While Im asking questions. My knew elky has the bed painted and looks real nice. I'm thinking of putting some kind of tie down in the bed if i can find something that dosent look like a........tie down i guess. I went for ride this A.M and small cooler slid around. What have you guys used for tie downs in the bed of your truck. elky/rancheros. I usually carry tent and cooler and generator. Any ides?? maybe put some kind of bed matt that i could take out?? Open for suggestion while sweating in Bama.
I used eight of these on my truck's bed. Only require 2 holes to be drilled in the bed wood for a surface mount. Look like an aircraft clamp. The ring assembly is removable only leaving a little bump in the bed when not in use. https://www.uscargocontrol.com/2-Round-Anchor-Point-Tie-Down-Kit-Black
Google up Bull Rings. They are for the stake pockets in pickup beds. They recess below the surface of the bed rail when not used. When needed you just pull them up and they lock in the up position. Might be something you could get to work in your bed with a little work.
I used ultra strong magnets in my '60 years ago. I was thinking (still am) when the bed is painted some sorta clear plastic like 10 mil (to protect the paint) and a strong magnet over that. Screw drilling holes in the bed. Or worst case a bed load lock (I have them in my '41 p/u and '56 panel):
In my 59 ElCamino I used recessed D-Rings and put an 1/8" sandwich plate underneath that was 2" bigger that the plate itself to spread the load when ratcheting down tight. I like that they lay flat when not in use
Hello, Originally, for the red 1965 El Camino usage for our two 250cc desert racing Greeves Motorcycles, we only need two of these simple brackets. Two holes through the fender bumps, a small backing plate with lock nuts were all that was needed. At the time, no ratchet buckle clamps were available, so we used nylon straps from the Douglas Aircraft Surplus Yard and tied them down. They worked great as the two bikes, and spare parts and a tool box neatly fit inside of the closed tailgate. But, every time I walked into the empty bed, I hit the protruding tie down clamps. So, the next step was to get these really simple folding rings and use the same holes with the same backing plate. Those were wonderful. After unhooking the nylon straps, these new guys laid flat against the bed surface. Problem solved. Not so fast, there… folding brackets were great, but with every road bump or intersection, the metal ring lifted up and made a noise. Not good… Silver tape around the ring helped, but tore through, with the nylon ropes putting force on the covered rings. Then the tape looked awful. Jnaki So, finally, we purchased these custom chrome brackets the attached to the side walls of the El Camino bed two up front and two in the rear side wall areas. Not only were they great when you needed them, but they “pressure fit” nicely and slid back into the built-in grooves for a smooth final finish when not in use. No jiggling, no noise, and a nice chrome touch to the red El Camino bed.
couple 800 lb fishing magnets. glue a little felt to the bottom. easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Best part with using magnets is they are always in the right spot to position your tie downs for maximum holding.
I installed these recessed U bolts in my bed floor. I used PVC boards instead of wood. Should last as long as I own the truck.
So, finally, we purchased these custom chrome brackets the attached to the side walls of the El Camino bed two up front and two in the rear side wall areas. Not only were they great when you needed them, but they “pressure fit” nicely and slid back into the built-in grooves for a smooth final finish when not in use. No jiggling, no noise, and a nice chrome touch to the red El Camino bed. couple 800 lb fishing magnets. glue a little felt to the bottom. easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Best part with using magnets is they are always in the right spot to position your tie downs for maximum holding. Where would one find either one of theses. ?
I have uses the "T" shaped fold down brackets on several trucks. Used to be able to find them at Autozone, Pep Boys, O'Rielly... Google "curt 8306" They will show up at Jegs, Summit and some surprising places like Home Depot (not in my local store - free delivery available if you have the time). Some more tie down options are shown on the Home Depot site.
Hello, Here are a couple of T style hidden brackets from Amazon. 4+ stars and reviews. But, as always, your results may vary. If the load and pull of what ever you are carrying is too strong, the screws might have to have one or two different nuts and bolts from the inside areas. Or some kind of expanding nut/bolt. Jnaki Most of the time, the supplied screws are good enough, but you might want to get some sheet metal screws with stronger threads. YRMV Ours looked like those, but were not the same exact ones, obviously.
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