Removed hitch - holes in bed of truck

[Don___Carolyn]

We removed the 5th wheel hitch from our truck because we are downsizing to a small travel trailer.

Question: What can we put in the holes to prevent future rust? The truck has a sprayed bedliner, but we want to prevent rust when rain goes through the holes. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Don___Carolyn]

This is the OP. THANKS for all of your ideas. The bolts from the hitch went with the hitch to the new owners.

WHAT WE DID: We sanded the hole lightly underneath and used Gorilla Tape. In the truck bed, we used J-B Weld SteelStik which is steell reinforced epoxy putty. It is a putty that you mold to fit the size holes. We bought J-B Weld from Home Depot in their paint dept.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions. Oh...coins did not fit the size of our holes so we couldn't use that idea.

Don

[bcbouy]

I have to ask. why the caulking?

[dbbls]

Go back to Linex or where ever you had the liner installed and they will probably spray the holes for you.

[wandering1]

Large round headed bolts and nuts with rubber washers worked on mine and not a mention about holes in the bed when I traded it in.

[Raymon]

Learjet wrote:
just leave the carriage bolts in the holes, with washers on the bottom.

Exactly what I did. Don't plan on buying another 5th wheel, but you never know. I have a prayed-on bed liner.

Ray

[Mike_LeClair]

Big Toe Said > "What a fantastic fix up. Great idea!

I wonder if American pennies would work as well as Canadian ones?"

I have a secret stash of discontinued pennies! Any coin will work, it's just to give the J B something to stick to in order to help give it strength and rigidity

[RollandB]

We still use pennies.....;)

[BigToe]

Mike LeClair wrote:
I closed off each hole from underneath with a piece of Gorilla Tape. Then up top I dropped a penny in each hole and then filled each hole with J B Weld. Smoothed the J B while it was pliable and let it dry overnight. I then rough sanded the J B to conform with the bed floor and sprayed each area with rubberized undercoating spray. Turned out so sweet that you can't even see where the holes were on the sprayed in bed liner.

Cheers!

Mike

What a fantastic fix up. Great idea!

I wonder if American pennies would work as well as Canadian ones?

[ChooChooMan74]

Drainage holes.

[korbe]

I have some holes in my truck bed, with the spray in liner, and I never thought that there would be any worry of rust. Should I ?

[Bandaid]

You can go to your local Fastenal store and purchase Stainless Carriage bolts, nuts, washers and lock washers. Before you put the washers and nuts on the bottom side, squeeze some adhesive caulk around the bolt threads. Then tighten the nuts down.
You could also put a little caulk under the carriage bolt flange to seal it to the bed liner.

Bandaid

[Learjet]

just leave the carriage bolts in the holes, with washers on the bottom.

[Mike_LeClair]

I closed off each hole from underneath with a piece of Gorilla Tape. Then up top I dropped a penny in each hole and then filled each hole with J B Weld. Smoothed the J B while it was pliable and let it dry overnight. I then rough sanded the J B to conform with the bed floor and sprayed each area with rubberized undercoating spray. Turned out so sweet that you can't even see where the holes were on the sprayed in bed liner.

Cheers!

Mike

[DutchmenSport]

Wire brush the underside around the holes, then inside of the holes, and then simply paint the area with oil-based Rustolium. Find some kind of plug that matches the hole size and seal it in with a good calking.