Bed Wheel Liners

OldBlue61 · July 5, 2018

If you live somewhere they use salt on the roads in the winter, you've seen trucks 7-8 years old with rust holes in the bed, usually around the wheel wells. Unfortunately, all too common a problem. In an effort to slow the tin worm, I had my truck rustproofed by Ziebart. Had good luck with their system in years past, so I figured I'd get my Silverado Ziebarted. Now, this thread is not about how you feel about Ziebart or any of the other possible rust proofing choices, but what it's about is the bed wheel well liners. I did not take the liners out when I had the truck rustproofed originally, but I was going to do that last year when it went in for it's yearly check up/touch up. Forgot last year, but I removed them this year so they could spray the rustproofing product in the liner area, since it seems (to me at least) that when they begin to rust, that's the first area that starts to go. Pics below are of the rustproofing installed.

Since I had the liners out, I figured I'd clean them with my power washer. HOLY CRAP. I wish I would have weighed the liners before I cleaned them, as there HAD to be 3-4 pounds of dirt in them. I power wash that area a couple of times a year, but I'd never seen that much dirt and road gunk come out of them before.

That brings me to my current dilemma - do I reinstall the liners, or leave them out since I've got that area rustproofed now? They obviously hold a lot of water close to the body when wet, along with a lot of dirt, possibly contributing to corrosion. Then again, without them, even though the wheel wells have a coating of rustproofing material now, you have the possibility of rock chips that could be where corrosion begins.

Comments, ideas, discussion, thoughts please.

Edited July 5, 2018 by OldBlue61

kstruckcountry · July 5, 2018

The rust usually starts in the seam where the wheel well and bedside are tacked together. Dust/moisture/salt gets in there, and you can wash it out by sticking your arm up in the front of the fleetside of the the bed. However, they are bound to rust eventually. My 2006 is rusting in this area, and sees more gravel than most pickups. No chip rust, and I've never had liners, but it is rusting inside out.

Do they coat the inside of the bedsides?

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OldBlue61 · July 5, 2018

Yes, the underside of the bed is covered as well. The bed will be getting a spray-in liner to replace the plastic liner before winter too.

Doublebase · July 5, 2018

I would absolutely put them back on, if not that rust coating and everything else will get washed away, or chipped away. Either way it will take a pounding.

Figure...you have it rust proofed, now cover it back up and hope for the best. That area gets a ton of air flow anyway...it should help keeep the moisture out of those covers a little bit.

I live in a rust belt, around where I am Fluid Film is pretty popular and NH Oil Undercoating. Whatever you use it has to be reapplied annually. I'll have to check Ziebart out, never heard of them.

FL335i · July 7, 2018

Funny i stumbled across this thread. I was thinking about removing the factory carplet liners and replacing with plastic Husky wheel liners. Takes a lot of time to wash the carpet lines. Where as the plastic liner washes very easy....

OldBlue61 · July 13, 2018

I did reinstall the original liners, but I'd forgotten about the Husky liners. That may be a better way to go.

AllterrainX440 · July 13, 2018

On 7/5/2018 at 3:38 PM, OldBlue61 said:

If you live somewhere they use salt on the roads in the winter, you've seen trucks 7-8 years old with rust holes in the bed, usually around the wheel wells. Unfortunately, all too common a problem. In an effort to slow the tin worm, I had my truck rustproofed by Ziebart. Had good luck with their system in years past, so I figured I'd get my Silverado Ziebarted. Now, this thread is not about how you feel about Ziebart or any of the other possible rust proofing choices, but what it's about is the bed wheel well liners. I did not take the liners out when I had the truck rustproofed originally, but I was going to do that last year when it went in for it's yearly check up/touch up. Forgot last year, but I removed them this year so they could spray the rustproofing product in the liner area, since it seems (to me at least) that when they begin to rust, that's the first area that starts to go. Pics below are of the rustproofing installed.

Since I had the liners out, I figured I'd clean them with my power washer. HOLY CRAP. I wish I would have weighed the liners before I cleaned them, as there HAD to be 3-4 pounds of dirt in them. I power wash that area a couple of times a year, but I'd never seen that much dirt and road gunk come out of them before.

That brings me to my current dilemma - do I reinstall the liners, or leave them out since I've got that area rustproofed now? They obviously hold a lot of water close to the body when wet, along with a lot of dirt, possibly contributing to corrosion. Then again, without them, even though the wheel wells have a coating of rustproofing material now, you have the possibility of rock chips that could be where corrosion begins.

Comments, ideas, discussion, thoughts please.