Rope Hooks - What to Do!? .... #ropehooksmatter

... lately a big topic of discussion in the 'What have you done...' sticky thread but a 1st gen forum search did not generate a specific topic thread so here it is

the OEM rope hooks are ferrous (attracted to magnets), made of material that is prone to corrosion and looking like 'ass' when exposed to the elements over time and probably get worse quicker under heavy wear and tear use.

new OEM hooks range in price it seems but average $10 ~ $15 each, maybe more at various dealer markup parts departments

other than buying new ones (every now and then), cleaning and painting old ones when they become crusty and an eyesore, what are some options (besides bedlining them, unless they can be bedlined in a silver color) some might like to keep them 'metal looking'

are there aftermarket options available that are made of non-corrosive materials such as certain exhaust's are or the alloy wheels? both are non-magnetic and basically non-corrosive i think

i recently removed my plastic drop-in over-the-rail liner (had never been removed in 22yrs) and getting a LineX sprayin to avoid having to repaint the whole box (painting would cost an estimated several thousand dollars.) the LineX should take care of the bare metal spots rubbed from the plastic liner. But I would like to keep the rope hooks looking sharp and silver metal colored if possible. I only had one that had started getting crusty on the passenger front side (and no idea really how it got like that! even with bedfull of snow and ice most every winter at some point)




this is a pic from another TW members rope hook that is from AZ (which has a much different climate than my truck is subject to in the winter)

 

I’d just pull them off and sand/prime/paint them... or have them line-xd.

Only time I ever notice mine are when I’m tying something down. I don’t even know if mine are corroded or not lol.

 

I replaced two of them on my ultra low mile 2003, as they had become a bit corroded. Same with the door strikers.

I experimented with briefly soaking the items in vinegar, but the finish broke down almost instantly.

 

I repaint them and put a carabeneer(sp?) clip from Home Depot on them to actually make them usable.

 

#FirstWorldProblems

 

Where I live rust isn't an issue but after only a couple of trips to Pismo mine started to rust. Over the years trips to Pismo made mine look pretty bad. I didn't bother wasting money on buying new ones, the stock zinc or whatever coating doesn't hold up well anyways.

I had a can of duplicolor laying around that I never used cause it doesn't match my stock paint color well. I used that to paint my rope hooks & screws (wire brushed & primer first) and they'e been holding up well even with trips to Pismo. If I didn't have the duplicolor, I would have just used whatever paint I had on hand.

BTW, this was the first time I have painted them which was last year. They've looked like shit for years & finally decided to do something about them.

 

***
endless WD40 specialist anti corrosion long-term protection spray is an option (perhaps)
***

 

yes i guess you are correct!

some might say
first world
best world

 

Bed line over them

 

i am going to ask the LineX guy how much xtra to do that in silvery color
just not sure if they will be 'permanently' in there for good after or not
LineX job is going to cost a nice chunk of change, don't want any FKS ya know!

 

No no no, what you should do is just get some of these in gold plated. They'll go with the black color of your truck nicely.

(Well this is brass but you get the idea)

 

i really do like the looks of these!
.... picturing them with a backdrop of dark sparkly LineX liner

 

this would definitely work as well
where do you find those?

 

Amazon probably, they have everything!

 

... except for competitive prices anymore
they rape me often anymore

where did you find that image?

https://www.google.com/search?tbs=s...bDmWCGvRMe3u0_16AiiaCmC3WU6TjZdeHTcZm99ncUuyA

 

Oh, I just googled. Those are actually for home use or whatever. Search for Eye Loop.

 

I wonder if they make any in stainless steel? Any coating that is sprayed on might easily be abrasively removed with a ratchet strap hook. Maybe some really thick rubberized coating? Maybe bed liner is the best approach, as others have said.

I'm about to Raptor line my bed and took these off while I figured out this conundrum as well.

 

i am just hoping there is some option available out there for an exact fit, made out of what my stainless steel aftermarket exhaust is made out of
its non-magnetic and supposed to never corrode under 1 million mile warranty

the custom skids on TW that I am looking at are made of the 'good' stuff, are these hooks too thin to use the same material?

 

If the material is any kind of steel, I would think matching OEM thickness would be ideal. If it's made out of aluminum, it might bend easily.

 

Spend the money buy a set of used ones .

Must be some industrial plating shops close to you .

Have then plated with a coating that wont rust.Most are hard enough metal to metal rubbing won`t wear

Fabricate your own tie downs out of stainless to attach to the same point