I just purchased and took delivery of a ******* X2000 tonneau cover. This is the clamp on model. Unfortunately, there are no dealers for at least 300 miles, so the installation will be a do-it-youselfer. Not a problem, good instructions, but... the instructions call for a stiffener bar (aluminum flat bar) to be placed inside of the most interior channel of both bed rails. This will require that I carefully pry the bed rails loose and then re-attach later.

Has anyone ever removed the bed rails and re-installed them without damaging the plastic? What tools are needed and what technique is used ? If I mess them up, the dealer quoted me a smooth $60 a pair for replacement. As understand it, I only need to pry the ends up by the cab about 24".

Thanks for any help. BTW, this is for a SuperCrew, but any late model short bed F-150 would probably have identical bed rails. I will also post this on the SuperCrew message board.

 

It's not hard, look under the rail, there are a series of clips. I had to squeeze them one at a time and worked my way down the rail. I remove these all the time and never had one break or bend. I have however ruined a clip but you can't tell once they are reinstalled. They just take a little bit of courage, pull up while working those clips and they should pop off.

P.S. Don't get shocked at the sight of your bed rail without the cover..........SWISS CHEESE HAS LESS HOLES!

 

Also try warming the plastic with a hair dryer. This should assist in removal. Good luck! The inside clips are easy to loosen, however, the outer clips are a different story. There is no access to the underside of the outer clips. If you have to remove the rails completely, you probably should look forward to purchasing a new set. $60 a set is a very good price!

 

Never had a problem with them, I have taken these off a few times and never replaced them. I am planning on it soon because of other damage (deep gouges) but they still fit like new.

 

My Flareside tailgate has some ugly gouges in it and I was considering replacing it. Wonder if I can replace just that strip or do I have to buy the whole set of rail strips?

I heard from someone that the tailgate strip was fastened on with 3M two-sided adhesive tape. I doubt if that's true but FORD uses that two-sided tape to attach the emblems, so maybe they did that on the tailgate strip too?

Does anyone know?

 

the tailgate is the same way. friends work truck had his torn off and there are holes in the tailgate

 

www.fordpartsonline.com, I do believe it can be bought seperate, I know my styleside set can.