fixing rusted bed

[whitt91]

hey guys, ive looked around and couldnt really find a definite answer to my problem. my bed has always rattled over bumps which on the street isnt bad. problem is during hunting season i regularly drive on dirt roads, which makes the squeaking unbearable to the point where i cant use it. i took it into the dealership because i found a bed bolt that was loose and sliding around. so i tell them to tighten it along with some other regular things i needed done. They told me that the noise came from the bolt which was as tight as it would go, but the area around the bolt had rusted allowing it to slip. the bed hasnt rusted through, just the top layer. what can i do to fix this?

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[jbrew]

Chuck the bolt, replace w/one that will work. AFTER you wire wheel or grind every bit of that rust out of there. Use "Etching Primer" on the bare metal, 4-6 coats. Dupi-color sells it in spray can form, but make absolutely sure it says "Etching" Primer or the fix will be short lived. - Then paint. You might want to wait a couple weeks before running a bolt thru it, takes awhile for everything to cure/harden real well,- grease the washer first

[whitt91]

alright thanks ill get on that. Do you think instead of using the primer on it after i grind away the rust it'd be alright to just have a bed liner sprayed in? I need one anyway and if its not necessary to paint and primer it after i put one in then it'll just save me time and money.

[jbrew]

I would still primer it first. Once down to bare metal, I've seen it rust right back up thru undercoating. The primer is like 5 bucks.