Bed Rail Covers

[dagnabbitt]

My lil 81 SWB (build thread below) had a vinyl tonneau cover on it when I bought it, and the previous owner glued down the velcro that it adhered to with some sort of yellow glue. I'm having to grind it off with a wire wheel, and I was really disappointed because the paint is not great on this truck, but it's not that bad either. The velcro flopped in the wind for a a couple years, now it is gone and metal and primer is showing. I didn't want to have to paint this truck, I don't care about paint much, but I really hate rust, too.

Then I remembered a popular "bolt on" from my youth, chrome bedrail covers. Well I couldn't find any for a long time and was starting to think I imagined them, or that I was hopelessly stranded in the eighties while living in the twenty twenties.

I finally found a set from ICI, link below. And they are not chrome, but stainless. I chose the smooth ones, although they do come in a diamond plate pattern.

Received them today and I have to say they look pretty good, they come with the 3M tape already on the underside. I will install them this weekend and post some pics for anyone interested.

https://www.icionline.com/truck-bed-cap-protectors

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

I assume you have a fleetside from your post.

But years ago my Aunts BF had a 82 F250 where he bent stainless sheet metal to match the contours of the bed. Then had it polished. I do not remember how it was attached as I was 16 at the time.

Either way he worked in a stainless shop with access to a press brake, and food grade stainless steel strips.

[LT7A]

I have some aluminum diamond plate ones.

I've never had food grade stainless steel strips. Sounds good, maybe with bbq sauce.

[dagnabbitt]

They're for a stepside, actually, so would probably work for many different model years, not just 73-87. I was worried that they will look a little gaudy but just dry fitting them they seem like they will do the trick. They wrap around the edges more than I thought they would.

I will post pics Saturday, this is one of those products that you used to see all the time in the nineties that it seems like was just sort of stopped being made so I was pleased to find them.

[dagnabbitt]

I didn't take any pics of how awful the box rails were before, you will just have to believe me when I say they were bad. I ended using some airtools and a cookie duster bodyman tool to take off the glue. Then I prepped the affected areas with some rust paint.

Installed the bed rails and I have to say, they look pretty darn good. They covered up the damage and are polished to a mirror finish. Excellent buy for the money.

In terms of fitment, the header panel cover fit like a glove, but unfortunately I did have to trim a little to provide for a couple bolt heads between the box and the cab. The stepside cover could have frankly fit the curve of the top a little snugger, but thats just nitpicking. The rail covers themselves fit great, although I discovered that one of my rails was not 'true' at this point: I shimmed it with some rubber to make it lay flat.

[fordguy40]

Those look great. Can't find pictures of the product on their site, but I'd be in for a diamond plate set for my fleetside.