THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

Been thinking of how I plan on gussying up the bed for my 712 project.
The bed is pretty free of rust but has the usual paint chipouts and wear.

Not sure what I am going to do just yet in terms of customization. For
starters I will either repaint or perhaps a bed liner such as U-POL Raptor.

I know that adhesion of these liners is poor over surface rust and can blister.
That shouldn't be a problem in this case with very little rust and proper
surface prep; 180 grit sanding and de-greasers etc.

Question for those who have gone this route, happy or regretted it. Any
recommendations on where to apply? Floor of the bed area only? Floor plus
side-walls? More? Would love to see some Pix's.

Raptor liner is great stuff, dont think you could go wrong with it

They cause rust eventually, or hide it anyway, unless you are in the SW maybe. I think the marketing of those kinds of products, and the somewhat blind adoption of them by pick-up owners, have made them seem like a good idea but when you really get down to it, why are they so good exactly? Seriously? Maybe you won't get a scratch from some theoretical impact at some point? So what? How is all that worth it?

I've never heard a good enough answer and definitely never been convinced that its a good idea on a Pinzgauer or Volvo. Lots of weight added, heavy costs, hides corrosion (which can start from the the other side!!), makes adding accessories harder, etc..

These 4x4's survived military service for 40 years and not one of them ever had a liner in them.

I'd usually refuse to consider buying a 4x4 with any bedliner and assume it's rusted underneath. If I did go for it, I'd spend 2 hours stabbing an awl into every possible rust spot which would then make rust even more likely later.

Paint it well and the next owner will thank you, and you'll likely get more money out of it to boot. Throw a rubber mat in it if you think you are going to jab it with something.

Well I suppose the advantages of liner is also the risk, that is, it goes on THICK and
is conformal. That's good at hiding chip outs in the paint, you need not spend all day
Saturday feather sanding and blending before you paint -- I liked that idea, hate
sanding, the look is kind'a nice too IMHO.

But the thickness also has it's downsides I suppose. It's a Polyurethane after all, so
can crack, chip out, and take gouges. You do need a very well prepared substrate
to bond to as well. I suppose there's never any good short-cuts

Treat the rusted surface with POR 15 and then the bed liner should stick just fine.

Mike

Of the five 710M's I've had I used bedliner in only 1. I first media blasted the areas with surface rust and then did a thorough cleaning with acetone or something similar. I then rolled and brushed the bedliner on the floor, side walls and under the rear seats. IIRC, I used Herculiner. It held up well while I had it.
On some others, including the one I still own and have had for 14 years, I media blasted the surface rust, cleaned thoroughly, primed with a high quality epoxy primer and then painted with my desired finish coat. Typically with a semi-gloss or gloss finish for ease of cleaning. I then purchased what are called cow mats or horse stall mats at the local farm supply store and cut to fit. The 3/4" thick one was way to heavy but the 1/2" was easy to handle. The mats provide sound deadening and are easy to remove to clean under occasionally.

Bad

I see this is old, but I wanted to add my two cents. I’ve been using a product called monsta liner. And it’s great! No chips, deadens sound a lot, doesn’t scratch, you can get any color you want and it’s made in the USA. I love it. I’ve used it in several jeeps and land cruisers. From hardcore rock crawlers to trailer queens. It’s just uber nice. I like paint too, but I ALWAYS scratch the hell out of my interior especially the rearmost portion of the bed and drivers side door entry. what I really love about it is the texture it leaves. I’ve used it on the undersides of a fj40 tub restoration and the stuff is stone proof. As for the rust? Well, yeah, it can hide rust, but so can paint.....I’ve worked on many trucks and cars that look nice and shiny only to find rust under a skim coat of bondo......

While I don't have any bed liner in my pinz, I get that it can look good. My non-pinz truck had factory bed liner and its a great look but hard on knees.

Similar to Paul's stall mats, you might check out bedrug (bedrug.com). I have one of these in my pu truck and use one of their mats for working under the truck. They make a universal mat you can cut to fit. It is a lot easier on the knees, its very sturdy, and it breaths and does not absorb moisture. Also comfortable enough if you decide to take a snooze in back.

I second the Bedrug. It is what I used and I am very happy with it. 3/4" thick foam with attached carpet material so helps sound level as well. You can buy it by the foot with a minimum of 10' I believe. I can't remember if it is 8 or 10 feet wide. it is easy to cut. I stuck mine down with velcro command strips so it will be easy to remove for cleaning or maintenance. If interested, I may be able to dig up a few photos.