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I've temporarily removed the BackRack headache rack from my 2010 1500 Silverado in order to install a winch onto the rack.

The nuts on the side of the rack that hold it into the stake pocket anchors were seized.

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I had to use a lot of force when wrenching the nuts (in conjunction with heat and lubricant). In the process of forcefully removing the nut on one side, I managed to damage the stake pocket and the anchor. The anchor was bent beyond repair and it ripped out of the stake pocket -- damaging the side of the stake pocket/truck bed. Rust didn't help. And the existing box liner is in the way, making repairing the box body/stake pocket wall difficult.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good picture of the damage. But the BackRack installation instructions below provide an idea of what the mechanism would have looked like new:

enter image description here

Source: https://www.backrack.com/images/Install_guide/5.5-ft-Install-Presentation.pdf

Picture the bottom nut & washer ripped right through the box wall.

The stake pocket walls and the stake pocket anchor are completely mangled and can't be re-used as designed. I tried re-installing the anchor but it just spun in the pocket and lifted out of the pocket freely -- defeating the purpose of the mechanism.

How can I re-install the truck rack when the anchor and pocket are damaged?

User1974
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1 Answers1

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I was able to make my own stake pocket anchor -- using a different design than the original.

I took a big eye bolt, drilled a hole between the eye and the shaft, and put a bolt perpendicularly through the hole. I jammed the whole thing into the stake pocket -- positioning it so it couldn't lift up past the stake pocket lip. The perpendicular bolt extends well beyond the pocket into gaps in the corners. So it can't twist or rise up out of the hole.

enter image description here

That seemed to work. I was able to re-install the rack onto the new stake pocket anchor. I re-used the old nut, washer, and lock washer since they happened to fit the new eye bolt.

Alternatively, it occurred to me that I could have used a store-bought anchor. Or at least the bottom plate and bolt from one.

enter image description here

With that style of anchor, the bolt is actually a separate part, a threaded rod, that can be separated from the top loop/triangle. So I could have discarded the top loop/triangle and replaced it with a regular nut.

But the threaded rod is pretty thin compared to the original bolt. So I thought it would look out of place and undersized, even if in reality it might have been adequate, strength-wise.

So I didn't go that route. And I don't have a welder, taps, or a proper replacement bolt, so I didn't have an easy way to fabricate a custom anchor from raw materials.

User1974
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