Installing trail rail system in bed with drop in liner?

[Newtopia]

So I recently got a gladiator and it has jeeps drop in bed liner. However I realized the thick plastic bed liner covers the pre drilled holes for the rail system. What’s the easiest way to install this with the drop in liner? I can’t see where holes are. I attached a stock photo of what it looks like for residence.

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[lotecredneck]

You would have to cut the entire top few inches of the liner all the way around to mount the rails. Those drop in liners are pretty brutal to the paint. You might want to remove it and take a look and possibly spray a liner in as I bet the paint is scuffed to bare metal under it. I had one of those one time and it was tough on the paint....

~Tony

 

[Newtopia]

You would have to cut the entire top few inches of the liner all the way around to mount the rails. Those drop in liners are pretty brutal to the paint. You might want to remove it and take a look and possibly spray a liner in as I bet the paint is scuffed to bare metal under it. I had one of those one time and it was tough on the paint....

~Tony

Tony thanks for the quick response man, I appreciate it. I know it sounds weird but I like the drop in liner cause it protects the bed from dents, I have heard of the paint scuffing problem. You don’t think I could “guesstimate” where the holes are and drill small holes through plastic and mount over the liner? The plastic is thick but the screws seem long enough, idk just wondering

 

[Mr._Bill]

The drop-in liner is not static like a spray-on liner. It is a minor amount, but it will shrink and expand with the temperature changes. The Trail Rails need a tight attachment to the bed so the load is spread out and pressure does not bend the bed. I don't think it is a good idea to try and sandwich the liner between the bed and the Rails.

 

[lotecredneck]

If you could measure the hole locations and drill a considerably larger hole then I suppose it would work. You would need to use a bit longer bolt, but the rails should mount over the liner and cover the larger hole need to locate the mounting holes....

 

[Newtopia]

The drop-in liner is not static like a spray-on liner. It is a minor amount, but it will shrink and expand with the temperature changes. The Trail Rails need a tight attachment to the bed so the load is spread out and pressure does not bend the bed. I don't think it is a good idea to try and sandwich the liner between the bed and the Rails.

You really think a drop bed liner is going to be shrinking and expanding that much it would affect things???? Not trying to be smart

 

[Mr._Bill]

You really think a drop bed liner is going to be shrinking and expanding that much it would affect things???? Not trying to be smart

I don't know if it would be enough to matter. I would be more concerned about the effect of the sandwiched liner. It may be enough to interfere with the Rails being rigid enough to properly spread the load across the bed wall.

If it was me, I would probably buy the Rails and then evaluate them before installation. If you check some of the Mopar parts sites, you should be able to find the installation instructions. That would probably tell you enough to determine if there will be issues.

You may want to look at some of the Trail Rail compatible options (Teraflex?, Uintah?). They may be a better choice than the actual Mopar Rails.

My bed liner and Trail Rails were factory installed, so I can't offer much on the actual process required to mount them.

 

[Newtopia]

I don't know if it would be enough to matter. I would be more concerned about the effect of the sandwiched liner. It may be enough to interfere with the Rails being rigid enough to properly spread the load across the bed wall.

If it was me, I would probably buy the Rails and then evaluate them before installation. If you check some of the Mopar parts sites, you should be able to find the installation instructions. That would probably tell you enough to determine if there will be issues.

You may want to look at some of the Trail Rail compatible options (Teraflex?, Uintah?). They may be a better choice than the actual Mopar Rails.

My bed liner and Trail Rails were factory installed, so I can't offer much on the actual process required to mount them.

Got ya. Good idea. Thanks for your help I appreciate it

 

[kevman65]

Having the drop in liner between the rails and the bed wall will take away from the structural integrity of the design. Plus it will probably cause your mounting bolts to loosen up over time.

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