Whether
you are a domestic truck owner or you drive a foreign brand one thing
in common between all pickup owners is the need to protect the bed
of the truck.
A review
of the alternatives for our 2008
Ford F-250 Super Duty quickly led
us away from drop-in liners to more permanent spray-in options based
primarily on aesthetic considerations. The 6.4-liter diesel King Ranch
is just a great looking truck both inside and out – and the desire
to protect the bed while doing little to deteriorate the aforementioned
exterior was strong.
Our three
requirements for the bedliner were: 1) Medium duty protection for a
truck that would be used primarily for outdoor activities and towing,
but occasionally for loads of landscaping material, rubbish or household
goods; 2) A consistently applied liner that would appear almost stock
at a casual glance; and 3) In keeping with the “stock” concept,
a spray-in liner which was accurately color-matched to the truck’s
paint.
The need
for a high performance coating led us to well-known LINE-X with one
simple request. We asked them for a behind the scenes
look at the entire process from start to finish so we could help readers
understand what happens in the shop during a typical 2-3 hour installation.
The
first step in getting a great spray-in bedliner is to go to a great LINE-X
dealer. The company of course strives for consistency among
its more than 450 US dealers, but we were fortunate to visit LINE-X of
South Metro in Littleton, CO where owner Brad Squibb has consistently
ranked as one of the Top 5 dealers in the country based on total beds
sprayed each month.
With our
Dark Blue Pearl F-250 and the previously mentioned goal of maintaining
a stock look we were interested in LINE-X’s newest
product, LINE-X- XTRA. Created in cooperation with DuPont Performance
Coatings, LINE-X XTRA allows the owner to specify literally any color
for the bedliner. Naturally our choice was the truck’s factory-original
paint code. LINE-X XTRA not only provides color-matching, but is
fortified with DuPont Kevlar to provide both additional protection against
scratches, gouges or punctures and U/V fade resistance to keep the color
looking great for years to come.
The 2008
F-250 includes a standard tailgate liner (and ours with the optional
integrated tailgate step) meaning that the tailgate would not see be
visiting the spray booth. Whether
it is to be sprayed or not, the installation begins with the removal
of the tailgate.
With
the backside of our truck wide open the prep work begins in earnest.
The beauty
of the LINE-X product is that it can be utilized whether the truck
is brand new like ours or if it has already seen its share of the elements.
It's not altogether uncommon for owners to make the switch from a drop-in
liner to a higher quality spray-in liner, although the condition of
the bed underneath a long time drop-in liner can leave a lot to be
desired. Either
way the bed of the truck must be inspected and appropriately prepped.
A new truck will require only a cursory cleaning, whereas a bed in
rough shape will need quite a bit more work.
