Does anyone know what the piece of sheet metal that mounts under the bed and attaches to the cross members under there bed right above the rear? Mine fell off after I banged my head for weeks trying to figure out where this loud banging noise was coming from evertime I hit a bounce. I'd like to know if it's actually needed, don't feel like putting it back on. Its a few feet long by a foot wide and is bent at the ends to fit over the cross members and are rivetted there. Has the rectangular whole with some flat rubber on the one corner.

 

might be part of the exhaust shield.

 

I thought that also but it's toward the center of the bed and the exhaust runs down the side.

 

Mine has a couple of sheet metal plates riveted to the bed as well, and one of those rusted to the point where it was just dangling there, so I ripped it off ... Don't know what it does either but I don't see how it adds any sort of structural integrity to the bed, so I wasn't too concerned lol

 

I would hazard a guess that its to help block from salt and such making direct contact with the bottom of the bed.

 

Exactly what I did. It was just laying up there with 1 rivet left. It was a pain to get off, some weird angles.

 

I can agree with that. They put a lot of stuff on our roads up here, I may put it back on, or maybe not. I'll see.

Thanks for the input all! I was just hoping it didn't provide some type of support up there, but my mind is at ease now.

 

Here are some pics of the pieces that were loose that i removed. Now I'm hearing tons of squeeking, screeching, creeking and just plain old odd noises.



Here is the spot of on the truck it came from Started a little in front of the diff. and came back to about halfway between the diff and the bumper.

 

that's exactly the piece I removed from my truck as well as another one cuz it was all rusting off, I would agree with some folks that it's some sort of exhaust shield cuz the cab has the same stuff above the exhaust

I don't have stock exhaust anyway so I didn't think twice about poppin it off

 

I have stock exhaust but my exhaust is no where near where this piece was.

 

those photo's are of the stock exhaust heat shields..

are they needed?

well yes and no.. factory they had them on but i have owned 3 for trucks and all of them have fallen off and run years without them no problem

 

Cool. I didn't feel like putting them back on. Way to much of a pain in my butt. Sooner or latter I'll have my new exhaust anyway.