hey i just got a 2005 f150 stepside, and i need a bedliner! theres a couple of spots starting to rust in the middle but im not sure if a spray liner would be better or if the plastic one is good enough? If someone could share their experience! thanks a lot!

 

im using a plastic bedliner from ford accessories since 2008.
very good and made for real heave duty jobs.

 

Plastic can cause a lot of rust issues. Holds moisture, scratches the bed even worse, allows rust to form. I just pulled my plastic liner out of my 02 and I had some rust beginning to form where the liner would hold water (covers up all of the drain ports). IMO, spray on is the best and strongest. Everyone I know just wants to junk their liners but they are like me, requires removing the tool box and headache rack just to be able to access the liner.

 

depending on your needs and your existing rust issues - i would say go with a spray in. It's water tight and should stop that rust in its tracks (unless it;s already all the say through in which case, you've got bigger problems). The drop in lineers aren't water tight and you can have issues with rust and mold. They are more durable however. So it's a trade off. Since you have existing rust issues - if you can possibly help it - go spray in.

 

Bought 2 F-150s in the past week. One has plastic, just put in, and the other is painted in. I saw the bed on the one with plastic before they put it in, scratched to the primer only. But I'd like any suggestions on what I can do, other than just throwing it out. I'd like to see if there's a layer that can be installed between the plastic and the painted bed.

 

thanks guys, i live in hawaii, so the sun gives beatings and it rains like everyday. spray on sounds good so far. Thanks guys!

 

I'd go with a spray in I had a factory drop in in my 08 f150 and pulled it out after a year to install my headache rack and there was lots of rust underneath... Drop in bed liners are garbage. Spray it in

 

I don't live close to the ocean or anywhere where they use road salt. I took off my headache rack yesterday to replace it with a new one I had just finished. Since it required the removal of the tool box, I decided to go ahead and pull the liner out and well, I'm glad I did so I could actually see the condition of the bed.

 

Wouldn't the caps on the bed's side have the same issues. I also thought that all of the truck beds were coated with zinc to prevent rusting. Sounds like I was told wrong years ago.

 

The caps on the rails are on a flat surface and secured much better. Most plastic liners do not form to the stamping in the bed (the ribs in the floor). When you put something in the bed, the liner actually bends into the crevices and chaffs the paint away over time. When moisture gets under the liner or sits in the liner...it rust. Plus a lot of dirt and dust gets caught under the liner as well and attributes to the chaffing. I don't believe zinc has ever been used on the beds to prevent rust. What's the point? The paint get's chaffed and scratched to bare steel anyway. Now maybe back in the day of wood beds the gap fillers were zinc plated/galvanized but never the entire bed as it would still get scratched.