Make your own Maverick bed tie-downs: DIY bed side rail tutorial by Ford

[PortlandME]

Is anyone else having a hard time finding M8-1.0 25mm button head bolts? Amazon, Fastenel, and the big box stores - Home Depot and Lowes - have all failed me. Closest I can find from Home Depot is this Hex bolt. But, I am not sure if the head will be too big for the US Cargo L-track rail I ordered - https://www.uscargocontrol.com/products/Airline-Track-48-Piece

I think you're looking for M8-1.25 (and M6-1.0 for the smaller holes). The length isn't that important and I'd guess anything from 20-40mm would be just fine. I found a few stainless options at Home Depot.

BUT, I just spent half a day installing that same exact track (in bare aluminum) and I'm going to rip it out for another solution. The pre-drilled holes in the rail don't line up with the bed (not surprising), but it's also nearly impossible to drill the necessary holes. The holes in the bed are oddly spaced and not level with each other, so once you put the holes in the rail you'll find you either don't have room to use a countersink bit (you need to countersink the screws in order to use the rail as designed) or you won't even have room for the screw itself (you'll notice the pre-drilled holes on the rail are all in the circular openings, well that won't be the case for your newly drilled holes). I hacked it together by trimming off pieces of the face of the rail to make it work, but I'm not happy with the finished product. If all of that sounded confusing, you'll see what I mean when you get the rail... I can also post pictures if anyone wants.

That said... I'd like to order the OEM rail that comes with the Lariat/XLT Lux Package... does anyone have a part number? I can't find it on the Ford parts or accessories pages.

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[danzez]

I think you're looking for M8-1.25 (and M6-1.0 for the smaller holes). The length isn't that important and I'd guess anything from 20-40mm would be just fine. I found a few stainless options at Home Depot.

BUT, I just spent half a day installing that same exact track (in bare aluminum) and I'm going to rip it out for another solution. The pre-drilled holes in the rail don't line up with the bed (not surprising), but it's also nearly impossible to drill the necessary holes. The holes in the bed are oddly spaced and not level with each other, so once you put the holes in the rail you'll find you either don't have room to use a countersink bit (you need to countersink the screws in order to use the rail as designed) or you won't even have room for the screw itself (you'll notice the pre-drilled holes on the rail are all in the circular openings, well that won't be the case for your newly drilled holes). I hacked it together by trimming off pieces of the face of the rail to make it work, but I'm not happy with the finished product. If all of that sounded confusing, you'll see what I mean when you get the rail... I can also post pictures if anyone wants.

That said... I'd like to order the OEM rail that comes with the Lariat/XLT Lux Package... does anyone have a part number? I can't find it on the Ford parts or accessories pages.

That is great to know. Thank you for the detailed write-up. I personally would appreciate any pictures you have as they will help with my installation. Also, I'm sure we are not the only ones considering buying these same rails. In fact, based on your experience and photos, I may not even attempt to start if the final results are less than stellar.

 

[danzez]

That said... I'd like to order the OEM rail that comes with the Lariat/XLT Lux Package... does anyone have a part number? I can't find it on the Ford parts or accessories pages.

I am checking into the same and am waiting on a phone call back from my Ford dealership rep. I found this part number and accessory list on another forum. Hopefully, I will hear back today about whether this part number is correct and the item can be ordered.

NZ6Z-9955200-A Cargo Management Rail System

 

[houselog442]

I used M8-32mm eyebolts. They fit very well. 32mm is equivalent to 1.25 inch in length

 

[PortlandME]

That is great to know. Thank you for the detailed write-up. I personally would appreciate any pictures you have as they will help with my installation. Also, I'm sure we are not the only ones considering buying these same rails. In fact, based on your experience and photos, I may not even attempt to start if the final results are less than stellar.

Sorry for my delay. Here are some pictures of the full rail and the two trouble spots. As my neighbor always says, it looks good from afar, but it's far from good It's really not that bad... the biggest problem is that some of the positions aren't usable because I couldn't countersink the screws enough or because I had to shave away some metal. I'll probably keep them until I'm able to order the factory rails that come with the Lux package (assuming they aren't crazy expensive).

 

[danzez]

Here are some pictures of the full rail . . .

Thank you very much for the pictures of the finished rails. They look good despite the difficulties you experienced installing them. And in reality, only you will ever notice the problem spots

I heard back from my Ford dealer rep and the part number I provided is correct for the factory bed rail system. Of course, it has to be ordered and who knows when they will come in. But, at least it can be ordered since I have not found that part number anywhere on the Ford accessory website.

Also, with the recent price hike on Maverick accessories, I'm sure the price will be north of $250 once the rails finally come in.

I think I am going to return the US Cargo rails and wait for the Ford bed rail system to come. There is a 20% restocking fee that I am not thrilled about. But at least I will be able to apply the rest of the refund towards the factory bed rail system.

I will keep everyone informed once the bed rails arrive at the dealership . . .

 

[cjwagner]

I've planned on doing this as soon as I get my build in. If possible, I'll probably make the rails longer though as I think the 30" length could be a little longer; at least if you go by the Ford offering in the options or lux packages.

Unistrut does make a stainless steel strut. a bit more costly but...

 

[Xbbqpitmaster]

Found these:
https://realtruck.com/p/core-trax-tie-down-track-system/v/ford/maverick/2022/

 

[JamesC]

Found these:
https://realtruck.com/p/core-trax-tie-down-track-system/v/ford/maverick/2022/

Thanks, looks good. 36 or 48 inches, what’s the length of the stock rail?

 

[Xbbqpitmaster]

Thanks, looks good. 36 or 48 inches, what’s the length of the stock rail?

Not sure. But the Maverick bed from the specs sheet is 4 1/2 ft. When I get mine, will see where the stock tie downs are and then decide which length to order.

 

[gear1975]

I recently did this install. Will paint the rails black once spring comes. Worked great, and holes lined up without issue.

 

[Barracuda340]

Done. Area51 Bed Rails ... along with Area51 sound cables, water bottles, and other Area51 items ...LOL

I will likely round up the goodies to make the ford hack bedside rails as well.

 

[diggz313]

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/maverick-bed-rails.9380/#post-189789

here's a thread i created about using 05-19 Tacoma bed rails, work great, just needed to be trimmed to size and 2 of the 3 holes drilled out

I'll be adding some pics here in an hour or so

 

[diggz313]

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/maverick-bed-rails.9380/#post-189789

here's a thread i created about using 05-19 Tacoma bed rails, work great, just needed to be trimmed to size and 2 of the 3 holes drilled out

I'll be adding some pics here in an hour or so

 

[diggz313]

and the finished product

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