DIY Bed rack mounting

I'm in the middle of doing up the designs for a bed rack for my 1st Gen, but I'm hitting a road block when determining how to mount it.

I previously had a 2nd Gen with an All Pro pack rack that mounted to the bed rails, however I don't have that option with my current truck.

How have people here mounted their racks, or how is the All Pro rack mounted to the bed?

Please and thanks! (Pictures of some set ups would be extremely helpful as I'm a visual learner)

 

Drill holes in the top of the bed rail and bolt it to the bed

 

Over thinking it.

Just drill holes and bolt in place.

My bed rack is off at the moment but here's a pic of mine I edited to show one of the bolts -



I use a total of 4, and its held my rack and tent just fine on multiple off road trips

 

So the top and side of the bed lip (not the right word but I can't think of how else to describe it) is strong enough to bolt a rack to without reinforcement?

 

Bolted via the inside, not the top.

Plus, not having bolts protrude through the top looks nicer



(Older pic)

 

Brilliant, a lot less complicated than I thought.

Thanks!

 

@eon_blue has a bed rack and RTT, maybe he can post up how his rack mounts to his truck bed

 

A bed rack need not be complicated at all.



I went overboard with the bolts, you don't need this many.



Holding strong a year and much use later.

 

Awesome, thanks fellas

 

xtremewlr what did you use to transition from rectangle to round bar on your bed rack?

 

a couple years later but saw these and thought i'd ask - for the bolts into the side of the bed were you able to reach up between the fender and the outside of the bed (if that makes sense) to throw some nuts on the back? or did you use a different mounting tactic?

edit: the bolts on the bed side, not on the rails for the rack - photo / clarity 2 posts farther down

 

The part of the bed you're talking about forms a "C".

No going behind the fender or anything; the nut is literally on the other side of the angle iron and bed lip.

 

oops sorry, i wasnt clear on which bolts - these ones

 

This. If you feel under where the rack is on the edge of the bed, you will see that it's wide open.

 

Oh. Yeah, I was able to snake my arm in there between the outside of the bed and the inner fender. It's tight but doable.

 

sweet, thats what i figured - now for the next million dollar question:

reckon its sturdier than the flange of the bed lip? really what i'm thinking would be to attach a heavy duty unistrut (or other 'bar' along the length of the bed) to each side of the bed about in line with the top of the wheel well and then be able slide some thick ply on top of it (multiple pieces from front to back) kinda like the BamBeds.

i'm thinking/hoping if i've got enough mounting points that it would hold without tearing out the side of the truck bed (always optimal). i know the bed sheet metal isn't super thick though...might be a fools errand

 

I'd still use the bedrails for something like that. They are far stronger.

 

I'm hoping a resurrect on this thread might get me some help. I'm mounting an Uptop Overland SoftTopper compatible truss on my 2002 and I don't have the right mounting hardware to drill through my bed rails. The website says the hardware kit is supposed to come with a drill bit up for the job and the nut/bolt/washer combo to lock it down, BUT my bags are missing them.

So do any of you know what type of bit will do the trick to drill through the bed rails?

And did you use locking washers or locking nuts/flanges to mount your bed racks?

Very much appreciate any insight.

Cheers!

 

The bed is super thin, so any bit made for drilling into metal will suffice; don't overthink it

A cheap Irwin will last you a long time if you want to use it for other projects down the road

I used nylock nuts and all stainless steel hardware, nothing else

 

Amazing, thank you!