[TWX]

Went ahead and added Utili-track rails to my SV non-value-package truck today. Installed the floor ones and the one at the front edge of the cab behind the bed.

The behind the cab one was easy. There are five fasteners. We ground the bedliner material off of the bolt heads and just bolted the junkyard-pull piece on with the fasteners that were supplied with it. Fasteners are stainless steel M8x1.25 with T40 heads. I did not have a torque specification so I got them pretty tight with a ratchet and the T40 socket, but I did not go crazy since my torx sockets are not exactly the best quality, got 'em when O'Reilly had just bought-out Checker and was clearancing Checker's tool inventory. When the junkyard pulled them they had to use a whole lot of force to break 'em loose.

The bed floor was not as easy. We took measurements and unfortunately most of the points through the floor where the OEM holes in the aluminum are line-up with structural sheet metal members under the bed floor. I suspect this was to make the attachment points stronger, but the net effect is that it's not practical to use most of the OEM holes.

As a solution we used the four knock-outs in the floor of the bed and to drill fresh holes in the aluminum tracks. Because of the bedliner I knocked them out from above, down to the floor. Had to cut the bedliner to free-up one of them. We selected some larger cut-washers and some larger carriage bolts with nuts that fit a 14mm socket, and some blue threadlocker. Even though the bolts are thicker and probably stronger we figured that only two attachment points probably wasn't adequate so we found one set of existing holes in the track where they did not line-up with a structural member (rearmost of the sets that are paired-up in the middle) and then drilled through the bed, painted the hole so it wouldn't readily rust, and then set more of the carriage bolts.

Once everything was snugged down and seemed to be in the right place we cranked on them by hand to make sure that the carriage bolts bit into the holes in the aluminum. Looks like they're in there pretty well.

I might want to add one more set at some point, haven't decided. We'll see if it's needed. If it is I'll have to decide if I drill fresh holes through both the aluminum and the bed, or if any of the existing holes in the aluminum can be used, just drilling through the bed itself.

 

[TWX]

Finished product with the shell back on...

 

[raine]

The bed floor was not as easy. We took measurements and unfortunately most of the points through the floor where the OEM holes in the aluminum are line-up with structural sheet metal members under the bed floor. I suspect this was to make the attachment points stronger, but the net effect is that it's not practical to use most of the OEM holes.

elaborate the bold part

 

[TWX]

Take the photo with the bolt with the drip of blue locktite on the bottom. Above that structural member to the right, with the small hole in it, is where the factory fastener that goes into the predrilled factory hole in the aluminum channel would go. I was not in a position to get a large fender washer plus a lock washer plus a nut up inside that cavity without far more work than I wanted to expend on this.

Now that said, there is a gap between the structural member and the bottom of the deep corrugation in the bed, just big enough for a fender washer to be slid-in. If I really was feeling adventurous I could possibly have slid a washer in there, then preloaded a thinwall socket with a smaller JIS nut for M8-1.25 and tried to fanaggle the fender washer on top of the socket and nut to push them up to meet the bolt dropped in from above, but if it had gone wrong then I'd be stuck with a fender washer rattling around in there. If I were going to try it I would probably have to take the bed off of the truck, turn it upside-down on the driveway, and slide the washer in that way. At this time that isn't worthwhile.

 

[The other Sean]

Nice.

I wonder if it is worth adding some extra material between the nuts and the sheet metal? maybe some 1/8" thick metal bar stock 2 to 3 inches long with a hole drilled in it? That one layer of bed floor isn't that robust if you really think about it.

 

[Zedbra]

I find I use the bed side tracks more than any other, I would suggest adding those as well, or at least the last 3' of the bed. I will often bring home something and want to tie it down to stop it from sliding around, and the back of the bed is where you can always reach.

 

[TWX]

I may add some extra material at the knockout holes, probably don't need it for the middle one I drilled since the hole is very small compared to the knockouts. I have some strut-channel mounting hardware that I'd picked up that may be worth a try if it feels like it needs it. Or later I may go through the effort to add extra factory-positioned fasteners, haven't decided. Kind of depends on if the various accessories like the cleats that a friend is going to supposedly give to me that he's never used will clear the carriage bolts or not.

I do have the side rails. On my Hardbody I'd added my own tie-downs, door striker plates from a car I'd parted-out, low in the extreme corners of the bed. The HB had the tie-downs up high but I found them to be useless for low-height loads. That's why I put in the floor tracks first, so that I could tie things down to the floor of the bed. I'm tempted to build my own bed-divider that can slide back and forth in the floor channels. Did knock around the idea of installing the ones in the sides of the bed but those will require adding some kind of spacer since they are face-flush with the edge of the bed, at least if I want to use factory accessories. I'll also have to be a lot more mindful of the mounting bolts since there's not a lot of room between the inner and outer walls of the bed once one gets up above that secondary decking height.

I had reached up in there between the bed walls from below when I was working on the truck but I got enough schmutz raining down on my face and into my eyes that I'll probably have to pressure-wash up in there before I try to do anything. I might have to bolt some lumber down to the side of the bed on the inside, then bolt the rail to the lumber, so that the rails stick out the right amount. Or I might buy some off the shelf aluminum strut channel in 1-5/8" by 1-5/8", bolt that to the bed wall, then bolt the Nissan track to the that.

Main reason I'd bought a junkyard set of Nissan parts is that I didn't want to just use steel or anodized or galvanized steel channel, the coated stuff is rust-resistant where the coating is intact but where it's been cut to length it can rust. It can be painted but if that paint flakes from use then it would again rust. I haven't ruled-out using the anodized stuff for the sides to then bolt the aluminum stuff to though, since the anodized stuff will not have fasteners installed and removed all of the time. We'll see.

 

[Zedbra]

One of the things I use the side rails for the most is tying down stuff at the back that I need quick access to - such as my chainsaw. Also, on large loads, I may need to keep my canopy glass door opened and I do not like it flying up and down as the struts get worn (I have smashed glass before like this) - so I use a tie-down onto the utilitrack to keep the glass in one place.

 

[phatB]

nice one. i thought those were standard, i guess my truck wasn't as base model as i thought. now you just need the useless covers for the channels in the bed that slide back and go CLUNK when you get on the gas, making you believe you have a drive shaft or rear end issue!

 

[TWX]

nice one. i thought those were standard, i guess my truck wasn't as base model as i thought. now you just need the useless covers for the channels in the bed that slide back and go CLUNK when you get on the gas, making you believe you have a drive shaft or rear end issue!

I have the covers actually. They need to be pressure-washed and the machine was acting-up as I did the aluminum ones.

I'm tempted to just use them when I'm hauling bulk materials like the load of sand I got a couple of days ago while the shell was off. It won't keep all of the sand out, but even just most would be nice.

 

[rodhotter]

i like a rubber bed mat i had in my last pickup, prolly get the same. the truck i will prolly get next week looks to have the rails in it, but i want a bed cover like the Truxedo with velcro so will check into it soon, hopefully!!