How to re-shape plastic bedside top/cap

[mattayom]

Whats up RF. So when I bought my truck it had a headache rack installed on it. I don't have a need for one and like to see out my back window so I took it off. Now the plastic piece on the top of my bed sides are wrinkled and bulging up just behind where the rack was mounted.
Does anyone know of a way to get the bulge out? My gut tells me to hit it with a heat gun and put something heavy on top but I don't want to risk f*king something up (like my purdy paint ). I guess I could replace them but I'd rather spend my money on something else.

Thanks

 

[AustinB]

Leave it like that and check back in a couple weeks.

 

[Cecil_]

i would try putting it in the hot sun and set a weight on it, or use a heat gut then set some sort of weight on it. do it a few times and it should shape back.

 

[mattayom]

Leave it like that and check back in a couple weeks.

I was hoping it would've been that easy but it's been a couple weeks now and it hasn't changed.

i would try putting it in the hot sun and set a weight on it, or use a heat gut then set some sort of weight on it. do it a few times and it should shape back.

That's what I was thinking. I'm just weary to use a heat gun near the paint.

Does anyone know how hard it is to pull them off? I'd almost rather do it off the truck

 

[LoneStar_Crewcab]

Does anyone know how hard it is to pull them off? I'd almost rather do it off the truck

When I got rear-ended last year, the body shop had to remove the driver's side plastic bed cap to repaint that side of the bed, and almost all of the plastic clips that hold it onto the bed broke off. They had to replace mine with a new one. I'd probably advise against removing it, unless you are ready to buy a new one!

 

[Dantheman]

What if you taped some kind of like moving blanket below it then used a heat gun. That way if something does happen to the paint it will only be under the rail that can be covered anyways.

 

[AustinB]

I was hoping it would've been that easy but it's been a couple weeks now and it hasn't changed.



That's what I was thinking. I'm just weary to use a heat gun near the paint.

Does anyone know how hard it is to pull them off? I'd almost rather do it off the truck

Just don't hold it on the paint for much longer than 6-10 seconds. People use heat guns around paint all the time.. installing/removing vinyl wraps, 3m residue, bedside covers, etc..

I second the heat gun/sun and a big brick.

 

[mattayom]

When I got rear-ended last year, the body shop had to remove the driver's side plastic bed cap to repaint that side of the bed, and almost all of the plastic clips that hold it onto the bed broke off. They had to replace mine with a new one. I'd probably advise against removing it, unless you are ready to buy a new one!

Dude that sucks! I thought that oonly happened on Fords


I think I'll give the heat gun a shot when I get home today. Hopefully it works out & I'll post a pic whether or not I'm successful lol. Thanks dudes

 

[mattayom]

Super late update.....
I busted out the heat gun and got the plastic soft enough that I left fingerprints on the damn thing... Set a cinder block on top of it and left it for an hour or so, and it worked,
-temporarily-

After like 3 days the plastic slowly bulged back up, so I'm just gonna replace them that way it'll just be done with