Black or body-color bed liner?

[matt2491]

Getting real close to painting my F100. I want to use the bed for light duty truck stuff after it's all done so I'm going to coat the inside of the bed with U-POL Raptor bed liner. What I can't decide is whether to go with black or body color. The truck will be painted the same blue as seen in my avatar pic.

So, what do you guys think? Black or body color bed liner?

[Mr. Jones]

If it were me I'd go blue,black is just to hard to keep looking clean.....

[jamesdfo]

Here's a link to Castruck_1964's Album, similar blue on truck, but he went lighter blue on bedliner.....

gallery/album.php?album_id=433

gallery/image_page.php?album_id=433&image_id=8044

[matt2491]

Wow, that looks really good.

[ICEMAN6166]

blue.

[Leeroy]

I went the opposite to everyone's suggestion..... BLACK!



This was straight out of the booth so a little 'glossy' still.
It has a spray Bedliner too, but it was more for durability that looks.
The inside of the bed is in average condition as you can see, but rust free. I intend to still chuck stuff in the back so I didn't care too much about the dents/dings but being black made it much easier for me to touch up with a rattle can down the road as it wears than if it was body colour.


I don't have a better profile pic with black bed, but you get he idea from this pic.
I was pretty happy how it turned out.

[BarnieTrk]

I was pretty happy how it turned out.

As you should be, Leeroy! Your Slick looks SWEET!

BarnieTrk

[64 f100]

I can understand your wanting something to protect the bed from further damage, and here comes the but. Sometime in the future, most likely the bed will eventually suffer from rust damage coming from the underneath side. I have seen people putting various types of coating on the bed floors and cabs of these trucks. Good sound deadening and protection from the topside. What happens in the event of an accident or needed repairs in the future? I guess it's a matter of do you really care if it's a matter of someone else's problem. Then there is the thought that every time I see one of our trucks that has been lined inside the bed , what is he covering up. Does lining a bed affect the trucks value? One suggestion that makes sense to me is to take pictures of the bed before you line it. You then have something to show the actual condition of the bed before the lining was done. On my 2011 F250 I had a Reflex line sprayed in in the color of the truck. I will warn you that the color gets dull with time, and the material being softer will take marks from tires etc.. However the Reflex is rubbery and hold things in position better than some of the liners. However, this was a new truck when I had this done. Our truck stood the test of time and lasted very well with what was originally there. However, paints have changed. Thanks to uncle sugar, we now see a change in paint chemistry nearly ever other year it seems. Who knows how long it will last.
Rich

[slick4x4]

My vote is black

[matt2491]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Leeroy - your truck looks great!

This truck is getting a no-corners-cut frame off rotisserie rebuild. I've modernized a few things and it won't be factory correct, but it will be built right and I'd like it to last as long as possible. I'm building it for me and it'll never be for sale, so I'm not worried about resale value, but am worried about rust. I'm doing everything I can to mitigate future potential for rust.

If a bedliner will eventually trap moisture under it, what other options are there for bed protection?

Regardless of bedliner, I still can't decide on body color or black.

[castruck_1964]

Matt
Spray in liner bonds to metal moisture won't get under it unless it cracks which it does not if applied properly and as james showed in Picks I vote for body color. When you go that route you give them the paint code for your truck and they match it. it won't fade chip to black has been on the bed of Cas for 6+ years now with no issue. FYI the underside of the bed is also Sprayed color matched bedliner with no issues

[matt2491]

Nice to hear from you Ken! And what a sweet truck you built. What brand liner did you use?

[castruck_1964]

Line X

[Leeroy]

I'm doing everything I can to mitigate future potential for rust.
If a bedliner will eventually trap moisture under it, what other options are there for bed protection?

I understand the pain! I was in the same position as we all are, but it will be a never ending process with sheetmetal from the factory thats too thin and cars that are 50+ years old!
I guess it took 40 years for these things to really rust out and that was with zero care or knowledge on the common rust areas. You're repairing it properly and being aware of WHERE these things rust, you can look out for it and manage any problems if/as they come up. On the topic, I'm currently tossing up if I should pour POR15 into the inside of the cab mounts or just leave it alone. They are in great shape and I'd like them to stay that way!

[matt2491]

You know what I like to use instead of POR 15 is a product called Fluid Film. It's a lanolin wax liquid (and environmentally safe - like vegetable oil) that doesn't cure like a paint. They come in aerosol cans and I use a wand to spray it up in body cavities and drain holes and stuff. It kinda sinks into whatever amount of rust may be there and stops it from continuing. Unlike paint, it's not a permanent solution, as it does eventually wash out and needs to be re-applied. But the good thing is, like we were discussing, nothing can get trapped under it because it never cures and subsequently cracks. You just re-apply once every couple of years. It takes 5 minutes each time. Easy as pie.

I use it on snow plows and those get serious direct abuse. Yet the Fluid Film seems to do a great job of keeping the rust away.

My 2 cents.

[ezernut9mm]

i did a black linex in a lightning i did. it held up way better than the rhino.

[ezernut9mm]

linex after two years of sitting outside with no protection. yes, the floor is wet, but the sides tell the story. i would do another one.

[Leeroy]

I like!

[Truckrat]

I think color matching the bed liner to the body color is
definitely the way to go too. Like the way Ken's looks.
Not sure what I will do with my 64 but I will cross that bridge
when I get there. TR

[64f100sixcylinder]

I did U-Pol Raptor in body color, Grabber Blue, two years ago and it still looks great.