ZR5 Owners Check Your Bed Rails

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:06 pm

I Have Removed My Bed Rails From My Truck And Found A Nasty Surprise Underneath. Where The Bolt Holes Are The Paint Was Blistering, And Chipping And Rust Was Starting Also. You Other Zr5 Owners Might Want To Check Under Your Bed Rails Also.

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:38 pm

My paint is chipping off of my fender flares along the edge. Good thing I have 2 weeks left on my warranty!

I'm taking it up there tomorrow.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:05 pm

What do you expect out of visual mods? They were worthless from day one but, thanks for the "heads up"!

Cajun · Post by **Cajun** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:31 pm

How do you get them off?

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 1:53 am

f9k9 wrote:They were worthless from day one

Yep I Agree With That.......

Cajun wrote:How do you get them off?

There Are 2 Rubber Plugs Underneath The Bed Rail, Pull Those Out And Remove The 2 Bolts And They Come Off. THe 2 Center Posts Have The Bolts, The Other 2 Just Sit There

The Factory Had Mine Tightened So Much That It Dimpled The Top Of The Bed Rail Too.

MARBLEYARD · Post by **MARBLEYARD** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 3:30 am

are you getting rid of your bed rails? My LS has a litle ZR5 envy.

I haul stuff all the time and they would help for tie downs. Just asking.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 4:14 am

I still haven't gotten a reply from bushwacker. Maybe one of you guys will buy a set and try trimming them down to fit and cover that mess.

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 2:05 pm

According to the manual the rails we have on or ZR5's are decorative only, you are not supposed to use them for tying off loads. They are not attached to anything but the thin sheet metal and could pull out if a load were to shift.

MARBLEYARD · Post by **MARBLEYARD** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:46 am

Do you think that with some fabricated large brackets or plates under the bed lip could help avoid that issue or are the rails themselves just not strong enough either? I still don't have the rails to mount but this info will me decide if I want to go aftermarket or not.

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:47 am

barch97 wrote:I still haven't gotten a reply from bushwacker. Maybe one of you guys will buy a set and try trimming them down to fit and cover that mess.

I'm Thinking I See Line X In My Future

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:57 am

MARBLEYARD wrote:are you getting rid of your bed rails?

Yep They Were Headed For Ebay..........

04crewvt wrote:According to the manual the rails we have on or ZR5's are decorative only, you are not supposed to use them for tying off loads. They are not attached to anything but the thin sheet metal and could pull out if a load were to shift.

Yep, I Put A Tie Strap Around Them On Occasion But Only To Hold Something Light Down In The Bed I Use The Tie Downs Built Into The Bed For All The Heavy Holding.

MARBLEYARD wrote:Do you think that with some fabricated large brackets or plates under the bed lip could help

Problem With That Is The Rails Mount To The Topside Piece Of Metal And There Is A Bigger Hole Drilled In The Underside Piece Of Metal (2 Layers)For The Bolt To Go Thru, The Stud Isn't Long Enough To Go Thru Both Layers Of Metal. (Sorry If That Sounds Confusing, I'll Take A Pic If It Helps)

MARBLEYARD · Post by **MARBLEYARD** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 4:01 am

I think I know what you mean. Pics would be nice. So what are you asking? It may be worth the trip to NOVA, but I'm headed to Portsmouth and then Charlotte later this month so my travel'n schedule is crazy.

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:04 pm

I use mine only to tie off a cargo net if I have stuff that will fly away. Just a bungee net I found for a small utility trailer that fits or beds quite nicely.

WVHogRider · Post by **WVHogRider** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:34 am

gocntry wrote:I'm Thinking I See Line X In My Future

That was my first mod.

I had them spray up and over the bed rail & tailgate so that the tanneu (sp?) cover wouldn't wear out the paint from shifting/wiggling in the wind or from lifting it up/putting down, since it is tiltable. Now I'm going to Line-X the rocker panels and fender lips/flares!

gocntry · Post by **gocntry** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 11:44 am

barch97 wrote:I still haven't gotten a reply from bushwacker. Maybe one of you guys will buy a set and try trimming them down to fit and cover that mess.

Have You Seen The Ones At LMC Truck?? They Sell Smooth & Ribbed ABS Caps Look At The Bottom Of The Page

LMC Bed Caps