Which will rot faster?

[Tommyd11730]

Ok my 84 K2500 has a old school drop in bed liner. When it rains it fills up like a giant bathtub. I'm thinking of replacing it with a rubber bed mat.  So which do you guys think would rot the bed out faster, the mat or the bedliner?
Thanks!

[Macaroni_Sackaroni]

Ok my 84 K2500 has a old school drop in bed liner. When it rains it fills up like a giant bathtub. I'm thinking of replacing it with a rubber bed mat.  So which do you guys think would rot the bed out faster, the mat or the bedliner?
Thanks!

sounds like they will rot the bed equally fast but pretty slow since both repel water well. i guess it would depen on which bed cover lets more water underneath it.

why dont you drill some drain holes?
i just watched an old 1970s chevy video on youtube, which was marketing the steel bed c10s and they came with drain holes

[Macaroni_Sackaroni]

heres the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWA10zvxuqg
skip to 14:52

[1967KaiserM715]

Most of the time the beds rot from the underside, from dirt and stuff getting stuck in the crossmember s. Standing water is no good, so a drain hole or two in the bed liner will help. After that it is just preference.


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[philo_beddoe]

No moisture means no rust/rot.

[Macaroni_Sackaroni]

btw where can you get a drop in bed liner ?

[Irish_Alley]

i think the best way is to rhino line it. i have the drop in in my 91, its nice cause if it gets wet the water drops to the bottom and you can sit stuff in it and not worry about it getting the bottom wet. ive had the mats before and is dirt or twigs get stuck in the drain holes you can just lift it up and clear the holes. you cant really see water with the drop in so i dont know if it even gets trapped

[big_al273]

DO NOT USE A PLASTIC DROP IN. ahem, they sit on the paint and with loading/unloading and vibration from driving they wear though the paint and when the paint is gone, voila the rust starts from INSIDE the bed under the liner where you can't see it. the only solution/preventative method i have heard of to prevent this otherwise inevitable result is to buy a bucket of grease and paint the metal/painted surface with it before installing the drop in liner. Another down side is that any junk/dirt/water that gets under the liner may never leave without removal of the liner, Spray in liners are the way to go for longevity hands down as they provide the full coverage of the drop in liner without damaging the paint or trapping debris like the drop in. As for the mat, well it's a mat so no protection for the inner sides of the bed or the tail gate, no thanks

[Rattler12]

DO NOT USE A PLASTIC DROP IN. ahem, they sit on the paint and with loading/unloading and vibration from driving they wear though the paint and when the paint is gone, voila the rust starts from INSIDE the bed under the liner where you can't see it. the only solution/preventative method i have heard of to prevent this otherwise inevitable result is to buy a bucket of grease and paint the metal/painted surface with it before installing the drop in liner. Another down side is that any junk/dirt/water that gets under the liner may never leave without removal of the liner, Spray in liners are the way to go for longevity hands down as they provide the full coverage of the drop in liner without damaging the paint or trapping debris like the drop in. As for the mat, well it's a mat so no protection for the inner sides of the bed or the tail gate, no thanks

Also with the plastic liners,if you put something heavy in the rear of the bed and have to get on the brakes even the slightest that something heavy contacts the front of the bed con mucho fuerza....

[Irish_Alley]

then tie it down lol

[Rattler12]

Too much effort.......and plastic drop ins look like......well, plastic drop ins. Worst idea ever IMHO.

[blazer74]

There are millions of trucks running around with drop in bed liners including my 97 Ranger and 04 crew cab without the bed rotting and falling out.

Main thing is they are attached via the hold downs and not just sitting there. Been there and they will lift up and move around when hitting bumps.

If your going to use your your truck as it's intended I'd rather pull the liner every 15 years and repainted than deal with the dents ( especially with an old square) which a spray in is not going to prevent, and use a tie down it only takes a n minute.

[jntrndrm]

The vast majority  of beds rust from the bottom up, all the crevasses where the dirt and road stuff collects is where they rust . I use a bed-liner and a rubber mat , like the ones they use in a weight-room, and when I haul something messy I take the mat out . A bed-liner is so much easier to clean.  I had a truck with a spray in liner, and it was much harder  too clean out, I can see why Guys with a show truck would like them, I use my truck alot  so cleaning it needs to be easy, so that's what works for me.