Not having much luck getting these rails installed…

[JPinPA]

Having a difficult time getting the mounting screws for these to tighten down completely. They only screw in so far. Are the screws known to be too long?

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[Zed79]

I had to chase 3 of the M8 holes when I did my rails with a tap they seemed not to have tapped them all the way. get them all started a bit before you set any in the taper might help as well.

 

[Stang89]

You probably have some of the Rhino Lining sprayed in the hole, I had to tap some of mine .

 

[Mr Pibb]

I thought they didn't thread the holes unless you got the factory rails.

 

[Maverickman74]

The factory ones have a fat thick spacer washer behind them. If you are bottoming out the screws that's why. It's probably to allow debris and moisture to fall behind them and not build up and corrode. They were at least 1/4" thick and fat as the rail.

 

[JPinPA]

The factory ones have a fat thick spacer washer behind them. If you are bottoming out the screws that's why. It's probably to allow debris and moisture to fall behind them and not build up and corrode. They were at least 1/4" thick and fat as the rail.

Were these washers located just where the mounting screws go, or a long strip that’s the full length of the rails?

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

The factory ones have a fat thick spacer washer behind them. If you are bottoming out the screws that's why. It's probably to allow debris and moisture to fall behind them and not build up and corrode. They were at least 1/4" thick and fat as the rail.

You are correct there must be a space behind my factory installed rails. I can fit a thick decal, between the rail and the bed wall.
As the picture shows.
There must be a spacer/washer where the screws are. I did not have room to get a picture of the spacer. I also have a sprayed in bed liner.
I hope this helps.

 

[Maverickman74]

Were these washers located just where the mounting screws go, or a long strip that’s the full length of the rails?

Just big washers, though they were nice and chunky. Their hole was tight with the bolt as well. Between the bed and the rail, together they form a ladder frame. Seems pretty solid to me.

I think the concept of it is that if there was no large gap then over time it would collect dust and dirt, which would attract moisture and eventually abrasion and rust.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

The factory ones have a fat thick spacer washer behind them. If you are bottoming out the screws that's why. It's probably to allow debris and moisture to fall behind them and not build up and corrode. They were at least 1/4" thick and fat as the rail.

The factory rails and cleats use the spacing to let the location "pin" travel thru the holes for better retention. Whatever brand rail the OP is showing doesn't have that.

HRG

 

[JPinPA]

You are correct there's a space behind my factory installed rails.
As the picture shows.
There must be a spacer/washer where the screws are.
I have sprayed in bed liner.
I did not have room to get a picture of the spacer.
I hope that helps.

Thank you @Glen Baker LLC !

 

[JPinPA]

The factory rails and cleats use the spacing to let the location "pin" travel thru the holes for better retention. Whatever brand rail the OP is showing doesn't have that.

HRG

Ah, nice clarification @Hot Runr Guy, Thanks!

 

[Maverickman74]

The factory rails and cleats use the spacing to let the location "pin" travel thru the holes for better retention. Whatever brand rail the OP is showing doesn't have that.

HRG

That makes sense too. Still I think cleanout is a factor aswell. Be it a side benefit or a design factor.

 

[MetalsGeek]

If those are L-track rails, you may have some metalwork ahead of you. Flat head fasteners need near-perfect alignment between the holes in order for the screw to seat flush with the surface. I drilled and countersunk my own holes in undrilled L-track to match the truck bed, using transfer punches. It was tedious, but worked well. The OEM position of those tapped inserts in the bed is only good to a couple mm, so some mismatch is to be expected. IMHO, the amount of work required to fix this is probably not worth it. You might need a vertical mill and a large countersink to expand each hole, and then it will still look messy. You may just have to live with some of the anchor locations being unusable due to the bolt blocking them.

 

[JPinPA]

First a shout out to all you guys that offered suggestions - thank you!

I took my M8 tap and cleaned out all the holes and that did the trick.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Looks good!

HRG

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