner for a new truck, I would choose the spray in type.
Just my two cents worth. Happy trucking. catfish4, Arkansas

Thau · March 1999

Thanks for the info. I did not grease the bed of my F150 prior the bed installation, but did however put a nice coat of wax on it. Hope that will help a little. Anyway I am quite happy with my 4.6L and the drop in liner so far. Arkansas must be a better place for big cat then here at PA. I do occationally venture out with my neighbors for catfishing at night. Could not wait for those warmer days to get out(Sorry for none-trcuk related stuffs here.)
Regards
Thau

Rich · March 1999

Regarding Mud Flaps. The mud flaps that the big 18 wheelers use are available at most full service truck stops. I've seen them in black and white. Typically they're between $20 and $40 a pair. These can be cut with a sharp utility knife or a saber saw.

Just use a piece of cardboard to make a template on your truck and then trim the mud flap top fit. Regardless if you purchase after market or make your own, you still have to attach them to the truck. I usually use a huge gob of silicone in the screw hole before putting the screw in. This prevents rust.

Enjoy,
Rich

keymu · March 1999

Does anyone know where i can find replacement
snaps for a Mopar soft tonneau cover? I lost
a few snaps, and i cannot find a dealer in my
area that can get replacement ones. Thanks...

jcmdie · March 1999

Try an upolstery shop.

rlkrueger · April 1999

A dealer has offered me a 99 Dodge Ram 3500 with the "basic" Centurion Accessory Package, which is about a $4000 addition to the truck. I realize that Centurion buys direct from Dodge, adds its package and custom paintwork, and then distributes through the normal dealer network, but I still would like some idea of what my dealer's invoice cost was for this vehicle. Can someone help?

thanks,
rk

jas4 · April 1999

While I was doing a 4 year stint in Guam for my employer, I had a room mate who had a mini pickup from Dodge. This fellow was quite handy when came to unique ideas on how to solve mechanical problems. Anyway, one day while I was helping him move some furniture,I noticed there was a black coating on the bed of his truck. I asked him what he had done to it, as we were dragging some pretty heavy furniture across it and it wasn't even showing any scratches. He said that he had used some nautical coating called "Epoxy Tar" that he had also used on his sailboat. It's a 2 part (epoxy) coating that you can get at a nautical supply store. I have a gallon of it that
I am going to use on my old Ford pickup, I did use it to patch a place in my Mazda pickup and it performed quite well. Has anybody else ever used or heard of it? The texture of this "Epoxy Tar" is very thick, so I bought some reducer to thin it out to see if it will go on a little smoother than using a brush.

tkinpa · June 1999

Here's an idea I haven't seen in the old posts.
It works really well for compact trucks. Go to a
local farm supply store. Ask for a stall pad for
horses. They are a 4'X6'recycled rubber mat about
1 1/2 inches thick used in stables to keep horses
from slipping. I cut out about 4" from the center
of each side to fit the wheel wells. Perfect fit
in a Ranger, very durable, prevents dents, and ads
about 80 lbs to the rear end for traction. Best
part is the price - cost me $30, less than the 1/8"
rubber bed mats at Walmart that bunch up, alot
less than brittle plastic drop-ins, and 1/10 the
cost of a spray-in. Anyone else use one?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

vetteman · June 1999

Hey everybody, I'm looking for accessories for a '99 Dakota. Can anybody tell me which FACTORY add-ons are good? Tonneau (spelling?) cover, running boards, and other things of that nature are what I'm really looking at. I'm not really that interested in improving performance.. YET! Thanks in advance.

jcmdie · June 1999

There are no factory add ons. The MoPar parts that I believe you are refering to are simply aftermarket products that Chrysler endorses, puts thier name on and re-markets them. Example is the MoPar bedliner that is actually made by Penda.

caddyshack · June 1999

Response to post #244 of 246: tkinpa (tkinpa) Sat 05 Jun '99 (08:03 PM): I use a WalMart rubber bed mat in the back of my 1996 Chevrolet S-10 4x4 pickup. I put it in when I bought the truck new. I didn't want to pay the expense of a full bedliner or a spray in bedliner. I don't haul a lot in the back of my truck other than an occasional load of tree trimmings or plastic trash cans. About 1½ years after I got the truck, I put a shell on it, but keep the rubber liner. It hasn't bunched up, even when the cap wasn't on the bed. I did place an extra amount of screws on the mat to help keep it down.

smcpherr · June 1999

I have a question for anybody who has a soft (vinyl?) tonneau cover on their truck. I have one on my truck, but will soon be moving to Wisconsin (from LA). I have noticed that the cover expands/contracts drastically depending on the temperature. In the hot Cali days, it is no problem at all to unsnap and resnap down to the rails. However, I have noticed on the colder mornings (ok, as cold as LA gets in the morning, maybe to the upper forties, but no lower) the cover gets real tight and sometimes is virtually impossible to snap onto the rails. I am worried that with the cold of Wisconsin, I will not be able to snap the cover down in the winter, or even worse, a snapped-on might contract enough to bend the rails or tear the cover. I really can't afford a hard tonneau cover yet, would like to use mine, but don't want to wreck it/the truck. Any opinions would be great.

jcmdie · July 1999

I had a soft tonneau on my last truck (northern IL) and this will cause problems. Readjust the rails if possible. also the bitter cold of winter along with the ice will only give a couple years before it will crack up.

smcpherr · July 1999

Don't think I can readjust the rails without taking pieces to the machine shop, which I am not real excited about doing. I guess that I will either look at getting a hard-top or just not use the soft top in the winter. Thanks for the help.

Scotty

mkymouse · July 1999

i am looking for a drivers side chrome electric mirror for a 96 dodge 1500 xtra cab any one having one of these lying around and wants to unload it please e-mail me at edcalvert@mindspring.com thanks alot for the help

nathankiii · July 1999

I am looking for the factory wheels that came on the chevy 454ss trucks... I do not know if that style is still in production or what.. Can anybody offer any help?

Thanks...

randyday · July 1999

My truck has a permanent cap and I've removed the truck rear window and the cap front window and installed a boot. In my opinion, this is an absolutely great idea that someday the auto companies will make into a practical option. I have no climate control problems (heating the front cab is no problem) and leaks are not a problem (I do have leak problems with my piece of crap cap, but that's a different issue.) Having access to the bed space direct from the cab is just fantastic...I do a lot of camping/sleeping back there. Without the windows, it's very easy to crawl back and forth. However, there is one major drawback that will probably prevent me from doing this modification to my next truck: noise. The truck bed has no sound insulation and with the direct access to the bed, the noise level in the cab is 2 or 3 times what it was before the modification.

My ideal truck would be a crew cab, with a short bed (like the new Nissan), with a cap, with a removeable partition between the cab and the bed and with the cab and bed all treated as part of the passanger space. I want to be able to haul stuff, but I want to camp/sleep in the back. I'd spend more time camping/sleeping, so I want that space to be part of the passenger compartment, with appropriate climate and noise controls.

jcmdie · July 1999

Watch out for exhaust gasses that will leak into the rear compartment because your bed is not intended to be that well sealed.

eoster · August 1999

I would like some opinions on hard tonneau covers from those who have had them from over a year. Thanks.

jcmdie · August 1999

My last truck had a soft tonneau and I live in northern IL. They will crack if they are used and very difficult to fasten in the winter. This time around I got a patriot fiberglass cover. No freeze ups,I still have my excellent visiblity, and I can lock up my cargo. The placement of the lock and latch are easy to use and don't freeze up. The top's frame is clamped to the rails. If I need an open bed It can be removed in 5-10 min. I would do it again If I were starting over.

lwf · August 1999

I have an ARE. I'm very satisfied with it, and it must be very good looking, because even drivers who have never had a pickup compliment me at gas stations. A common question is "did it come with the truck as an accessory?"

hobbes26 · August 1999

Oops, just posted my question in the Misc. section. I'll try here as well....I need some tall rails for the bed to haul my kayaks in my new Tacoma next month. Thule and Yakima only do car toppers and rails. Other rack n rail places want $200-$300 bucks. Ouch. Anyone got any other sources or ideas for rails? Any for sale used? I live in Charlotte, NC and am willing to travel a 3 or 4 state area to pick them up. Any advice is great - thanks bunches! :-)

finocchiaro · August 1999

Anyone know if real wood trim is available for the dash and everywhere else Dodge puts the fake stuff? I used to have a custom Chevy with that had real wood varnished trim in it and it looked great. Unfortunately, I bought it that way so, where it was purchased was not the concern at the time. I've also seen some mags that offered it, but not for the newer Dodge.
Thanks for any respones
Scott

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