DIY Network

Spray-On Bed Liner: Removing a Drop-In Bed Liner From "Weekend Mechanic" episode WKM-303

	A permanent spray-on bed liner matches the contours of the inside of the bed. If you like, they can also be color-matched to the color of your vehicle.
	The spray-on bed liner has a textured, rubberized surface to prevent cargo from shifting or sliding around as you're driving. If the liner ever gets damaged, repairs are generally easy by simply spraying over the damaged area or using an epoxy repair compound.

In this episode, Weekend Mechanic host Bruce Bonebrake removes an old, worn-out drop-in bed liner on a pickup truck and replaces it with a new spray-on bed liner. He also installs a new tonneau cover over the work truck's bed.

DIY Difficulty Rating for Repair: This job requires some special experience and equipment, and the chemicals used are toxic and must be handled properly. We gave it a difficulty rating of 4 on a 5-point intermediate-level scale. There are other types of bed liners available that might be better suited to the novice do-it-yourselfer. It took us about 12 hours, over two days, to finish this project. Depending on the nature or severity of the problem, completion time for this job may vary.

Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection, and follow proper safety precautions, when working with power tools.

Safety Alert: When working with toxic chemicals, solvents, paints, etc., always work in a well ventilated area. For some jobs, eye protection and respirator masks are required.

Materials:

In addition to standard auto-mechanic's tools, some of the specialty tools that will be needed for this project include a hopper spray-gun, air compressor, rotary sander, mixing tools, plastic scrapers, broom, coveralls, rubber gloves, painting respirator-masks and safety glasses.

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Figure B

The problem: Our project vehicle, an old Ford pickup truck, has a bed and bed-liner that's seen better days (figures A and B). The bed liner has badly worn areas and holes that are likely allowing water to collect between the liner and metal bed. Left unchecked, this situation will eventually rust out the metal bed of the truck. After removing the old liner and cleaning and conditioning the metal bed, we opted to protect the bed with a permanent spray-on bed liner.

Removing the Old Drop-In Bed-Liner

Safety Alert: Use caution when removing the old bed liner. The edges of the plastic liner may be sharp.

Steps:

• Using a cordless drill and screwdriver attachment, remove the anchor screws fastening the bed liner to the truck bed (figure C).

• Remove the tailgate from the truck. It will be worked on later, in a separate location. The tailgate must be taped and masked off properly to protect the tailgate latching mechanism.

• With all the anchor screws removed, and the tailgate off the truck, carefully lift off the old bed liner (figure D) and set it aside. The bed liner is cumbersome, so this job will likely take two people.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  
  
• With the liner removed, inspect the truck-bed surface for damage. Check carefully for any water damage or impact holes. In our case, the rust was not too severe, but the water drain was plugged, and there was a lot of dirt and residue built up beneath the liner.

• Clean away any dirt, paint, residue, etc. using plastic (not metal) scrapers to remove large debris (figure E).

• Sweep the bed completely clean with a broom (figure F), and wash the bed to remove any remaining dirt. Cleaning the surface thoroughly will help simplify the sanding process.

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  
  

In the segment that follows, the truck bed is sanded and prepped for spraying using methyl ethyl ketone.

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To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
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