As I found out after installing tie down rings, the liner is going to at least partially fill in the holes. Spraying underneath and then trying to reinstall the caps might be impossible. You might be better off removing the caps entirely and having Line-X sprayed over top the rails. Since the Line-X is going to be permanent it shouldn't be that hard to use Bondo or something to fill in all the little holes for a smoother finish.

 

Since the Line-X is going to be permanent it shouldn't be that hard to use Bondo or something to fill in all the little holes for a smoother finish.

That's kinda what I was thinking too, but hoping someone on here has already done that and see how it turned out or maybe even what they would do different.

 

That's how Line-X does a lot of the older trucks with no OEM bed rail caps, I don't see why it wouldn't work here, except the added material might prevent reinstalling the caps.

 

That is where the problem may be. Best bet would be to go to Line-X dealer and talk to them. They can mask off holes so they don't get filled in, but the thickness of the liner, 1/8 or more, may prevent the cap from going back on. I had the rails done on my 06 1 ton:

That's just Line-X - no trim cap as this truck never had any. The piece on the tailgate is however a factory plastic cap.

 

Nothing to add other than you must be a fellow cyclist. I have the same fork mounts that i added using some stainless square tubestock on the front wall. Good stuff.

 

Nothing to add other than you must be a fellow cyclist. I have the same fork mounts that i added using some stainless square tubestock on the front wall. Good stuff.

Yes, cyclist here, and the Rocky Mounts are the best. Nice setup!

 

Those plastic bed rail caps pop right off. You could just touch up the paint damage and perhaps cut a long piece of thin rubber and trap it underneath the bed rail caps when you reinstall them. It would cover the damaged area and look OEM maybe. Or perhaps use rubber door molding.

 

Not a bad idea, but I'm not sure how long that thin rubber would hold up to AZ heat.

I'll call my local Line-x company and see if they've done any work on the Colorado bed rails and what they recommend.

 

My suggestion is a small vinyl 1.5”? strip that goes up under the lip of the plastic. (After a quick paint/bondo job if that’s a dent)
I’d be a little worried about the plastic popping back down after lined.

 

I considered vinyl or even plastidip, but most likely those will just rub off in the future too. My local line-x shop said most likely the caps won't be able to go back on and they can't not spray around the holes, because if any water snuck in there it would just lift up the line-x. $230 to get line-x (premium) over the rails but I'll need to find a body shop to weld all the holes in the rails. If I just tape over the holes, little indents will still show after line-x and my OCD can't have that.

Anyone with welding experience, what would you ballpark a price for welding up the rails?

 

I considered vinyl or even plastidip, but most likely those will just rub off in the future too. My local line-x shop said most likely the caps won't be able to go back on and they can't not spray around the holes, because if any water snuck in there it would just lift up the line-x. $230 to get line-x (premium) over the rails but I'll need to find a body shop to weld all the holes in the rails. If I just tape over the holes, little indents will still show after line-x and my OCD can't have that.

Anyone with welding experience, what would you ballpark a price for welding up the rails?

Trying to weld them up will bring on a whole new world of problems. Heat burns the paint and distorts the sheet metal. Cut out thin tape (like clear packaging tape) just slightly larger than the holes and let it be. As for the stake pockets, they'll be fine as is.

 

I’d do the vinyl wrap- it may wear off in 10 years but then you can get it replaced. Did you get any quotes to just fix it? Looks like a 3-500$ job to me.

 

My best suggestion is to pull the bed cap and see what you’re dealing with (show us)
I pulled mine to install my canopy, you just pull it straight up starting at the cab (forward) end. It helps to have a second set of hands to keep it from slip/skip/scratching the side of your bed when it pops off.
I know there’s holes for the plastic cap to pop into, not sure if there’s additional manufacturing holes etc.
you may be able to use some very this stainless sheet metal to cover any large holes and rivit it in place (painting any holes you drill prior to riveting). Then bed line over the plates.
Or you could get lucky and find some oval plugs that fit the holes?

 

On my 1st gen Collie I had a spray in bed liner in Alaska and never had any problems with it separating.

Given it is such a small area, your remedy seems excessive. Instead look at:

• correcting the camper shell so it doesn't rub and/or
• repairing the paint damage and/or
• LineX, rubber, or similar just over the damaged part at the back, not the sides

Essentially look at the source of the damage first (didn't note if damaged while installing, removing, or in use), then look at the fix - might just need to repair dents/paint and protect while installing and removing in future.

Note that without modifying the fit of the camper shell, any covering might get damaged like the paint did unless it is something like rubber. If you have to replace the LineX, rubber, or similar every few years that shouldn't be a big deal compared to the alternatives.

 

I thought about not going up the sides with line-x, if the caps could go back on. Only real reason for going up the sides, was to help blend in the back line-x. The damage was done in use, not installing or removing. The shell was on for about 8 weeks straight and I probably needed to tighten it down a bit. Everyday it took a ton of vibration in a short strech, dumb roads in neighborhood, where I didn't notice it being loose, but that has to be where the excessive rubbing happened to cause the paint to go down to bare metal. Although I don't normally have the shell on for that length of time, usually only on special trips, I doubt the problem would happen again if I just went with paint repair. If I'm going to take the time and energy and cost to repair the paint, I'm just going to consider all the different options. The soft plastic bed caps suck, and yes it's a truck and I'm ok with those getting beat up, but after awhile they really stand out when the rest of the truck is excellent.