subject: Repairing A Truck Bed [print this page] If you own a pick-up truck, then there are chances that you will depend on the truck bed. This is what makes a pick-up truck more practical with its capacity to carry any type of object safely and easily. With the passage of time, the truck bed gets damaged whether its the scratches, nicks, dents or rust. If the truck bed of your pick-up truck is already damaged or you would like to put a stop to future damage, then this article might be helpful to you. Here are some helpful tips.
Preventing Rust on a Truck Bed
Rust is one of the biggest dangers a truck bed faces. Most of the truck beds are exposed to the different elements including atmospheric elements throughout the year. Usually the truck beds are protected with paint and undercoating. However after a passage of some years, these compounds sometimes fail to offer as much protection as it is required. Those truck owners who are observing their bed surrendering slowly to rust, one product that is available and is very useful is the brush on bed liner kit. It is a liquid that is brushed on a similarly as paint. It is extremely strong and is made from polyurethane/rubber. It is very easy and quick to apply. This product is inexpensive and it costs less than $100. When this is applied, more damage from scratches, rust and nicks can be averted.
If there is already a lot of rot, then a liquid bed liner wont do the trick. The rusting would have to be stopped by removing it. Following are some tips:
-After locating the rusted and rotted pieces of metal in the truck bed, use a metal cutter or pliers to remove them.
-Use metal piece that is treated for resisting rust and cut it to the size of the hole and having one to two inches longer. This new piece of sheet metal has to be bolted for the purpose of covering the hole.
-Bolts made for outdoor have to be used for fastening the sheet metal onto the truck bed. Carriage bolts should be used, so the bolts are flushed with sheet metal. By this way, the items in the truck bed will not get snagged.
-For yielding best results, paint the entire truck bed and over the sheet metal or a liner can also be used for protecting the top of the truck bed from further damages.
Fixing Dent on a Truck Bed
Dents are common on truck beds and give a less striking look to the new or great looking truck. Luckily, most of the dents on a truck bed are practically easy to fix without a lot of time, money or labor. Many dents on the truck beds do not include scratches on paint or other damages, they are not very difficult to fix. Here are some helpful tips:
-One of the easiest methods to fix dents is to knock out the dent. In case you can access the underside of the truck bed, then a rubber mallet can be used on the dented area for knocking back the dent.
-Apart from this technique, some gadgets are sold that utilize the strength of the suction for pulling out the dent. These machines are not very expensive but they may not be effective on very harsh dents.
-Another way to fix a dent is to make a small hole into the middle of the dent and then insert a pulling tool through the dent. When it is in place, just pull the tool and the dent will pop out. When the dent is popped out, the small hole that was made can be covered up with filler and then can be sanded down. For finishing, use a little touch up paint.
An important point to note is that many truck beds are utilized for their utility and not essentially admired for their artistic show. One would obviously want to repair any damage to the truck bed that snatches its realism. However if your truck is old, then a strong liner is the best available option for preventing damages.
