Removed the bed on my 90 F250 today to repair some rot on the bed floor. I will be removing and treating all the rusty parts with various rust converters, prep n etch, Rustoleum,etc. Then I am going to laminate a 4 X 8 1/8" steel diamond plate to it using longer carriage bolts and seam sealer. When i lifted the bed I noticed plastic insulators at all the attaching points. Some are messed up and not reusable. Has anyone here improvised and used something else as insulators? I will try to post pictures of the project this weekend.

 

Insulators or anti squeak pieces? I worked for International bus company for a while on the assembly line. We installed "Anti-Squeaks" at all the bolt locations which were little more than squares of used tires or mine belting. I would use that in your case.

 

I guess you can call them Anti-Squeaks. In the LMC cataloge they are called insulators. They are only about a dollar each but I need them soon and hate to pay shipping on such a small item. I might cut up an old tire tube and use that-not sure yet.

 

I myself would try to find a stout piece of plastic. I think it would hold up better then the tube. Maybe try going to like Menards and looking around. You never know what you may find.

 

Why not try some pvc? If you want a little stouter than white schedule 40 pvc, then try the gray schedule 80.

 

I have never put them back on and never had a problem. but if you insist on having them cut up some inner tube

 

I don't think a tube will hold up at all, you'll need the tire itself.

 

A tire is WAY to thick. It is at least a 1/4 inch. Which will put the bed 1/4 higher than the bed

 

You can buy round with hole tire "cookies" from a commercial fishing net supply house. Different sizes and thickness available

 

Lowes or Home Depot-rubber washers.

 

Today I was looking at an empty compound bucket and I think I'm gonna cut the insulators out of the side of the bucket with a hole saw and see how it works.

 

Good thinking

 

Someone didn't have their coffee this morning, j/k You make a good point though.

I guess i'm not sure why plastic would be better than rubber, what's wrong with the rubber washer suggestion.

And why cut them out of the side of the bucket than the bottom of the bucket, is the rounded shape going to help somehow?

 

I think the side of the bucket is thinner

 

We use 1/8 gasket (orange rubber one) for this and strap isolators on the international fuel delivery truck's gas tanks. Works well and be picked up ant any auto parts store for short money. Just a thought but the bucket sounds good to me.