DIY Truck Bed liner experience?

[bigbikerrick]

Hello Folks, I am planning to do a spray or roll on bedliner as a rust protective coating on my Ural sidecar tub. They are known to rust in the seams inside and outside the floor area, so I plan to coat those areas before any rust starts. If this little project comes out nice, I would like to do a DIY bed liner in my old 97 F -150. Some of the "Ural folks" recommend a product called "Monstaliner" because you can get it tinted in colors that  are a close match to the Ural finishes.
What experience / suggestions do you guys have as to what has worked for you. I would like to apply it with a roller on the sidecar, but  have a garage compressor, if I need to spray it on.
Any advice, much appreciated, Thanks.
Rick

[Perazzimx14]

I've used Hercules spray on bed liner on several sets of pannier lids (outside) and the inside of a tool box and it holds up decently. It takes forever to dry unless its hot and humid then it'll set up in 12/24 hrs then dry in two days then over the next few weeks fully cure.

At $14 a can its not cheap and a can does not cover a lot. IMHO it is not as good as professional quality stuff and for a large area it might not be any less or significantly less expensive than a pro doing it.

[twowings]

I used Herculiner on the tub of my CJ-7.
Turned out nice. Masking stuff off was hardest part.

Good luck with your project!

BTW, if you need a good laugh, Google "How do I get bedliner off my hootus?"
One of the all time funniest threads on the interwebs

[Ncdan]

Rhino liner at a dealership.

[wymple]

I saw a truck done with Rhino Liner that had a tree fall on the tailgate, bending a massive "V" into it. The liner stayed with the "V", never even cracked

[John Croucher]

Save time, spray ACF-50 anti corrosive spray on the inside.  Meets Mil Specs and Air Craft specs. 

[SIR REAL ED]

Save time, spray ACF-50 anti corrosive spray on the inside.  Meets Mil Specs and Air Craft specs.

You took the words right out of my keyboard.  Undercoating with used oil/penetrating oil was a tried and true practice back in the rustbelt.  The oil will penetrate, while the undercoating merely covers.  Water can be behind undercoating.

Obviously, the sidecar won't be subjected to as much salt as a car in Upstate NY, so the rust protection issue is not as severe.  Another plus is the bedliner will give you a color and finish that looks..... better.

If the wear resistance is not a factor, I'd also consider just painting it.

[larrys]

I put together a Steib sidecar and a BMW R1200 for a local guy. The previous sidecar owner had coated the OUTSIDE of the Steib with bedliner. The new owner had a devil of a time removing it...
Larry

[Scud]

I did a bunch of research as I was thinking about coating my old F250 bed myself. By the time I added everything up, the cost savings over a professional job were pretty small. And the time investment was a HUGE difference. So I had it sprayed with Line-X. The small shops will work with you on price, especially if you say you are thinking about doing it yourself. And the finish is superior to what you can reasonably expect to do on your first try.

[Luap McKeever]

I was going to do my pickup bed myself too. The prep work and time involved is what spooked me away. Talked to a buddy of mine who owns a car lot and he had his guy do it at his cost. Saved me $150 over paying retail since they had a contract. Maybe an option for you as well? Well worth it. I'd have spent a full day prepping the bed and another day waiting on it to dry.

[dirtiegirtie]

I used a cheap black can of bedliner on a Dakota around 15 years ago. It quickly went from glossy to dull, which was no big deal. But it felt like sandpaper... it was VERY hard and textured.

I've used grizzly grip on several boats when I would replace the floor. It stays REALLY rubbery and comfortable to walk on even in bare feet. I haven't used it in the last 8 years or so, but I had nothing but good experiences.
https://www.grizzlygrip.com/

EDIT: I forgot to mention they have many different colors.

[bigbikerrick]

Thanks folks for all the suggestions, and advice. The ACF -50 sounds interesting. I have never used it before. Does it dry, or does it stay as an oily film? I saw that WD 40 also has a spray product to prevent corrosion. It was 11 bucks for a small spray can at home depot. Any experience with that?
thanks Rick.

[bigbikerrick]

I was looking at the "Grizzly Grip" product dirtygirtie linked, and it looks interesting!
Rick.

[Alfetta]

BTW, if you need a good laugh, Google "How do I get bedliner off my hootus?"

Yep, a good hard laugh, Thanks....
It's insane what some peeps will put out there on a public forum....

[ChrisG]

I don't know what the formulations are for DIY truck bead liner products but if they contain isocyanates such as MDI, be careful. See the NIOSH Alert: Preventing Asthma and Death from MDI Exposure During Spray-on Truck Bed Liner and Related Applications ( https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2006-149/default.html )

[bigbikerrick]

Thanks for the heads up, I think the Monstaliner product I am looking to use on my sidecar is a  catalyzed urethane, so it contains the isocyanates,nasty stuff for sure.
Rick.

[cleatusj]

Grizzly Grip is still holding up well on my plywood body sidecar. The only damage is one corner where I hit that rock pillar.

[Motormike]

I had spray-in bed liners on two trucks.  Didn't really care for it.  Looks great when it's new, but fades to a chalky black after a few months.  Also, doesn't really prevent the bed from getting dented.  It just deforms with the bed.  Anything striking the bed hard enough to ding it will still leave a dent, even with the liner.  The best combination I found was a thick rubber bed mat, and a standard "drop-in" plastic bed liner.  The rubber mat keeps the plastic bed liner from rubbing all the paint off the bed, and also helps to keep the liner from sliding around when you walk on it.

[n3303j]

About 5 years ago had the 3 fenders (inside) and tub (about 1/4 way up Rhino Lined on my Ural. Cost $400 and still is bonded to the powder coat finish I had done to the rig. One of the better $400 spent on my Ural.

Still going to rust in any exposed seam or double layer. The Russian steel is very prone to rusting.

Just mine rusts slower. It also gets an occasional bath in ACF-50 which does help.

I should just have had the whole thing hot dipped galvanized. That works on boat trailers and bridges. Probably work on Ural.