Bed Protection

By: Rick Shandley

Photos By: Shandley, Rick

A Line-X spray-in bedliner is an option that offers protection without the risk of gouging sheet metal or corrosion between the drop-in liner and the truck bed

For the guy restoring the Classic pickup truck, a hardwood bed kit all smoothed and polished with glistening stainless steel runners is a trick way to finish the truck bed flooring. The truck bed sidewalls are color-matched with the rest of the truck, and nothing more than a couple of weekend getaway suitcases will likely ever be used as cargo. That’s a fine way to go for a hot rod or show truck.

However, if you haul gear with your pickup, that painted surface on the truck bed is going to get worked. Even when you order your late model pickup with a drop-in plastic bedliner from the factory, you might experience rust buildup between the plastic bedliner and the sheetmetal of the truck bed after a few years. Dirt, leaves, and moisture immediately start to collect under the plastic bedliner. And we have all seen the occasional entire drop-in plastic bedliner crumpled up against the freeway retaining wall that a rogue gust of wind had picked up, high into the air, and provided some hang time in front of oncoming traffic like a maple leaf dancing in the wind.

A spray-in bedliner is an option that offers protection without the risk of gouging sheetmetal or corrosion between the drop-in liner and the truck bed. The Line-X Spray On Truck Bedliner a product that is sprayed onto the truck bed floor, sidewalls, and inner tailgate at 200 degrees farenheight. The bond is instantaneous and you can drive it away almost immediately. The process is quick and the protection is permanent. Here’s a look at what is involved.

Most drop-in bedliners, like the one in this F-150, work fine, but the drawbacks can be improved upon.

Truck bedsides are protected with construction paper and plastic.

Tailgate is removed.

Detail tape outlines the area to be sprayed. After the Line-X is applied, and the protective masking plastic comes off, the fine wire embedded in this white tape will be pulled and it defines the clean separation between paint finish and the protective liner.

Tailgate’s exterior is protected and only the surface that receives the spray-in liner is exposed.

Screws and bolts anchoring the drop-in bedliner are removed.

Once freed, the entire drop-in bedliner is removed.

Anchor bolts fastening the truck bed to the truck frame are removed so spray-in material coverage is complete.

Once the drop-in bedliner is removed, the bedrails are masked off. Late model Ford trucks have a more permanent plastic top rail protector, so it is more logical to leave it in place. Other trucks lend themselves more readily to the extending the Line-X coating over the top bedrail.

With the truck in the spray booth, the truck cab is covered with plastic sheeting.

Truck bed is cleaned up with compressed air, then scuffed with a power disc to create a bonding surface for the Line-X.

Denatured alcohol is used to wipe down and clean the truck bed surface.

Line-X is sprayed onto the truck bed, and in a matter of minutes the material is applied at a 200 degrees F. The bond is instant.

Here’s the complete install, clean and simple.

Bed bolts, screws and anchors are all reinstalled, and the truck is ready to roll.