bed interior

[MrPaco]

MrPaco, I had painted the bed with something that was supposed to be bed liner that wore off. It peeled off where I did not sand down the clear coat. As far as rust what you see on the bed is superficial. I would expect any rust reformer or converter, rustoleum, and regular paint would be enough. If you are going to use it for dirt and gravel you should paint something stronger on even though it will wear off. I have seen some kits in the parts store for around $70+ but I have no idea how good they are.

I have the same situation, someone painted the bed with something that is peeling off. The original paint is underneath, except in some spots where a bed liner wore it off and some surface rust has settled.
I did a test in a few pots with a rust remover drill attachment and got it to the bare metal, almost. There is still some small black pock marks here and there, I didn't want to keep grinding further for fear of not being left with any sheet metal... is it safe to primer and then paint over those areas, or do I have to treat it with a rust reformer first, like you did?
I have a loctite product that says that it can only be covered with oil based primer/paints, so I haven't used it yet until I find out if the primer I have is oil or water based.

[85Ram50]

I have the same situation, someone painted the bed with something that is peeling off. The original paint is underneath, except in some spots where a bed liner wore it off and some surface rust has settled.
I did a test in a few pots with a rust remover drill attachment and got it to the bare metal, almost. There is still some small black pock marks here and there, I didn't want to keep grinding further for fear of not being left with any sheet metal... is it safe to primer and then paint over those areas, or do I have to treat it with a rust reformer first, like you did?
I have a loctite product that says that it can only be covered with oil based primer/paints, so I haven't used it yet until I find out if the primer I have is oil or water based.

I would find a primer for rusty metal or get Ospho to convert the rust. Scrape the peeling paint and sand everything lightly so that there is something for whatever you are going to use to grip to. Wash it and make sure it is dry when you are done sanding and prepping before painting.