The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop odd question--protecting newly painted bed

After I paint my bed, after all the hours of bodywork, I'd like to keep it from being scratched/etc. I am going to be hauling motorcycles in the back though. I'm thinking of getting a plastic bedliner that will protect the sides, which I can take in/out. anyone have any other ideas? thanks

Don't go with the plastic bed liner - it'll just scratch the heck out of the new paint and finish. Bikes don't put a lot of wear and tear on the bed - its the other junk you end up taking with you. I would just be careful and not worry about a liner.

If the bed is totally metal - not wood and metal strips, maybe spray some extra sealer over it so it is more resistant.

If this is a rod and not a classic - I'd recommend a sprayed in liner, like Rhinolinning - these can be color matched (to some extent) and work really well.

I agree don't go with the plastic bed liner. Maybe a bed mat. Or do the opposite, glue carpet on the bottom of the old tool box, etc. Problem with a bed liner is they move around and you can't see the damage being done until you yank it out. They also trap moisture. Not a good thing!

A friend in town sprayed a Rhinoliner-like coating into the bed of his 5-window himself. I don't know how these hold up but it looked great.

bedlines hold up great! only problem is I don't think there is a way to take the stuff off! :p I'm actually debating on doing the bedliner on my truck, but I haven't decided yet!

The kickstands of the bikes will gouge the paint. Use a bunch of old socks to slip over the kickstands and have at least 3 fastening points to tie down the bike ( 4 is better), keeps it from jostling.
Roll the bikes into the bed and onto a scrap piece of clean carpet, fuzzy side down. In a pinch use floor mats. Magnetic pan for oil drips is cool.
Most everything else will hide the new paint or scratch it up.
Old custom "rodders' of the mid-1950's used to put a white tonnue cover (tarp with snaps) over the bed to add a second color to the trucks' scheem and protect the bed paint.
The heavier the bike the more it will try and gouge into the bed.
john

Rubber mats are available for most any truck. It can be rolled up tight and stored behind the seat if you want to show off the bed. Also, maybe one the carpet liner companies has a mat type product available. 'Course if you bikes are AMF era Harleys,the you'll never get the oil out of the carpet!

Just toss a piece of plywood in the bed when you're hauling bikes. The plywood will set up on top of the skid strips and protect the bed wood (unless you've recessed the skid strips, defeating their purpose).

To protect the bed sides from bikes, fabricate wooden rails that drop into your stake pockets and are offset about six inches inside the bed to keep the bikes off the bed sides.
This is a cheap solution you can knock together in a hour or so, it's easy to remove, easy to put in, and stores in a lot less space than a bed liner.

Since the whole idea here is to protect your paint job, attach cotton rope around the edge of the plywood where it comes in contact with the bed sides, and between the wooden rails and the tops of your bed sides.

Thanks everyone for your ideas, I think I'm going to make some kind of carpet mat for the bottom, i'll get some marine grade carpet. (And an extra 'flap' to roll out over the tailgate The idea of using the stake pockets is great, i'll use that for both sides. The bikes i'm going to be hauling are actually dirt bikes...