Has anyone self installed bed rails on a short bed flareside WITHOUT the popout holes in the plastic on top of the bed sides?

How do you get the plastic bed side covers off?
I want to see if there are stake holes under the plastic. THANKS, MH

 

97-03 Flaresides didn't have stakepockets.
I would think that if there isn't an access square in the plastic cover then there isn't a pocket underneath.
You should see the buldge in the inside of the bed wall, if it was there.

 

in 04 fleetside models there is a stake pocket but no access hole in the bed rail. To access it you'd need to remove the entire rail or cut a hole.


Dont know if there is on the flareside, but like Raoul said, if you can see the square bulge on the inside of the truck bed then there would be a stake hole.

 

That is insanity to the nth degree.
No way Ford can justify doing crap like that.

I made wooden bedrails that use the stakepockets, not only do I popout the 'hole covers' but they pop back in whenever I want and you'd never know they were removed.

 

I thought it was a little dumb too. I had to do a double take that the stake pockets were there.