Bed Liner on the Roof (1 Viewer)

[toadshade]

Thinking about Monstaliner on the roof of my F80. I want to take the existing rails off since they are more or less useless anyway but I am thinking about the holes. Since I am going to go through the trouble of rolling on a liner, I would rather not weld the holes shut. I was thinking about using a rivet or something. Any ideas? I have already welded the original rack mounts shut but I am already seeing rust pitting. They were a little rusted when I took them off. I sanded them down and TIG welded silicon bronze in the holes but they are still rusting through a little. I do not want to take the chance that could happen to the whole roof. One more reason I decided to Monstaliner the whole thing. I am also going to be abusing the roof since I use the truck to haul 20' steel stock on a regular basis.

Since I am doing this, I was thinking of building a rack with the Gamaviti towers based on a friends suggestion. Look like nice towers. But has anyone welded a rack on the gutters? Why do I feel like that is a bad idea?

 

[fz1boxer]

i would use an aluminum rivet because you can always drill them out if you want to reinstall the original rack.
i was thinking the same thing about my roof also since its oxidized.
going to do the roof,flares and hood cowl soon,hopefully in a flat green

 

[toadshade]

I still have not gotten to it. So many other things to do. I am probably just going to weld them, although I will need to take the headliner out. I have recently heard that the headliner is extremely flammable and can burn your truck down. I just welded another truck roof and it is a pretty easy job. Much nicer look of course. But he painted his whole truck so it was worth it. I still have not decided if I am going to paint it or Monstaliner it. If you decide to go the welding route, be careful if you fill the hole with steel rod. When I welded the holes shut on this last truck, just a little too much filler was sticking through the roof and kept the sunroof from opening. Just FYI. Where are you in GA? I am in Decatur. Got a group of good guys around helping each other out in the Atl area.

 

[fz1boxer]

I'm near lake lanier,my old mtn dog hauler was only 2wd,the bronco was to small, got the LC so i would have to worry about difficult situations.
right now pulled all the rear seats out to gain room for the 3 kids.

 

[fz1boxer]

once i pull the factory rack I'm thinking i will use a set screw recessed and seal it off with lab steel or silicone and roll over that.

 

[toadshade]

Yeah, I am still thinking about just riveting the holes shut, with exception to the front holes close to the sunroof. It does not take much sticking through the roof to stop it from opening. I guess you could stick a rivet in the hole and try the sunroof before smashing it to see if it hits. Set screw is a good idea. If you can get a good thread on the sheet metal maybe you could thread lock it in and some how cut it off cold so it doesn't stick through too far.

 

[sentient schmoo]

@toadshade - did you paint it?! Curious how it turned out.

 

[toadshade]

No, never did. I ended up welding them shut and just painted it the same color as the truck. Turned out nice. I decided not to go through the trouble since I got a new truck. And I have just used well nuts on the new one. At least for now. The new truck is in such good shape, I am hesitant to tear up the roof just so I can weld the holes shut. I might wait till either the well nuts leak or I take the headliner out for some reason which is a possibility if I decide to do some light wiring. But for now, no. No monstaliner.