Truck's bed is poorly made....

[JTSouthernYankee]

For the cost of repairing that bed, you may well be able to pick up a used one from a junkyard.

They are starting to appear and generally are not very expensive.

I was curious if they have started showing up in the junkyards... shit in Houston, Tx where people drive like they got their license from dollar general, I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier hahaha.

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[Jteakus]

On the cheap and quick, sandwich some 3/16"x3" flat bar inside the bed and outside of bed (in gap behind fuel filler). Hit it with some paint, cinch it together, reinstall spare and run it. If you like it, bed line over it.

 

[JTSouthernYankee]

On the cheap and quick, sandwich some 3/16"x3" flat bar inside the bed and outside of bed (in gap behind fuel filler). Hit it with some paint, cinch it together, reinstall spare and run it. If you like it, bed line over it.

I like the way you think🤌

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Are other locations an option? I was reading this, then noticed my grandkid, (who never sleeps) playing with the gladiator hotwheels with a side mounted tire.
Just so you know, my grandkid is not only NOT sleeping, but also CRYING while I take these photos for you.

How about a mount at the tail gate? These beds don’t have a lot of real estate so if you needed to haul something in the back, you may wish you had options to put that tire somewhere else. ??IDK

 

[Maximus Gladius]

I know you don’t drive an access cab but I’m sure after some thought an exterior mount could be made, or I’ve even seen tires up top on a rack or on the roof.

 

[Darkspeed]

if it were me i would be using a hammer and dolly to flatten it out and then covering it with some of these

 

[Darkspeed]

you would need to verify measurements but super easy to install. They even have them in red.

https://www.amazon.com/AUTOBOTS-Trailers-Mounting-Hardware-Trailer/dp/B09ZPFLGVC/

 

[Gvsukids]

How about a mount at the tail gate? These beds don’t have a lot of real estate so if you needed to haul something in the back, you may wish you had options to put that tire somewhere else. ??IDK

Might want to go easy over bumps, or your frame might bend.

 

[Darkspeed]

have you considered a clayton bent rear track bar so the 37" spare would fit?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Reinforcing could be done with some flat stock on the back side, accessed through the wheel well

Yes, you can look up along the bed wall and even see the trail rail mountings. It wouldn't be as easy as my quarter panel was because there was full access to the backside - the outer bed panel is really close to that inner wall, but there are actually tools made to hold patches in place while welding. They hold the pieces together and make the surface flush while you weld. To avoid warping, do it in short bursts. Weld - move to another area, weld another inch, move to another area, and so on and keep closing the gaps until there are no gaps.
If done well, there would be no real filler required. A high-build primer would take care of imperfections.

I agree with the prior comments on running an aluminum bar back there. One would need to account for the factory "rivnuts" where the trail rails mount, but one could put clearance holes in the reinforcing bar on the back side.

 

[graham5david]

Just weld up the holes then get the entire bed sprayed with line x. It will be cheaper than the body shop.

Also I live in odessa and take offense to your armpit comment. Odessa is the butt crack of Texas. Get it right next time.

 

[Vtur]

have you considered a clayton bent rear track bar so the 37" spare would fit?

^^^This exactly. Don't over thinking it. Save the already small bed to haul stuff. You bought a truck after all

 

[ShadowsPapa]

^^^This exactly. Don't over thinking it. Save the already small bed to haul stuff. You bought a truck after all

That solution, IMO, needs to be made more widely known.
Such a super-simple thing - and likely better than stock, anyway.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

Metalcloak also has a rear track bar that fits up to a 38” spare

https://metalcloak.com/jt-gladiator-rear-durotrak-track-bar.html

 

[fourfa]

The other solution here (and once bigger than ~37-38", nothing will fit between the frame rails regardless of track bar design) is trail rail of some sort with appropriately sized tiedowns. Factory, Mopar kit, several aftermarket and DIY options. Bare sheet metal on a weight-optimized midsize truck unfortunately isn't the answer. Trail rails spread the load out over a much, much larger area

I'm sure full-size truck beds have often been made of heavier gauge steel (and weigh more accordingly) and might stand up to this. Though the F-150 bed has been aluminum for a while now, so I wouldn't try this there either. Perhaps in a one-ton bed. Sorry this happened though

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