What are these cuts in the bed from and how can I repair it?

[ranorris2]

I just bought a 22 F150 and didn’t notice until I got home there were 2 identical cuts on each side of the bed near the tailgate.
I am assuming the last owner had something installed, but nothing is coming to my mind that would require these cuts. So here I am asking all of you, does anyone know of a product that requires these cuts on install? Also, is it worth fixing? What would you repair it with?

Thanks,
Ryan

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[DadBald]

Looks like they had a bar across there? And they used the slits to put in a wrench to tighten a nut/bolt there? Odd. I'd be dissatisfied with that.

 

[Mosey]

To me it look like something was mounted to the holes which are 90 degrees from the cuts. My guess is that the cuts are for insertion os either a tool to tighten a fastener or a fastener itself.

Without welding there probably is not way to fix them. But you could fill them with some JB Weld and then paint over the epoxy to hide.

 

[Ricksc]

No telling what it was. The grind cuts are pretty sloppy. Maybe try to remove some of the spray bed liner fill with some bindi then recoat with bed liner. Not sure how it would look but better then a couple holes

 

[HammaMan]

ooof -- wth?
You can access both sides by removing the taillight. To patch that I'd use JB weld "kwikweld" from the back side first, let it harden, then carefully fill in the front side to the desired texture. If you get the 2 tube variant, you can mix in a little little bit of carbon black (like 1:20 max) to part A of the mix before mixing in part B to make a nice black colored epoxy. (run a test batch first) --- Carbon black can be had for ~$5 and as its name suggests is carbon.

 

[parkerdog]

this stuff is pretty versatile. Can be had cheaper and sometimes locally if you have a hobby lobby. Mine doesn't carry the black though.

https://www.amazon.com/Medium-Black...9999&keywords=milliput&qid=1727281606&sr=8-45

 

[FaaWrenchBndr]

I just bought a 22 F150 and didn’t notice until I got home there were 2 identical cuts on each side of the bed near the tailgate.
I am assuming the last owner had something installed, but nothing is coming to my mind that would require these cuts. So here I am asking all of you, does anyone know of a product that requires these cuts on install? Also, is it worth fixing? What would you repair it with?

Thanks,
Ryan

looks like the previous owner had a bed extender of some type. Looks like they were lazy and didn’t want to remove the tail lights to get to the backside of the hardware for the pivot so they cut into the bed to insert a tool or cut the bolt.

I would fill that in with JB Weld. Once tacky, you can use your finger in mimic the stippling that then can be smooth down to match the texture of the spray liner.
I would do two things. First I would draw hole at the end of those cuts, using a quarter inch drillbit. This will prevent that cut from possibly cracking in the future.

To make filling the hole a little bit easier, I would remove the tail lights. You can then apply tape of your choice to the backside of both cuts. It will make filling them with whatever you decide to use much easier.

 

[ranorris2]

Thanks for everyone’s opinions on this one! I’ll look into your suggestions on the fix. Also, thanks for pointing out I can get to the backside by removing the tail lights, that should allow me to make it look a bit better when I try and repair it.

 

[Jerome10]

Man that’s a bummer. I definitely wouldn’t accept if I had caught either.

me? I’d probably leave it so long as water can’t get in and pool somewhere.

aluminum body so don’t really have to worry about rust, correct?

 

[HammaMan]

Man that’s a bummer. I definitely wouldn’t accept if I had caught either.

me? I’d probably leave it so long as water can’t get in and pool somewhere.

aluminum body so don’t really have to worry about rust, correct?

Aluminum will corrode. Ever seen window AC units at the beach? Their fins turn white and when touched just turn to dust. Rust is just the name for iron oxide. Aluminum oxide is very much a thing. The difference is that aluminum oxide can form quick and protect the surface vs 'rusts' insistence on continuing to grow. Aluminum is better about corrosion but it's highly dependent on atmospheric variables.

 

[DEEPDOWN]

Aluminum will corrode. Ever seen window AC units at the beach? Their fins turn white and when touched just turn to dust. Rust is just the name for iron oxide. Aluminum oxide is very much a thing. The difference is that aluminum oxide can form quick and protect the surface vs 'rusts' insistence on continuing to grow. Aluminum is better about corrosion but it's highly dependent on atmospheric variables.

Great answer, which also applies to cast iron vs steel!

 

[stevemcbo]

I just bought a 22 F150 and didn’t notice until I got home there were 2 identical cuts on each side of the bed near the tailgate.
I am assuming the last owner had something installed, but nothing is coming to my mind that would require these cuts. So here I am asking all of you, does anyone know of a product that requires these cuts on install? Also, is it worth fixing? What would you repair it with?

Thanks,
Ryan

Caulk it with black silicone. Doesn't look like it will affect structural integrity. Repairing it with a weld will require repairing the bedliner also.

 

[FirstTimeFord]

Man that’s a bummer. I definitely wouldn’t accept if I had caught either.

me? I’d probably leave it so long as water can’t get in and pool somewhere.

aluminum body so don’t really have to worry about rust, correct?

That was my first thought. They didn't even clean their mess. Imagine if the steel debris (swarf) were all in your truck, rusting like crazy! Years ago did lots of roof mount antennas. We always put a giant donut magnet on the roof first to catch what we could.

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